2022 MLB at Field of Dreams

 On Aug. 20, 2021, a mere eight days following the successful and magical MLB at Field of Dreams game, MLB announced it would do it all again.

MLB returned to Iowa for a matchup between the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs on Aug. 11, 2022. The same field was maintained by BrightView since the walk-off homerun by Tim Anderson of the Chicago White Sox brought an end to the dramatic, energetic, and homerun-filled inaugural game in 2021.

The first game was tuned in by nearly six million viewers while the stadium was filled to capacity with enthusiastic fans.

We Built It...

In the tiny farming town of Dyersville, Iowa, just outside Dubuque, sits the iconic site for the movie Field of Dreams. In 2021, a Major League Baseball stadium sprang up in the same cornfield and played host to a regular-season game. The temporary ballpark paid homage to Comiskey Park, which once was home to the Chicago White Sox from 1910 through 1990.

BrightView was a part of this special project by building and maintaining the ballfield, as we have done with other major projects, such as the Little League Classic, the 2016 Fort Bragg Game, the 2019 London Series, the 2019 season opener in Japan, and the historic exhibition game in Havana, Cuba. BaAm and Populous also were hired by MLB as part of the project.

Construction began in August 2019 by digging and moving around 30,000 cubic yards of soil to level the field. Met with sweltering Iowa heat and humidity, the team also dealt with conditions surrounding "corn sweat," the process by which moisture in plant leaves evaporates into the air, and having to keep the field maintained for more than a year since the game was postponed due to the pandemic. The finished product is one BrightView is proud of and is thrilled to see shine during the big game. 

...and the People Came (Again)

The 8,000-seat stadium hosted the Aug. 12, 2021, game between the White Sox and Yankees and the Aug. 11, 2022, game between the Reds and Cubs. Although this was not the smallest facility to host an MLB regular-season game (that honor goes to the Little League Classic game at Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pa.), it was the first in the state of Iowa.

The ballpark overlooks the movie site with a pathway going through the corn to link the two fields for attendees to walk between and with an MLB-themed corn maze.

It was a priority of MLB and its Commissioner, Rob Manfred, to allow fans to experience significant events in important locations and to create memories for fans who are outside of MLB markets. Everyone involved, including MLB and BrightView, delivered a great event, created lifelong memories, and celebrated the theme of Field of Dreams and, particularly, its focus on families.

Stadium Photo

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