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While the first full night of the NFL preseason will get most of the attention from sports fans on Thursday, we have a special event in MLB, as well. The MLB at Field of Dreams Game returns for its third edition -- the first since 2022 -- among the cornfields in Dyersville, Iowa. The game is being played in a new permanent ballpark adjacent to the historic movie site. Of course, Kevin Costner, star of the 1989 film, will be on hand to watch a battle of wild-card contenders.
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This time, the special game features the Philadelphia Phillies against the Minnesota Twins , with a 7:30 ET first pitch on Netflix. There could be some weather issues, according to the forecast: "Variably cloudy with scattered thunderstorms. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. Low 66F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%" It's definitely going to rain during the day.
There are a few differences tonight from a regular game. For one thing, both teams will be given an extra position player on the roster, almost like this is part of a doubleheader, where rosters expand for just one day. I'm guessing that's for two reasons: Both clubs have some challenging travel to get to Dyersville (which doesn't exactly have an international airport), and both managers likely will want to get as many players into the unique game as possible. It's not an exhibition game by any stretch, with both clubs battling for wild-card spots, but you might see the managers treat it somewhat like one.
The second change is a bigger one: No Automated Ball-Strike technology is installed at the field, so there will be no challenges to umpire pitch calls. The Phillies rank ninth in the majors in ABS success rate this year at 56.1% and the Twins 11th at 55.5%.
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The ballpark seats 8,000 fans, and unlike the movie set field, it has typical big-league dimensions: 335 feet down the lines, 380 feet to the alleys and 400 feet to dead center. The first FOD game was very high scoring and quite memorable on Aug. 12, 2021, as the White Sox beat the Yankees 9-8. On Aug. 11, 2022, the Cubs beat the Reds 4-2. There hasn't been one since because of a million-dollar expansion project at the site. The original games were played on a temporary field that had to be torn down after each event.
It is expected that approximately 25 Hall of Famers will be in attendance and enter through the cornfield (led by Steve Carlton, Mike Schmidt and Rod Carew), which would be the most living HOFers at any MLB game since the 2008 All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, when 49 attended in that park's final season. It's the third live MLB event streamed on Netflix this season, after the 2026 opener and the All-Star Home Run Derby.
The Phillies will wear road gray uniforms inspired by the team that wore the same from 1939-41, while the Twins' home unis are inspired by their original jerseys from the 1960s. The clubs are off on Friday – so I'd expect liberal bullpen usage -- and then resume this series in the Twin Cities on Saturday.
Philadelphia starts struggling Aaron Nola (3-9, 5.47 ERA, minus-$574) on the mound, and Nola has allowed an MLB-high 29 home runs. At home, he has been a disaster at 0-4 with a 6.23 ERA and .308 opponents' batting average but a bit better away at 3-5 with a 4.76 ERA and .250 OBA.
The righty has been better of late overall, allowing three earned or fewer in three straight overall. Nola sustained a right knee contusion after he was struck by a comebacker on Saturday vs. Toronto but has been cleared to start tonight. The only Twins batter to have gone yard off Nola is Josh Bell , who has three homers in 41 at-bats but is hitting just .195 vs. Nola. The SportsLine Projection Model has him at 5.6 innings, 5.6 strikeouts, 5.4 hits allowed and 2.7 earned runs tonight.
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Minnesota probably wasn't thrilled giving up a true home game in the middle of a long homestand. The front office opted to not sell ahead of the trade deadline, and that's looking wise so far with the Twins only 3.5 games out of the AL Central lead and half-game out of the final wild-card spot despite sitting two games under .500.
Getting All-Star outfielder Byron Buxton back from another injured list stint would sure help. That might happen tonight, and not later than Saturday's game back in the Twin Cities. Ace Joe Ryan is also on the IL or he'd probably be given the opportunity to start in this special game if it was around his turn in the rotation.
Instead, it will be Taj Bradley (9-4, 3.76), and if you had wagered $100 on each of his 23 starts this year, you'd be up $510 as Bradley is having a fine bounce-back season. He has gone at least five innings in 11 straight outings and finally has stayed healthy for the most part. He is winless in five, but largely due to lack of run support.
The model has Bradley at 5.5 innings, 5.8 strikeouts, 5.5 hits and 2.5 earned runs allowed. Having spent his career in the AL, no Phillies have more than three at-bats off Bradley. Bryce Harper is 2-for-3 with two doubles against him.
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Some of the various MLB weather sites I go check are sorta "broken" when it comes to this game, and I'm sure that's a coding thing not having Dyersville, Iowa, in their database. But in addition to possible rain, from what I can tell, winds will be blowing in from right (corn)field at nearly 10 mph. So that's my total reasoning even if I honestly have no idea how the park plays. Check out other expert picks in the SportsLine daily newsletter .
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