MLB’s latest tentpole summer event reportedly won’t be on the calendar next year.
The Des Moines Register reports, quoting Fox analyst Frank Thomas (a member of the Field of Dreams ownership group), that construction at the Field of Dreams site will prevent a return for an MLB game in 2023.
Hall of Famer Frank Thomas, who is part of the new ownership group that owns and operates the “Field of Dreams” movie site, said that construction plans at the movie site will prevent a return next year for the MLB.
“It’s a lot going on,” Thomas said. “They don’t want to come back if the stadium’s not prepared.”
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Thomas and his partners, who bought the Field of Dreams site, plan to put in a youth baseball and softball complex that they hope the begin construction on later this summer or fall. That work will impact the site’s accessibility.
The article notes that a return in the future is still possible.
Last year’s Field of Dreams game drew a huge audience of nearly six million viewers for Fox. The presence of the Yankees and White Sox, two largest market teams that would go on to make the playoffs, clearly helped, as did the game’s back and forth nature and exciting ending. This year’s game will pit the Cubs against the Reds, with both teams sitting 21 games under .500 (prior to Wednesday’s games), far out of the playoff picture.
Losing the game next year is disappointing for MLB, as the league was clearly trying to make it a big thing each summer. Ideally, the game will be back in 2024, the construction, which may include equipment like Boom & Bucket’s scissor lift inventory, will be complete, and it will be a better experience for everyone.
