It was back in 2021 that actor Kevin Costner memorably strolled out of a cornfield at a specially constructed baseball stadium at the “Field of Dreams” movie site to kick off a big-league game between the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox.
The stroll around the field, along with a speech on the infield, was one of the highlights of the night that ended with White Sox star Tim Anderson sending a walk-off homer into the Iowa corn.
Costner didn’t return the following summer when the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds returned to the Dyersville diamond near the field from the iconic 1989 movie, instead opting to narrate a touching tribute to the late Ray Liotta (who played Shoeless Joe Jackson in the film).
So, when Major League Baseball makes its triumphant return to Iowa to feature a game between the Minnesota Twins and the Philadelphia Phillies on Aug. 13, will Costner be there?
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"Kevin is an icon," said Gabe Spitzer, Netflix's vice president of global live sports and entertainment. "I don't want to spoil any of the fun, but he'll be a part of our broadcast in some way. I can't say if he's going to be there or not but definitely, he'll show up. The movie will feel present in what we're doing."
The grounds crew works on the field as the Clinton and Western Dubuque varsity baseball teams warm up June 17 at the Field of Dreams Ballpark in Dyersville, Iowa.
Costner, one of Hollywood's most recognizable actors, was the star of the 1989 movie. He played an Iowa farmer who plows over his farm to build a baseball field for Jackson and other members of the banished 1919 White Sox.
Costner didn’t return for the encore game in 2022, and MLB did not play in Dyersville from 2023-25. Costner teased a possible return this year by narrating a trailer for the game on Netflix, the streaming service that will carry the game.
While Costner’s physical presence in Dyersville is uncertain, some of MLB’s biggest former stars will be on site this month.
MLB announced Thursday that more than 25 members of the Baseball Hall of Fame will be on hand for a special ceremony to be broadcast live on Netflix before the game between the Phillies and Twins.
The names of the participants were not released, though the large number of baseball legends could be the marquee event of the night. According to MLB, the gathering of Hall of Famers for this game will feature the largest group of living Hall of Famers at a single game since the 2008 All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, when 49 Hall of Famers appeared during the legendary ballpark’s final season.
First pitch of the game is scheduled for 4:30 p.m., with MLB Network’s Emmy Award-winning production team co-producing the pre- and postgame coverage on Netflix.
NBC Sports' Sunday Night Baseball production team will produce the game, in partnership with MLB and under the creative direction of Netflix's production team.
