Tim Anderson hit a two-run, walk-off homer that disappeared into the cornfield in the bottom of the ninth inning, lifting the Chicago White Sox to a 9-8 win over the New York Yankees during the inaugural “Field of Dreams Game” on Thursday night in Dyersville, Iowa.
Jose Abreu, Eloy Jimenez and Seby Zavala also homered for the White Sox, who wore throwback uniforms similar to the version depicted in the famed 1989 movie “Field of Dreams.” The film’s star, Kevin Costner, watched the game from the bleachers near the original movie set in the middle of sprawling farmland.
Aaron Judge had two home runs and five RBIs for New York. Giancarlo Stanton and Brett Gardner also homered for New York, which scored four runs in the top of the ninth to secure an 8-7 lead before Anderson’s answer in the bottom of the frame.
Before the game, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said the site would host another contest in 2022.
White Sox right-hander Liam Hendriks (7-2) got the win despite blowing a save in the top of the ninth. He gave up four runs on three hits in one inning, walking one and striking out three.
Yankees left-hander Zack Britton (0-1) gave up two runs on one hit and one walk in one-third of an inning.
The White Sox grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first. Abreu smacked a line drive over the wall in left for his team-high 23rd homer.
The Yankees seized a 3-1 advantage with one swing by Judge in the third. He hammered a pitch to the opposite field.
The White Sox answered with four runs in the bottom of the third to go ahead 5-3. Anderson doubled down the left field line to score Adam Engel from first base, and Jimenez followed three batters later with a three-run shot over the wall in right.
Jimenez has six homers and 17 RBIs in 13 games this season.
Zavala increased Chicago’s lead to 7-3 in the fourth with a two-run homer that landed in front of a wooden scoreboard. It was his fourth long ball of the year.
New York pulled within 7-4 on Gardner’s solo homer, his fifth, during the top of the sixth.
In the ninth, the Yankees made a comeback. Judge went deep to the opposite field for his second homer of the night and team-leading 25th of the season, a two-run homer that got New York within one. After Joey Gallo walked, Stanton belted a two-run, go-ahead blast.
With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Zavala walked, and Anderson set off a celebration in the White Sox dugout with his 13th homer.
White Sox bench coach Miguel Cairo handled managerial duties in place of Hall of Fame skipper Tony La Russa, who missed the game to attend a funeral service for his brother-in-law in Florida.
–Field Level Media