The MLB at Field of Dreams Game returns on Thursday following a four-year hiatus as a new stadium was constructed on the famed Dyersville, Iowa site where the classic 1989 film was produced. The Phillies and Twins will face off in the third edition of the event, and it promises to be a tremendous experience for the players and fans alike.
MLB at Field of Dreams, presented by John Deere
• Phillies vs. Twins: Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Netflix
• Field of Dreams FAQ
• Set a Netflix reminder
• 25-plus Hall of Famers to be in attendance
• Best baseball movies of all time
As we gear up for this year’s game, here’s a look back at five great moments from the first two, which took place in 2021 and ’22:
Heroes emerge out of the cornfields (2021)
One of the most memorable scenes in “Field of Dreams” involves the ghosts of legendary ballplayers from the past emerging from the cornfield surrounding a newly-constructed baseball diamond in Iowa. So it was only natural that White Sox and Yankees players would emerge from the cornfields surrounding the Field of Dreams venue prior to the inaugural game in 2021.
As Kevin Costner, who played the role of the man who built the field -- Ray Kinsella -- stood behind the mound, the players came out of the cornfield and onto the ball field -- including stars like Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Tim Anderson and José Abreu.
Costner then spoke to the fans in attendance and the millions watching on television.
“We kept our promise, Major League Baseball has kept its promise,” Costner said. “The dream is still alive. There’s probably just one question to answer: Is this heaven?”
An 8-homer slugfest (2021)
In what became an instant classic, the White Sox and Yankees went back and forth in a slugfest that featured eight home runs.
Two of those homers came off the bat of Judge -- a three-run shot in the third and a two-run shot that reduced the Yankees’ deficit to one with New York down to its final out in the ninth inning.
Following Judge’s ninth-inning blast, Joey Gallo drew a walk, and that was followed by a two-run homer by Stanton that put the Yanks in front.
But that only set the stage for an unforgettable conclusion to an unforgettable game.
Anderson delivers iconic walk-off homer (2021)
With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Anderson crushed a two-run walk-off homer into the cornfield beyond the right-field fence to win it for the White Sox.
As Anderson rounded the bases and made his way to the plate, where his teammates awaited in celebratory jubilance, fireworks lit up the night sky over the corn, a most memorable way to conclude the first Field of Dreams Game.
As Ford C. Frick Award winner Joe Buck said on the television call: “This was some kind of night for baseball.”
The Griffeys have a catch (2022)
One of the greatest father-son duos in baseball history, Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr., gave us a truly special moment ahead of the 2022 Field of Dreams Game between the Cubs and Reds.
Paying homage to the emotional scene of Kinsella playing catch with the ghost of his father, Ken Sr. and Ken Jr. came out of the cornfields and Junior, like Kinsella in the movie, asked his father: “Hey Dad, you want to have a catch?” Griffey Sr. responded, “I’d like that, son.”
They then tossed the ball to one another as Cubs and Reds players -- both current players and franchise icons like Johnny Bench and Fergie Jenkins -- emerged from the cornfields.
It was an incredible moment for baseball fans everywhere, and another chapter in the remarkable story of the Griffeys, who combined for 782 home runs and are the only father-son duo to homer in the same game, doing so in back-to-back plate appearances for the Mariners in 1990.
Smyly leads Cubs to victory over Reds (2022)
Left-hander Drew Smyly had the privilege of starting the game for the Cubs, and for five scoreless innings, he stymied Cincinnati batters. He yielded four hits, walked two and struck out nine, working around traffic on the basepaths in the first three innings.
Meanwhile, the Cubs struck early at the plate, rallying for three runs in the first against Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo. RBI doubles by Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ, with an RBI single from Nico Hoerner sandwiched between, got the North Siders off to a great start. Nick Madrigal padded the lead with an RBI single in the fourth.
Matt Reynolds, who came in as a replacement for Reds second baseman Jonathan India after India was hit by a pitch, delivered Cincinnati’s two runs with a seventh-inning double.