When James Earl Jones told Ray, “they will come” he was right. With the COVID-19 pandemic, the thought of a game in Dyersville, Iowa was most certainly canceled. The original game was supposed to feature the Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees. The White Sox didn’t just make sense from a regional perspective, but the original story had stars such as Shoeless Joe Jackson of the infamous 1919 Black Sox.
With there only being 60 games in the 2020 MLB season, and teams restricted to play only teams within their division as well as their natural rival from the other league, the White Sox were looking for a new partner.
The most realistic options for the White Sox to play would have been the Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, Kansas City Royals, and the actual opponent – the St. Louis Cardinals.
Based on the investment alone, if there were games in 2020 there was certainly going to be a game hosted here. While there is a current field just outside the farmhouse Ray Kinsella heard whispers from. As he was told to build it, there was an 8,000 seat stadium built just past the current field.
As it stands, there has not been word on if fans will be allowed. In attempting to research Iowa’s guidelines for spectators at sporting events I am only able to find details on High School sports. Part of their guidelines suggest that there will be limited bleacher seating, fans are encouraged to bring their own chairs and do not encourage fans to retrieve foul balls. Here in Chicago, seating for outdoor facilities during sporting events is limited to 25% of capacity. So I would imagine that if tickets are still sold to this event, only 2,000 people will be able to be in attendance.
I would imagine that the owner of the land will make out nicely. MLB has still paid their money to play there and with the Iowa Cubs about two hours away, they can still host Minor League games in 2021. I’d imagine 16u and above would have interest playing here, as well as high schools across Iowa.
In all honesty, the league missed an opportunity to have a White Sox vs. Cincinnati Reds game. That would have been a 1919 World Series matchup. With the nostalgia of the movie in the background, and a matchup using throwback jerseys, this just seems like a missed opportunity.
