On Thursday night, the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox will contest a regular season game at a site plucked out of baseball's roots in the American pastoral as the two teams compete in what has been dubbed the "Field of Dreams" game in Dyersville, Iowa. The temporary ballpark for the game -- not far from the iconic diamond from the 1989 film of the same title -- has inspired the imaginations of players on both teams, including Yankees star Aaron Judge.
Prior to the Field of Dreams game, pictures of Aaron Judge's special cleats for Thursday night were shared by Major League Baseball's Twitter account. Judge's cleats feature the Yankee pinstripes, a collection of Yankees greats and their signatures, and the movie's iconic quote: "If you build it, he will come."
.@TheJudge44's kicks for #MLBatFieldofDreams 🔥 pic.twitter.com/rCzFc83zYb
— MLB (@MLB) August 12, 2021
The special cleats being worn by players on the Yankees and White Sox are a reflection of the significance of the game, which presents a surreal, dream-like setting for a regular season game. Far from the hustle and bustle of the Bronx or the Windy City, Dyersville cannot be mistaken for anything but a farming city in a rural setting. And as seen by the players, their arrival for a game is a grand occasion for the town of just over 4,000 people.
"It was pretty cool driving in and seeing everybody in town standing on the side of the roads with signs cheering us on as we're coming. We all kind of felt like [soccer star Lionel] Messi coming into this town," Judge told reporters in a press conference. "It was pretty cool, a pretty cool experience I know I won't forget and a lot of guys won't forget."
The Field of Dreams game is set to begin at 7 p.m. ET. Follow along here with CBS Sports' live coverage.
