MLB couldn’t have asked for a better finish to its first Field of Dreams Game.
A capacity crowd at the iconic location in Dyersville, Iowa, saw the Yankees rough up Chicago’s All-Star closer, Liam Hendriks, and erase a three-run deficit in the top of the ninth inning Thursday night. Then they saw White Sox All-Star shortstop Tim Anderson become a hero for his team in the bottom of the frame.
MORE: Kevin Costner leads epic entrance onto field at MLB’s Field of Dreams Game
Anderson blasted a walk-off, two-run homer off New York fill-in closer Zach Britton to seal a 9-8 Chicago victory.
And just how did Anderson manage to end the game with a scrapbook swing?
“I knew what I was looking for and I didn’t miss,” Anderson said to Fox Sports’ Tom Verducci after the game. Anderson hit a first-pitch, 94 mph sinker from Britton out to right field.
The thrilling conclusion sparked near-universal praise from Twitter. Fans, media personalities and former MLB players loved Anderson’s storybook finish and enjoyed the spectacle of the Field of Dreams Game as a whole.
#FieldofDreams Thank you BaseBall! Thank you Kevin Costner….Thank you James Earl Jones! My love for the game was fueled by this movie. ‘If u build it….they will come.’ Many legends strutted their stuff tonite. I lived vicariously thru Tim Anderson’s HR. Well done BASEBALL!🤟
— Chipper Jones (@RealCJ10) August 13, 2021
Tim Anderson: Fifteenth walkoff homer ever hit by White Sox against the Yankees.
The first? Shoeless Joe Jackson, Jul 20 1919. You can’t script this. Oh wait, they did.https://t.co/UbXA4UvxRy
— Doug Kern (@dakern74) August 13, 2021
I LOVE TIM ANDERSON SO MUCH OMG
— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) August 13, 2021
Tim Anderson is an American hero
— Tom Haberstroh (@tomhaberstroh) August 13, 2021
What did Anderson take away from the game? For him, the night was about “the overall experience.”
“Just coming here, playing in the middle of the corn — you know, who would’ve thought that?” he said. “And who would’ve thought I’d be able to walk it off here too? We made history tonight.”