Despite outcome, Twins gain memories they'll 'cherish for a lifetime' at Field of Dreams Game
This browser does not support the video element.
DYERSVILLE, Iowa -- They played with their dads and bonded with their kids. They met their heroes. They played in one of baseball’s most iconic and special settings. They walked out of a cornfield and onto the diamond. They got a welcome change of pace from the grind of six months of regular season Major League games.
And unfortunately, they lost a baseball game, one that counts in the standings. The Twins fell to the Phillies, 7-1, on Thursday night in the third MLB at Field of Dreams Game presented by John Deere. And you can be sure they’d rather have won as they chase a postseason spot, but there’s no doubt this one will stand out in a way that most regular-season losses -- or wins for that matter -- never could.
“You come out of the cornfield, you’ve seen it on TV before, there is nothing like it,” said Twins manager Derek Shelton. “It’s a once in a lifetime moment. … I had goosebumps, just standing there and being able to be part of something like this game. It did not go our way in terms of the game, but the experience was something that I’ll cherish for a lifetime.”
In a day full of memories, the game itself probably will rank low for most Twins, but that’s all right for one day. Shelton played catch at the movie set with his dad. Kody Clemens played catch with his dad, legendary pitcher Roger Clemens, on the field after the game. All the Twins had chances to meet the 26 Hall of Famers who participated in the pregame ceremony, as well as other greats of the game in attendance. Even the weather held off, with daytime rain giving way to a pleasant, cool evening.
From the very start, it made for a one-of-a-kind night.
“When you’re on the field, you start playing ball again, it’s kind of like comfort zone in a way,” said Trevor Larnach. “I’ve been doing this every day since Spring Training on. But the different setting was cool. It was just a cool atmosphere. The amount of people that showed up, and the way it was put together, all around it was such an experience. I’ll never forget it.”
As for the baseball, in simplest terms, the Phillies hit the ball over the relatively low fences with runners on base, and the Twins did not. Philadelphia clubbed three homers, including one that bounced off Luke Keaschall’s glove, for five of its seven runs. Minnesota hit one, a solo shot by Keaschall, while going 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and stranding nine men on base.
This browser does not support the video element.
The Twins put pressure on starter Aaron Nola and the Phillies' bullpen, but they simply could not come up with the big hit to change the tone of the game.
“It basically comes down to execution, and we didn’t execute tonight,” Shelton said.
Taj Bradley scuffled out of the gate, allowing a homer and three walks in the first two innings, and departing after the fourth. Meanwhile, the Twins had few big chances and did not capitalize on any of them, most notably a two-out threat in the fifth when Royce Lewis struck out with the bases loaded.
And yet this was definitely not your usual postgame clubhouse. Things will get back to normal soon enough, with game two of the series between these same teams set for Saturday in Minneapolis. But this was one to cherish, to take a moment to appreciate.
“It’s definitely a different workday, the travel and all that,” said Josh Bell. “Part of the experience is just being able to enjoy a different stadium for the first time, especially a guy like myself. I’ve been around. I’ve seen all the stadiums. Not a lot of first times, not a lot of new experiences. It was cool. … It was definitely a cool experience.”
This browser does not support the video element.
Likewise for Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers, who was warming up Bradley in the bullpen during the pregame ceremonies but still felt the aura of the evening.
“As you grow in this game and get older and play more games,” Jeffers said, “the shine of being in the big leagues and walking out on a big league field starts to wear off. Moments like this bring that excitement and that energy and the goosebumps similar to your debut day -- just those moments. It’s one of those moments that means more than the average day in the big leagues.”