MLB Field of Dreams Game Reportedly Not Returning in 2023

The 2022 MLB Field of Dreams game will take place on Thursday night. And while the event is special for MLB and its fans, it looks like it won't be back for the 2023 season. Baseball Hall of Famer Frank Thomas spoke to the Des Moines Register and talked about the Field of Dreams movie site, an area he purchased with his partners. He told the outlet that the Field of Dreams Game will not be played next year due to construction on the youth complex that Thomas' company is building, which starts later this year. 

"It's a lot going on," Thomas said.  "They don't want to come back if the stadium's not prepared." The game may return in 2024, but the league has not guaranteed a game beyond this year. The Des Moines Register pointed out a feasibility study funded by Travel Dubuque which projected that the site would draw 136,000 visitors a year, create 81 jobs, host 62 events and generate $9.1 million in investment one year after the stadium is built. But two-thirds of the stadium's economic impact would come from the Field of Dreams Game.  Thomas' plan for the site includes nine youth baseball and softball fields for boys and girls, team dormitories and a hotel.

The first Field of Dreams Game took place last year in Dyersville, Iowa, and was a huge hit. Nearly 6 million viewers watched the game between the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees, and the game was a back-and forth-affair with White Sox star Tim Anderson hitting a walk-off home run.

The Field of Dreams Game is paying homage to the classic sports movie Field of Dreams which stars Kevin Costner. For last year's game, Costner walked around the field with the White Sox and Yankees players and gave an introductory speech. "It does feel like all the teams are going to want to touch this," Costner said last year. "There's going to be hot competition to play here. There's going to be records set here as a result of Field of Dreams. I hope it does happen." This year's game will feature the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds, two teams that have won a combined eight World Series titles in their history.