After a three-year hiatus, MLB’s Field of Dreams Game, named after the 1989 film, will take place Thursday, pitting the Philadelphia Phillies against the Minnesota Twins at a ballpark adjacent to the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa.
It will be the first such game since the 2022 matchup and just the third overall, as this tradition began in 2021. The three-year absence was first due to renovation and expansion of the host ballpark in 2023, before Major League Baseball then held other themed neutral-site games in 2024 (MLB at Rickwood Field) and 2025 (MLB Speedway Classic). The league hasn’t said whether this year’s Field of Dreams Game will be a one-year return or continue beyond this year, so fans should cherish the chance to see MLB players competing steps away from Iowa cornfields.
The ballpark, simply known as Field of Dreams, isn’t the actual diamond featured in the movie. That field still exists and is a popular tourist destination, but MLB deemed it unsuitable for games, and it didn’t want to alter its features and remove some of the lore of the site. Thus, MLB erected a field roughly 500 feet west of the original diamond, and one that held nearly 8,000 fans for the first two games.
Those games featured nearby Chicago teams, with the White Sox the designated home team in 2021, and the Cubs the visitors in 2022. Both Chicago squads prevailed, with the Sox defeating the New York Yankees, 9-8, featuring a memorable walk-off home run by Tim Anderson in the bottom of the ninth. A year later, the Cubs defeated the Cincinnati Reds, 4-2, behind five shutout innings with nine strikeouts from Drew Smyly.
The year’s game will be the event’s first interleague matchup, with the Twins, who are roughly 250 miles from the site, serving as the home squad. Major League Baseball is accommodating both teams with their schedules this week as the squads will take part in the two earliest first pitches on Wednesday to give them time to travel to east Iowa.
After Thursday’s spectacle, the teams will have Friday off. They will resume their three-game series at the Twins’ home ballpark in Minneapolis, with Game 2 on Saturday and Game 3 on Sunday. This will be the only series of the year between the teams unless they meet in the World Series.
These teams aren’t frequent opponents, but their all-time series is nearly even. They’ve alternated wins and losses over their last six meetings, and they’ve split their last 20 matchups overall. The Twins hold a slight edge with 16 wins, versus Philly’s 14 wins, across 30 all-time meetings.
Both teams being in the playoff hunt adds to the excitement. Philadelphia (64-56 entering Monday) currently holds a National League Wild Card berth as it seeks its fifth straight postseason appearance. Minnesota (59-61 entering Monday) is just 1.5 games back of the final AL Wild Card berth but is also in contention for the AL Central, sitting 3.5 games behind the Cleveland Guardians.
Thursday’s pitching matchup features Aaron Nola (3-9, 5.47 ERA) of the Phillies versus Taj Bradley (9-4, 3.76 ERA) of the Twins. The respective records and ERA indicate that Minnesota should have the edge, but historical matchups favor Philadelphia. Nola has held current Twins batters to just a .145 batting average (10 for 69), while Bradley has struggled versus current Phillies hitters. They’ve hit .300 off the righty with a 1.064 OPS across 20 at-bats.
Both Philly and Minnesota will hope their starters have lengthy outings, as neither team is overly confident in its bullpen. The Twins’ bullpen ERA of 4.85 is third-highest in the AL, while the Phillies’ bullpen ERA of 4.43 is fourth-highest in the NL.
Each team ranks fifth in its respective league in home runs. Philadelphia has the majors’ home runs leader in Kyle Schwarber (35), with two-time MVP Bryce Harper adding 25 dingers, and the team also recently acquired three-time batting champion Luis Arraez. Minnesota has seven players with double-digit homers and could get back Byron Buxton, who leads the team with 25 home runs but has been on the injured list since late July.
The Field of Dreams Game has added significance to Phillies outfielder Derek Hill. Born in Des Moines, he is one of just nine Iowa-born players to appear in an MLB game this season. He’s also the only one of those nine to play for either Philadelphia or Minnesota as he was traded to the former from the White Sox in June.
Hill likely never imagined that he’d get to take part in a homecoming game, of sorts, in the Big Leagues but will get an opportunity on Thursday.
The Field of Dreams Game starts at 7:30 p.m. ET and will air on Netflix.
