FOX Sports Goes the Distance with First-Ever MLB at Field of Dreams Broadcast
Special Pregame Show Originates Live from Dyersville, Iowa
Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz and Frank Thomas Enter Roving Reporter Roles for “A Dream Fulfilled”
New York – For the first time ever, FOX Sports and Major League Baseball tap into the compelling recollections from the Academy Award®-nominated film from Universal Pictures, Field of Dreams, to deliver a regular-season matchup between the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox. MLB AT FIELD OF DREAMS PRESENTED BY GEICO airs live from the site of the American movie classic Thursday, Aug. 12, at 6:00 PM ET on FOX.
Just steps away from the original movie set in Dyersville, Iowa, the lead MLB on FOX broadcast team of Emmy Award winners bring the action to life as Joe Buck and John Smoltz have the call and reporters Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci provide the latest information from the ground at the purpose-built ballpark. Coverage is slated to begin at 7:00 PM ET on FOX.
Leading up to the event, studio host Kevin Burkhardt is joined by World Series champion and 14-time All-Star Alex Rodriguez, World Series champion and 10-time All-Star David Ortiz and Hall of Famer and five-time All-Star Frank Thomas for a full one-hour pregame show live from location at 6:00 PM ET.
Renowned storyteller Tom Rinaldi joins Thursday’s pregame show with a feature that tells the story of Jeff Banister, who demonstrated the incredible power of a dream as he overcame immense obstacles to get just one opportunity to play in a Major League game. The segment also pays homage to the film’s “Moonlight Graham.”
FOX Deportes offers live, comprehensive coverage of the inaugural game featuring renowned announcer Adrian Garcia Marquez, veteran baseball reporter Carlos Alvarez and former MLB infielder Edgar Gonzalez. Coverage begins Thursday night with a special edition of FOX DEPORTES EN VIVO at 6:30 PM ET.
The network delivers the game in 4K HDR, employing multiple aerial production drones for the first time ever at an MLB game. As part of an arsenal of nearly 40 cameras, four cinematic Super SloMo cameras, a pair of “Megalodons” and a Flycam capable of traveling between the movie set and primary field highlight the lineup. The network also uses more than 50 microphones, including multiple mics buried in the MLB field and one in each base, to capture the sounds of this historic game.
Prior to MLB AT FIELD OF DREAMS PRESENTED BY GEICO, FOX Sports airs exclusive coverage of “A Dream Fulfilled,” a special exhibition game featuring two youth baseball teams representing New York and Chicago. The programs are set to compete on the iconic corn-stalk field on Wednesday, Aug. 11, at 6:00 PM ET on FS1 as Smoltz and Burkhardt take the call from the booth. Rodriguez, Ortiz and Thomas enter new roles for the matchup, in what is sure to be an unforgettable moment, serving as roving reporters throughout the broadcast.