(Radio Iowa) – The permanent “Field of Dreams” stadium in Dyersville will host the first major league game at the site in four years when the Minnesota Twins play the Philadelphia Phillies next Thursday night. Jeremiah Yolkut — senior vice president of global events for Major League Baseball — says the setting drives home what the movie was all about.
Volkut says there’s “real plumbing” at the site now, a reference to restrooms for fans in the stands — plus permanent locker rooms for the players.
Major League Baseball worked closely with Dyersville events as they were designing the ballpark.
The dimensions of the field for the Major League games staged in Dyersville in 2021 and 2022 are the same, but the stadium is no longer temporary. Murray Cook, the Official Field Consultant for Major League Baseball, says a farm property has been turned into a Major League venue.
In addition to Thursday’s Twins-Phillies game, events at the field start Tuesday with a Triple-A game featuring the Iowa Cubs and St. Paul Saints. Yolkut says the High School All-American game will be played in Dyersville on Wednesday in front of a crowd of scouts.
The games on Tuesday and Wednesday will be shown on the M-L-B Network. The Twins-Phillies game will be on Netflix. Gabe Spitzer, Vice President of Sports for Netflix, says Kevin Costner, the star of the movie, will be part of the broadcast in some way — but he isn’t confirming whether Costner will be on the field.
Spitzer suggests the goal is not to overshadow the game that will be played on the field.
Spitzer said “…It’s August baseball, right?…Both these teams are in the wildcard chase, so we have to make sure it’s, you know, game broadcast first.” Netflix broadcast the season’s Opening Night game between the Yankees and Giants as well as the Home Run Derby on July 13th.
Friday has been reserved on the schedule for a make-up game if there’s bad weather Thursday.
And local people hired for the “tarp crew” are going to start their training this weekend. Major League Baseball officials say 25 Hall of Famers will be at the Field of Dreams game, the largest gathering of Hall of Famers since the 2008 All-Star game.
