The inaugural Field of Dreams game was a smash hit for Major League Baseball in 2021. The event, held in Dyersville, Iowa and in tribute to the 1989 film by the same name, featured a tremendous setting for nostalgia and a memorable game capped by a walk-off home run from Chicago White Sox star Tim Anderson. While the follow-up may have difficulty replicating the viral sensation that happened last year, the 2022 edition was set for Thursday, Aug. 11 in the same location with the Chicago Cubs taking on the Cincinnati Reds. If nothing else, the opener was brilliant for the 2022 contest, and Ken Griffey Jr. and Ken Griffey Sr. were in the center of the frame.
As the broadcast opened, the iconic father-son duo combined to “have a catch” in the outfield, and the Griffeys were soon joined by young people in an emotional scene that showcases the generational attachment to the game.
"Hey dad, you want to have a catch?"
The Griffeys are making us tear up. #MLBatFieldOfDreams pic.twitter.com/FPXuppj11x
— MLB (@MLB) August 11, 2022
The 2022 edition may not have the same viral buzz as the original, thanks in large part to the on-field struggles of the Cubs and Reds this season. Still, there is a clear attachment of the Griffeys to the Reds organization, and this was a brilliant way to kick off the festivities.
Griffey Jr. remains one of the more popular figures in the baseball world, and the father and son are often referenced as legendary pairings are concerned. Eventually, FOX and the organizers of the Field of Dreams game may run out of cool ideas for this type of thing, but it hasn’t happened yet, and viewers benefit.
