River Bandits to host Kernels at 'Field of Dreams'

Minor League Baseball has announced the August 9 game between the Quad Cities River Bandits and Cedar Rapids Kernels will take place at the now iconic MLB ballpark next to the historic Field of Dreams movie site near Dyersville, Iowa.

Similar to last year’s MLB at Field of Dreams game in Dyersville where the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox donned throwback jerseys that replicated their 1919 uniforms, the host River Bandits will become the Davenport Blue Sox (their name during the 1913-1916, 1929-1933 and 1934-1937 seasons), while the visiting Kernels will become the Cedar Rapids Bunnies (their name from 1904-1932) for the MiLB at Field of Dreams Game.

“We are thrilled to be able to host a game at such a perfect location for baseball fans from Eastern Iowa and around the world,” said Quad Cities owner Dave Heller. “This is an opportunity that we have hoped for since MLB announced plans to build a ballpark in Dyersville, and to see it come to fruition is really exciting for our organization, and for the Kansas City Royals, our players and Bandit fans from across the region.”

“We are honored to have the opportunity to play in the first Minor League game at such an iconic venue,” said Cedar Rapids General Manager Scott Wilson. “This will certainly be an incredible experience for our players, our organization and our great fans.”

Ticket information will be made available at a later date.

“Being able to have our two Minor League Baseball teams in Eastern Iowa play a game in Dyersville is a perfect fit,” said Morgan Sword, Major League Baseball’s executive vice president, Baseball Operations. “We are excited for our players and coaches, and we hope fans will take advantage of the opportunity to see a professional game at one of America’s most scenic ballparks.”

The new stadium was the site of the most anticipated regular season MLB game in years on Aug. 12, 2021, as the Chicago White Sox played host to the New York Yankees in the first MLB game played in the state of Iowa. The game certainly lived up to the hype, with Chicago’s Tim Anderson launching a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning for a dramatic 9-8 victory. The game also featured two home runs by Aaron Judge and homers by Giancarlo Stanton, Jose Abreu, Eloy Jimenez, Brett Gardner and Seby Zavala.

On August 11, 2022, the Cincinnati Reds will host the Chicago Cubs in the second MLB at Field of Dreams Game.

Field of Dreams, a Universal Pictures film, was released in 1989 and starred Kevin Costner, Ray Liotta, James Earl Jones and Amy Madigan. It was nominated for the Academy Award® for Best Picture in 1990 and was selected to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 2017. The film tells the story of Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella, a husband and father who is tending to his cornfield when he hears a mysterious voice intone, “If you build it, he will come.” According to the American Film Institute (AFI), those words are the 39th top film quote of all-time. Field of Dreams is now available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital.

Last year, Peacock announced a straight-to-series-order for a television series from Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, based on this beloved film from Universal Pictures. The Field of Dreams-inspired series will be executive produced by Michael Schur (Fremulon), Lawrence Gordon (The Gordon Company), David Miner and Morgan Sackett. Schur will also write the series via his overall deal with the studio.

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