Field of Dreams come true

DYERSVILLE – Two locals were both in attendance at the historic Field of Dreams game between the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox last Thursday.

While this game is the first MLB game to be played in Iowa, in October 1927 the Yankees with Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig played an exhibition game in Des Moines after sweeping the Pirates in the World Series.

Prospective attendees of the Field of Dreams game entered a ticket lottery, open solely to those with an Iowa zip code, from July 16 to July 23. Then, people would be informed if they had the opportunity to buy two game tickets and one parking pass, or not.

Karla Hynes of Creston found out about the lottery after Larry Peterson posted about it on social media.

“I signed up after seeing Larry share on Facebook or Twitter, and then it was a little later I got an email from the MLB saying ‘Congratulations, you have the opportunity to purchase tickets’,” Hines said.

Tickets, for those selected in the lottery, cost $375 for two tickets and a parking pass.

“Other people around me at the game paid $1,500 to $2,000 per ticket,” Hines added.

Creston teacher Drew Dornack also found his tickets on social media.

“I had a former player who won the lottery, but had other commitments, post about it on Facebook,” Dornack said. “I saw it the moment he posted it.”

Hynes brought her husband to the game and Dornack brought a family friend.

“It was special to bring a lifelong Yankees fan who hadn’t seen them play ever in person and then to be able to see them play in the state of Iowa, just to take the moment in and share those memories that’s the fun part,” Dornack said.

It’s said that baseball is America’s pastime, and this game was no exception.

“You saw lots of fathers and sons there, there was a Vietnam Veteran who was sitting in front of me with his son,” Dornack said.

For Hynes, she sat next to a younger baseball fan.

“There was a little guy next to me who I asked ‘So who are you rooting for?’,” Hynes said, “he said, ‘I am a Cardinals fan, but I’m here to cheer for home runs.’ I think he got his wish.”

The game, which gathered 5.9 million live viewers on the nationally televised FOX broadcast and an announced attendance of 7,832, became an instant classic when Tim Anderson hit a two-run home run giving the White Sox a 9-8 win. In the top of the ninth inning, both Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton both hit home runs which brought the Yankees back from down 7-4 to up 8-7.

“My friend said this [Stanton] is the guy I would want to hit, this game couldn’t have been scripted any better,” Dornack added.

For those who might want to attend a future Field of Dreams game, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed MLB will return to Dyersville.

“For 3 ½ hours the Yankees and the White Sox got along and to see the big leaguers enjoy playing the game, you could get away from all the stresses that were outside of Dyersville,” Dornack said.