Tonight, the Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies participated in the MLB Field of Dreams Game on the iconic site of the 1989 film. For thoughts on my favorite baseball movie of all time, check out the game thread.
Before the umpire decried "play ball!" in Dyersville, IA, Netflix orchestrated a beautiful pregame ceremony featuring Hall of Famers materializing out of the corn much like the Black Sox on celluloid.
Some of those guys look real familiar! (Photo by Tyler Clouse/Getty Images)
After all the pageantry and pomp, it was time to play!
First inning runs-allowed have been a trend for Twins starting pitchers of late, and that didn't change in the Iowa cornfield. In fact, three pitches in from Taj Bradley and the Phils were up 1-0 as Kyle Schwarber scalded a sphere into the stalks. After a Bryce Harper walk and a Luis Arraez single (of course), Bryson Stott gave the Fightins' a crooked number with an RBI knock. 2-0 PHI.
Singles from Trevor Larnach & Ryan Jeffers sandwiched around a Byron Buxton pop-out gave the Twins a first inning rally of their own, but a Josh Bell swinging strikeout on 3-2 and a hot shot from Royce Lewis right into the glove of SS Trea Turner cut the rally as short as Moonlight Graham's career.
Random Arraez photo simply because we still love him here. (Photo by Tyler Clouse/Getty Images)
In B2, Luke Keaschall got the Twins on the board by beaning a ghost juuuust beyond (357 ft off Aaron Nola) the LCF fence. PHI 2-1.
Grinning at ghosts. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Alas, Keaschall giveth and Keaschall taketh away. After a Brandon Marsh BB in T4, Schwarber again bombed a ball to RF which bounced on—rather than in—Luke's glove and over the fence for a two-run jack. Turner would immediately double down the RF line, and just as quickly Harper would single him home. 5-1 PHI.
That would be the end of the line for Bradley. Same old story (same old career, really) for Taj: random bouts of wildness doom him to a bummer of an outing.
Taj not-so-terrific (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
The next MN scoring opportunity came in B5, when a Buxton double and walks to Jeffers & Bell loaded the sacks for Lewis. In the most dramatic spot possible for the MN batter who most thrives in those situations—Royce struck out on three pitches.
Through five innings, the Twins simply gained no purchase off Nola's diving-in-the-dirt knuckle curveball (9 K).
Nasty Nola. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
