Dream becomes reality: White Sox-Yankees wil stand test of time
Covering the White Sox since 1994, and the Cubs through most of their playoff runs over that span, the games start running together.
One season bleeds into another.
There have been some memorable moments, no doubt.
The Sox hoisted the World Series trophy in 2005 and the Cubs followed 11 years later.
Mark Buehrle's perfect game still stands out, as do a multitude of no-hitters.
The White Sox's 2008 Blackout Game was an instant classic, and there are many more that came close.
There's a new edition to the "never forget" list, and it's near the top.
Thursday night's "Field of Dreams" game pitting the Sox against the Yankees in Dyersville, Iowa, was quite the spectacle and it's still sinking in.
I'm a huge fan of the movie, which added to the experience and enjoyment.
Judging from the TV ratings released on Friday - with nearly 6 million viewers it was the most-viewed MLB game in the regular season in 16 years - I wasn't alone.
Driving to Dyersville for the first time and seeing the old movie set on one side of a corn field and the newly-constructed stadium on the other, it really did feel like going back in time.
That sentiment only heightened when "Field of Dreams" star Kevin Costner came walking out of the corn shortly before first pitch, closely followed by the White Sox in their 1919 throwbacks and the Yankees in their retro uniforms.
The ideal master of pregame ceremonies, Costner set the emotional tone for what was to come.
"We've come to see the first-place White Sox play the mighty Yankees in a field that was once corn," he said in front of a crowd of 8,000. "It's perfect. We've kept our promise. Major League Baseball has kept its promise. The dream is still alive. There's probably just one question to answer: 'Is this heaven?' Yes, it is."
Jose Abreu hitting the first major-league home run in Iowa, a line shot into the left field corn in the first inning, got the epic game rolling.
It looked like a lopsided win for the Sox when Seby Zavala's 2-run homer in the fourth made it a 7-3 game, but New York staged a stirring rally and pulled ahead 8-7 in the ninth inning when closer Liam Hendriks coughed up a pair of 2-run homers.
The White Sox have been on cruise control in the AL Central for three months, so a loss to the Yankees would have been quickly forgotten.
Tim Anderson had other ideas.
"The fans came to see a show and we gave them a show tonight," the Sox's standout shortstop said.
Did they ever.
After Zavala drew a one-out walk off Zack Britton in the bottom of the ninth, Anderson followed with the game-winning home run on the first pitch.
The Sox's celebration at home plate said it all, and even losing N.Y. manager Aaron Boone had to tip his cap to a night that gave MLB a needed boost.
"That's probably the greatest setting for a baseball game that I've ever been a part of," said Boone, whose brother, father and grandfather also played in the majors. "It was awesome. Major League Baseball has done an amazing job creating that experience. I'm sure everyone enjoyed it. Obviously, it was a pretty special game that unfortunately didn't go our way, but as far as the atmosphere, the playing field, the perfect weather night, it was something to behold."