DYERSVILLE, Iowa — When the Cubs were in Cincinnati for a series against the Reds earlier this season, a mock cornfield set awaited them.
The set was used by FOX to shoot promotional footage for the 2022 Field of Dreams Game, with Willson Contreras, Ian Happ, Nico Hoerner and David Ross among those who participated.
But it also allowed those guys a practice run at an integral part of the Field of Dreams experience: the walk through the corn.
“To actually be able to do it for real,” Happ said, “recreate that moment, that's the most iconic part of the movie. So that was really fun.”
It’s moments like that which encapsulate the Cubs’ experience Thursday leading up to the second edition of baseball’s marquee event in an Iowa cornfield.
The Cubs stepped foot on the Field of Dreams Game playing surface around 1:20 p.m. for a team photo in right-center field.
“I just got the urge to run, so I ran to our team photo,” Ross said, laughing. “Just one of those moments that you step foot out there and you feel like a kid.”
MLB
A trip through the corn stalks to the neighboring movie set for the 1989 film “Field of Dreams” followed, a moment where the experience really began to set in.
“I didn't realize how close the original movie set was to the field,” Happ said. “The fact they were able to build that so close and have that connection, have fans being able to walk between and experience that.
“Anybody can see that on TV, so that was a really cool part of it.”
Cubs players gathered on the movie set for pictures, sight-seeing, interviews and more. Patrick Wisdom played cornhole (bags) with some of his teammates.
Contreras was among those who walked through the house from the film.
“It made me feel like I was in the actual movie,” Contreras said. “It was a really cool moment and I think that is why this movie has been so successful throughout the years.”
Marcus Stroman found a unique way to soak in the experience. He’s taken up photography in his free time and had his camera with him during the day’s early festivities.
“I'm trying to get some candids of my guys just enjoying the element,” Stroman said. "Obviously the aesthetic, the cornfield, just the whole atmosphere.
“Just trying to capture the vibe of where I'm at really, through my lens, which is different from anybody else.”
Ross said the Field of Dreams experience “exceeded expectations” — and that was hours before the game started.
MLB put on a show before a single pitch was thrown. Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. emerged from the cornstalks behind right field to play catch, paying homage to the final scene in “Field of Dreams.”
The Cubs and Reds followed and were joined on the field by Hall of Famers Billy Williams, Fergie Jenkins, Lee Smith, Andre Dawson, Ryne Sandberg, Johnny Bench and Barry Larkin.
“I think this place is really magic,” Contreras said. “It has some kind of energy that I think is real, and it makes me think of old school baseball.”