Everything You Need to Know About Thursday’s ‘Field of Dreams’ Game
We've been waiting for what seems like forever, but it's almost time for Major League Baseball to finally be played on Iowa soil. Here are all the particulars for Thursday's big event in Dyersville.
The retro uniforms the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees will be wearing when they take the field of the 8,000 seat stadium Thursday night (8/12) have been revealed and more and more details have come to light as we get closer to the home plate umpire hollering 'Play Ball'. Here's what you need to know.
Field of Dreams Home Plate Umpire is Iowa Native
Pat Hoberg (below), a native of Urbandale, Iowa, will be calling balls and strikes Thursday evening. The Des Moines Register reports Hoberg, 34, is in his 5th season as a full-time Major League Baseball umpire.
The Weather Forecast
The National Weather Service calls for sunshine on Thursday in Dyersville, with a high of 86. There's a 30 percent chance of late afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms.
Anthony Rizzo
After testing positive for COVID-19 over the weekend, the new member of the New York Yankees won't be on the field for the game. CBS 2 says that Rizzo, a cancer survivor, announced earlier in the season that he was waiting on more data on COVID vaccinations before getting his.
Outfield Wall Dimensions
CBS Sports reports the left and right field foul poles will sit 335-feet from home plate. A shot into the power alleys in left-center or right-center field will have to reach 380-feet to make the outfield wall. The wall in straightaway center field is 400 feet.
Starting Pitchers
The Chicago White Sox are scheduled to start left-hander Carlos Rodon. He's 9-5 on the season, with a 2.38 earned-run average (ERA). The New York Yankees will counter with left-hander Andrew Heaney. He's 7-8 with a 5.45 ERA.
Where and When To Watch
Local coverage of the game will begin at 4:30 p.m. central time Thursday afternoon (8/12) with a local pregame show on Fox 28. That will be followed at 5 p.m. by an hourlong national pregame show on Fox, followed by the game itself at 6 p.m. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:15 p.m.
The Broadcasters For the Game
Fox coverage will feature Joe Buck and John Smoltz in the broadcast booth. Tom Verducci and Ken Rosenthal will also be on-site, reporting throughout the game. As you can see from the video below, they won't be the only ones involved.
Tickets Are Most Expensive Ever for Regular-Season Game:
Who Will Throw Out the Ceremonial First Pitch?
That's a popular question and, so far, no one's answered it, officially. Forbes says Kevin Costner, who starred in the Field of Dreams movie, will be part of the Fox-TV pregame. I still consider him the favorite to be the first person to "toe the rubber" Thursday night. Late Tuesday night, KCCI said Costner would "reportedly throw out the first pitch."
Maddie Poppe Will Sing National Anthem
She made the rumors official Wednesday night. The Clarksville native and American Idol winner will sing the Star Spangled Banner.
Just in case you need something else to get you even more excited for the big game, you can watch an hour-long special called "If You Build It: 30 Years of Field of Dreams" Wednesday night, August 11, at 7:30 p.m. on FS1. It will re-air again Thursday morning at 1 a.m. The preview is below.
Major League Baseball Has Literally Dedicated the Time Slot to the Field of Dreams
When the Yankees and White Sox begin to play in Dyersville, it will likely be only one of two games being played at the time. A number of games begin earlier in the day and should all be completed except for Cincinnati and Atlanta (a 4:10 p.m. start). No other night game begins until 8:38 p.m. Iowa time, nearly 2 1/2 hours after the first pitch at the Field of Dreams.
History Awaits
Major League Baseball has been played since 1869. Thursday night, it will finally be played in Iowa, and our state is going to give fans a warm welcome and television viewers one heck of a backdrop.