The first-ever MLB at Field of Dreams Game was a big success for the league, as FOX reported that the thriller between the Yankees and White Sox was the most watched regular season game in 16 years.
Now that the league put on a good show on the stage of nostalgic baseball cinema, baseball fans have already begun to clamor for a sequel, most notably a desire to play a future game at the site of “The Sandlot,” another classic baseball film considered one of the best of its genre.
WFAN’s Danielle McCartan made the rounds before Friday’s Mets/Dodgers game to take a poll on what the players thought of a potential MLB at The Sandlot event, and Max Scherzer was all for it, especially given the lessened travel.
“That would be cool,” Scherzer told McCartan. “I think that would be cool. There’s been talk of international travel, bring the game to Europe and Asia, stuff like that midseason. I’m kind of against that because of the travel involved…you gotta stay over there for like two weeks to do something like that.
“When you have the opportunity to stay within the States and do something in Iowa or Utah, I think there’s a creative way to bring the game of baseball to other cities and give fans across the country a look at baseball. It’s actually kind of easy on us to keep the travel within the States, and breaks up the monotony for us. It gives us something to look forward to.”
Neither Scherzer or teammate Trea Turner were able to watch the Field of Dreams thriller that resulted in a walk-off loss for the Yankees, but they took time to watch the highlights and appreciated the unique spectacle, and would like to be a part of something similar in the future if the trek to get there isn’t too treacherous.
Needless to say, their desire to “go the distance” has its limits.
“It depends how the travel is,” Turner said. “We’ll see. Like I said, I think it looked really cool.”
The famous field used in “The Sandlot” is located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and was even refurbished in 2013 to celebrate the movie’s 20-year anniversary. But the infield dirt might not be fun for infielders like Turner.
“I saw that,” Turner said of the wave of requests to make The Sandlot MLB’s next endeavor. “That would be cool. But that would not be fun to be an infielder on. I definitely would not want to play second or shortstop on that field, but that would be pretty interesting.”
Fellow middle infielder Francisco Lindor would battle a more challenging infield if it meant growing the game.
“I think it would be cool,” Lindor said. “Whatever we can do to make the game cooler for younger kids and everybody in general is good for the game. Whatever brings more fans to the game, I’m in.”
The Yankees and White Sox both seemed to enjoy the experience in Iowa on Thursday, and many named “The Sandlot” when asked what their favorite baseball movie was. It could make the next endeavor to The Beast’s backyard a no-brainer.
“Those type of games I think are really exciting, not just for the fans but for the players,” Scherzer said. “The players really buy into it.”
Follow Danielle McCartan on Twitter: @CoachMcCartan
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