DYERSVILLE, Iowa -- In the classic film "Field of Dreams," it's the ghosts of former legends who emerge from the cornfield to find a baseball field waiting for them.
On Thursday night, however, it was some of the game's best living legends who trekked through the corn on that same hallowed ground. In forming one of the most talented audiences to ever take in a baseball game, 26 Hall of Famers emerged from the corn before the Phillies topped the Twins, 7-1, in the MLB at Field of Dreams Game presented by John Deere.
MLB at Field of Dreams, presented by John Deere
• All the best moments from MLB at Field of Dreams Game
• Schwarber, Nola have Phils asking 'Is this heaven?'
• Hall of Famers of all stripes open festivities
• Check out every kernel of detail in Harper's corn-themed gear
• The greatest all-time Field of Dreams Game moments
• Best baseball movies of all time
• More about MLB at Field of Dreams
The special pregame ceremony started with players and coaches from both the Phillies and Twins emerging from the corn. They came out of the corn in right field, then strolled to their respective places along the first- and third-base lines.
At that point, Twins superstar Byron Buxton and Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber came together near home plate to address the crowd.
“As the movie 'Field of Dreams' reminded us, the one constant through all the years has been baseball,” Buxton said, referencing the legendary quote from the film. “Inspiring us and connecting generations.”
Added Schwarber: “Tonight we are honored to share this special field with many of the legends who shaped our careers and whose amazing careers took them all the way to the Hall of Fame.”
That was the cue for the 26 Hall of Famers to step out onto the warning track and begin their own walk to the middle of the infield, where they each took their place for the rest of the ceremony. Each player was introduced individually before the national anthem.
"I think it was really cool just to shake a lot of the guys' hands that I haven't gotten to meet before and introduce who I am and just say how big of fans we are of them,” said Schwarber, who went on to hit a pair of homers in the Phillies’ 7-1 victory. “These guys all laid the groundwork for us before we even thought about playing baseball or while we were growing up."
The 26 legends are believed to be the most Hall of Famers to attend any big league game since the 2008 All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, where 49 Hall of Famers gathered for the iconic ballpark's final season.
“For me, personally, Cal Ripken is my favorite player -- that's why I wear No. 8 -- and he's standing there,” Twins manager Derek Shelton said. “And just how gracious they all were -- for both teams, every single guy is standing up and shaking your hand. You’re talking about the best players in the history of this game that are in the museum in Cooperstown.
“You come out of the cornfields, you've seen it on TV before -- there's nothing like it. It's a once-in-a-lifetime moment.”
Thursday’s group was led by a handful of Hall of Famers who represent the two participating teams on their Hall of Fame plaques. Steve Carlton and Mike Schmidt represented the Phillies, while the Twins had Joe Mauer, Bert Blyleven and Jim Kaat on their side. Kaat, of course, also pitched for the Phillies from 1976-79, but he spent his first 15 seasons with the Twins, for whom he racked up 190 of his 283 career wins.
Also present were plenty of other Hall of Famers with ties to either Philadelphia or Minnesota. Scott Rolen, Tony Perez and Billy Wagner all spent some time with the Phillies, while Paul Molitor -- who spent his first 15 seasons with the Brewers -- recorded his 3,000th hit in a Twins uniform.
And then there's a guy like Jim Thome, who also played for both franchises and hit 101 of his 612 career homers during his four seasons with the Phils, then added 37 over parts of two seasons with the Twins.
The list doesn't end there.
Among the other Cooperstown legends to walk across the outfield prior to Thursday’s game were longtime Hall of Fame players Cal Ripken Jr., Andre Dawson, Rollie Fingers and Fergie Jenkins.
Two of the three members of the 2026 Hall of Fame class -- Andruw Jones and Jeff Kent -- led a group of more recent inductees that also featured CC Sabathia, Trevor Hoffman, Ivan Rodriguez, Larry Walker, Adrian Beltré, Fred McGriff, Lee Smith and Harold Baines.
“That was unbelievable to see that happen -- see those guys walking out of the field like that,” Smith said of the first time he watched the movie. “I liked seeing that, because I'm country, so it reminds me of home. It's really nice to see so many Hall of Famers doing it [tonight]. It's unbelievable. I love it.”
There were also a pair of Hall of Fame managers in Joe Torre and Tony La Russa.
Jones and Kent threw out ceremonial first pitches to cap off the must-see ceremony.
It's a collection of talent that Ray Kinsella -- played by Kevin Costner -- could have only dreamed would one day come to Iowa to watch a baseball game.
“Iowa's awesome. It's great to just be here and see it firsthand,” McGriff said. “Kevin Costner did a great job.”