As a lifelong White Sox fan (the Rays didn't exist yet and the White Sox were the closest Spring Training site as a kid), this was an amazing night. I can honestly say that I have not enjoyed a regular season baseball game that much since I was a kid (or possibly ever).
MLB doesn't do too many things right, but they hit it out the park (pun intended) last night. What a special event and so well done. They were beyond fortunate that the game played out as if it was written as a movie script (fitting given the event is based on a movie).
If you didn't catch it, the White Sox were up 7-4 going into the 9th. They bring in Hendriks, one of the best closers in baseball. He gives up a 2-run shot to make it 7-6. Then walks a batter and gives up another 2-run shot to make it an 8-7 deficit.
Bottom of the 9th comes. First guy grounds out. #9 hitter (backup catcher who is not great with the bat) walks. This brings up Tim Anderson, one of the young faces of MLB who plays with insane energy. He crushes a no-doubter to right. What happened next would put goosebumps on most sports fan...as he is smiling ear-to-ear and celebrating heading to first, right as he rounds first base, fireworks go off. So much better than any sports fireworks I've seen because they are into the black of night in Iowa, it was straight out of a movie. He gets to home plate and is mobbed by teammates.
I'm crazy biased as a White Sox fan, but I can not think of a more special regular season moment in MLB that I have witnessed. I've watched no-hitters, perfect games, 4 home run games, etc. All great accomplishments, but they have been done before. This was a truly unique atmosphere and event and just absolutely amazing. They'll almost certainly play games there again (they hinted at this during the game), but having this play out the way it did for the first game was unreal.
this is really cool. I really don't follow MLB anymore but loved the movie back then when I did care about pro sports. These clips from the Field of Dreams game--a real game---are really cool. Over 30 years later. Wow.
