The Chicago Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds, 4-2, on Thursday, however that used to be rarely the purpose.
Major League Baseball had as soon as once more discovered its strategy to Dyersville, Iowa, for its Field of Dreams sport, and a game this is suffering with its technological long run were given a reminder of ways nice the sport will also be when it’s damaged down into its most simple shape.
“It’s really magic,” Cubs catcher Willson Contreras informed journalists of the sphere, which is a brief stroll from the only utilized in “Field of Dreams,” the 1989 movie starring Kevin Costner. “It has some kind of energy that I think is real.”
The Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr., a Reds alum, performed catch together with his father — a sexy just right participant in his personal proper — ahead of the sport, the scoreboard made Fenway Park’s appear fashionable and each groups wore throwback uniforms that harked again to the times when the rebuilding golf equipment have been a little bit extra related.
“What they’ve done here is incredible,” Kyle Farmer, a 3rd baseman for the Reds, informed journalists. “I think every baseball player should experience this.”
As for the baseball, the Cubs stayed at the antique theme by means of taking a 3-0 lead within the most sensible of the primary inning with a hit-by-pitch, two doubles and a unmarried. Neither crew homered into the corn stalks within the outfield this yr, and the one actual reminders that the sport used to be being performed in 2022 have been that the groups mixed to make use of 9 pitchers and there have been 26 strikeouts. (Chicago’s Drew Smyly earned the win by means of placing out 9 in 5 scoreless innings.)
Last yr, the Yankees and the Chicago White Sox had confronted off within the first of this now annual match, which is Major League Baseball’s resolution to the N.H.L.’s outside video games. While remaining yr’s sport had just a little extra sizzle, due to the matchup of contending groups, and just a little extra pop with a thrilling sport, the passion looked as if it would raise over in spite of this yr’s version no longer having anything else of the kind.
The crowd of seven,823 other people — just about double the common inhabitants of Dyserville — appeared delighted with the development and the gamers have been excited to get their probability on the enjoy which, a minimum of for now, will handiest come yearly for 2 fortunate groups.
“A game like this — you just feel like a kid again,” Smyly mentioned. “You’re just out there playing baseball in the middle of Iowa.”