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In the Iowa corn, Phillies find past, present and a needed victory originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

DYERSVILLE, Iowa — It is hard to put into words how special Thursday night felt in the Iowa cornfields.

Whether you care deeply about baseball history or not, whether you were there for the Phillies or the Twins, Philadelphia’s 7-1 win at the Field of Dreams pulled the sport’s past and present into the same frame.

That was clear from the start.

Just like in the 1989 film Field of Dreams, figures emerged from the cornfield beyond right field. In this case, they were not ghosts.

They were living Hall of Famers.

Twenty-six of them walked out during the pregame ceremony, wearing old-school uniforms as they made their way from the corn to the field.

It was the most Cooperstown representation at a single game since the 2008 All-Star Game at the old Yankee Stadium. Before that, it had not happened since the 1999 All-Star Game at Fenway Park.

A few of the current faces in Dyersville could one day join that kind of company.

Bryce Harper. Kyle Schwarber. Dave Dombrowski. Maybe even Don Mattingly, depending on how the next chapter of his baseball life unfolds.

Former Phillies Mike Schmidt and Jim Thome know what those nights feel like.

In 1999, Thome was an American League All-Star. Schmidt was honored as part of MLB’s All-Century Team, a 30-player roster filled with legends like himself and Ted Williams.

That night became one of the sport’s lasting images. Williams was brought to the mound in a wheelchair before throwing out the first pitch. The All-Stars gathered around him, shook his hand, hugged him and took in a moment that cut across generations.

Schmidt called it “very touching.”

“It’s another one of those things about baseball and its effect on people, the history of the game, that connects generations,” Schmidt said. “That’s what it’s all about.”

Thome remembers it through his father.

“I remember having a moment where I locked in with my dad and how special that was to be able to watch the greatest players,” Thome said. “That night I was able to meet Ted Williams.”

Then came the part that fit Thursday night just as well.

“This great game gives us memories, friendships, the fraternity that ballplayers are so lucky to be in and be a part of,” Thome said. “It’s just a gift.”

That fraternity is part of what Terence Mann’s famous speech in Field of Dreams was built around. Baseball as the constant through all the years.

You could feel that in Dyersville Thursday.

The Phillies and Twins greeted members of Cooperstown before first pitch. The throwback uniforms gave the night a different texture. The cornfield made every look toward the outfield feel like a scene.

Then, as the Hall of Famers emerged from the corn, the Phillies’ offense came out with them.

A group that had been mostly dormant since the All-Star break sent eight hitters to the plate in the first inning. They blended the modern game with a more traditional brand of pressure.

Kyle Schwarber led off the game and homered on the third pitch from Twins right-hander Taj Bradley.

What would Shoeless Joe Jackson have made of a leadoff hitter with 36 home runs?

The Phillies did not stop there.

They made Bradley throw 29 more pitches in the inning, kept traffic on the bases and manufactured another run on Bryson Stott’s RBI single.

Shoeless Joe probably could have appreciated that part, too.

Then it was Aaron Nola’s turn.

A two-run lead must have felt unfamiliar. Nola entered the night having received five total runs of support over his last five starts.

This time, he had room to work.

And he dealt.

Maybe it was the vintage uniforms that brought out “Vintage Nols.” Maybe it was the absence of ABS, which made the night feel more traditional and gave him more freedom with the edges of the zone. Maybe it is just that Nola has looked like a different pitcher since the start of July.

The last explanation is probably the truest.

With no Statcast in the ballpark and no advanced metrics on the scoreboard, it felt right to track the start the old-fashioned way.

Five innings. Five hits. One run. Nine strikeouts.

Nola generated 14 swings and misses. All nine of his strikeouts were swinging.

That might be a simple way to explain it, but it still tells the story.

He gave the Phillies a chance to win. With real run support, including another Schwarber homer, a two-run shot, and a Bryce Harper RBI single, that kind of start looked even better.

Nola has now completed at least five innings in eight straight starts. He has allowed three or fewer earned runs in seven of those eight.

For a pitcher who has spent so much of this season trying to find the version of himself the Phillies have known for years, this was another step in the right direction.

It came in the right place. A night built on appreciation.

And franchise surrounded by its past, getting a needed win from its present…

… at the Field of Dreams.

Freddie Freeman has long been loathe to off days.

And on Thursday, not even a frightening tumble down a set of dugout stairs the night before managed to keep him out of the Dodgers’ lineup.

After escaping his scary-looking fall on Wednesday with only general body soreness from his shoulder to his foot, Freeman was indeed good to go for Thursday’s series-opener against the Milwaukee Brewers, playing first base and batting fourth in the Dodgers’ order.

“I didn’t hit my head, so that was the key part,” Freeman said Wednesday night.

“Kneecaps are sore, shoulder is sore, hand is sore, wrist is sore,” he added. “I mean, I fell. But I’m in good spirits. I’ve already cold-tubbed. I’ve done everything I needed to do to put myself in a position to be able to hopefully play tomorrow.”

When Freeman went crashing into the visiting dugout on Wednesday, an immediate return to the lineup hardly seemed certain.

The 36-year-old remained down for several moments, as Dodgers players and trainers came racing over to check on him.

The crowd held its breath, before breaking into chants of “Fredd-ie! Fredd-ie” as he got back to his feet.

Somehow, Freeman emerged from the freak incident largely unscathed, initially staying in the game and playing out the rest of the eighth inning on defense.

He was removed thereafter, but was feeling good enough postgame to not even warrant an X-ray.

“Really dodged a bullet,” manager Dave Roberts said.

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Author’s note: Earlier this season, Purple Row began a series exploring how Spanish-speaking players learn about English and American culture while working their way through the Colorado Rockies system. English instructor Dr. Paul Worley asked if we would interview some of this students to allow them to practice their English, and we were happy to agree.

The following interview with Francis Rivera is one of those interviews. Francis did have some of the questions in advance so that he could practice with his teacher, though some unexpected questions were asked during the course of the conversation.

At Purple Row, we believe these interviews are important for two reasons. First, they help players develop skills they will use later. Second, we’re committed to providing more information about players in the Rockies farm system. Too often, Spanish-speaking players are reduced to their baseball statistics. We’re interested in helping provide a fuller picture.

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Francis Rivera, a right-handed pitcher for the High-A Spokane Indians, has always loved baseball.

“I played baseball when I was like four or five years old,” Rivera said, “and I want to be in baseball for my whole life.”

Rivera, 25, grew up in a big family in his native Azua, Dominican Republic, and he has two uncles who were MLB players. Milciades Santa spent time in the Toronto Blue Jays system while Sergio Santa was in the St. Louis Cardinals system. He also grew up close to a baseball field, so it was natural that he quickly grew to love the game.

Although his uncles were position players, Rivera’s baseball career took a different track.

“I was position player when I was younger,” he said, noting that he played every position. “But when I was 17, I felt better on the mound. So that’s why I’m a pitcher right now.”

He signed with the Rockies on July 2, 2018, after attending a showcase in Santo Domingo where he got to attention of Martin Cabrera, a Rockies scout. Since then, Rivera’s been working his way through the Rockies system. In 2019, he made relief appearances with the DSL Rockies and tied for second-most appearances in the league. However, he did not pitch in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rivera got back on track in 2021 when he made 23 appearances with the ACL Rockies and DSL Colorado. During that time, he struck out 35 through 23.2 IP.

In 2022, he spent time with the ACL and Low-A Fresno where he had a combined 4-2 record with a 3.47 ERA in 36.1 IP. He logged a 1.32 ERA in 13.2 innings pitched, allowing two earned runs through his final 11 games of the season with the Grizzlies, holding opponents to .192/.269/.213.

However, 2023 found Rivera sidelined as he recovered from Tommy John surgery.

Like many other players who’ve gone through rehab, Rivera says of the experience, “It was boring.”

But he was back on the mound in 2024. That season, Rivera totaled 7.2 IP through eight appearances with the ACL Rockies. His progress continued in 2025 when made 35 relief appearances for the Indians. He went 3-2 with a 5.31 ERA in 39.0 IP.

Rivera has spent 2026 with Spokane as well. This year, he’s appeared in 28 games and has a 4.03 ERA (1.17 WHIP).

During the first half of the season with Spokane, Rivera had a 4.68 ERA in 25.0 IP; in the second half, however, that has improved to a 3.42 ERA in 26.1 IP.

Currently, he likes how his four-seamer is working.

“My fastball is really good right now,” Rivera said. “It’s getting a little harder, so I feel more comfortable.” His intention for the rest of the season is to continue working to improve his velocity.

He’s also pleased with his slider though it’s evolved a bit this season.

“When last year ended the season, (my slider) was really nasty,” Rivera said, “and beginning the season in spring training, they changed my grip a little bit.” However, he’s returned to his original grip.

And he likes his slider because he is confident he can throw it in any count.

But back to Rivera’s Tommy John rehab.

During that period when he had plenty of time on his hands, Rivera focused on two things.

First, he worked on his English, and he would encourage his fellow language learners not be discouraged, even though the work is challenging.

“If you want to do it, you can do it,” Rivera said. “If you want to learn, if you want practice, if you want to be better, you just want to be consistent and practice.”

Then he added, “I know it’s hard, a different language, but if you want to learn, you can learn.”

Second, he worked on his cooking, specifically making Dominican food and mangú, his speciality.

If Francis Rivera could tell Rockies fans anything, it would be this: “I love baseball. It’s my passion. It’s everything for me.”

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Background favorite baseball player is Edwin Diaz. And favorite food is chicken and rice.

This was inspired by a comment in Monday’s Gameday Thread, where I joked about the horror of pitchers discovering they’d been drafted by the Rockies. kilnborn asked, “Aren’t players traded away from the team that drafted them far more often than they play for that team in the bigs?” I wasn’t able to find out the answer to that question in the obvious places, and it bugged me. In the end, there was only one solution. Dig into the question myself. Fortunately, Baseball Reference lists all the players that debut for each year – here’s the 2026 list. Particularly helpful, it also lists their original status: drafted or signed as a free-agent, and by which team.

By chance, there have been exactly 200 players this year to have reached the majors for the first time. Arizona have certainly had more than their fair share, with eight debutants (far and away exceeding the over-under expected at the beginning of the season). These have been evenly split between pitchers and hitters. All four of the hitters have been “D-backs since birth”, compared to just one pitcher. At the plate, we’re seen Ryan Waldschmidt, Tommy Troy and LuJames Groover – all AZ draftees – plus free-agent Jose Fernandez. But free-agent Jose Cabrera is the only “native” pitcher. Mitch Bratt, Kohl Drake and Gerardo Carrillo all got started elsewhere.

It is probably worth separating free agents from draftees for a couple of reasons. Free agents include players like Munetaka Murakami, who signed with the White Sox just before Christmas. He clearly wasn’t going anywhere before making his debut. But it also includes the youngest of Latin American players. Rodolfo Durán made his debut with the Padres almost twelve years after signing with the Phillies. He also went through the Yankees and Royals organizations on his way, eventually landing in San Diego. The odds of sticking with any organization for more than a decade are probably lower than average.

So, I split them into two groups: free agents (62) and draftees (138) – six actually had a blank status on the page, but digging deeper on them showed one free agent and five draft picks. Three free agents were originally inked by Arizona. In addition to Fernandez and Cabrera, there’s also Deyvison De Los Santos, who signed for the D-backs in 2019, and was dealt to the Marlins at the trade deadline in 2024, as part of the deal for A.J. Puk. All told, 33 of the 62 free agents did debut for the team which signed them – 53%. There were wide differences between teams. Of the six free-agents initially inked by Pittsburgh, only one did so elsewhere.

But the Dodgers, Yankees and Mets combined to sign five players, all of whom debuted for other teams – including Carrillo, originally a Dodger. So, maybe it’s a payroll thing? The theory here would be that large-budget teams are more likely to trade the possibility offered by prospects, for established major-league players, because they don’t have to worry so much about keeping their payroll down. “Poorer” franchises will hold on to these young players because (for the first few years of service time, anyway), they can provide cheaper production than sources such as MLB free agents. Probably needs a deeper dive. While I’m interested, I’m not that interested!

Moving onto the draftees, we see a larger percentage sticking with the team. Of the 138 drafted players to make their debuts in the majors this year, 84 did so for the team who picked them, compared to 54 who arrived with somebody else. That’s a 61% rate for draftees. But I’m not seeing quite the same obvious difference in behavior among the rich teams. The Yankees, Mets and Dodgers all retained fifty percent or better of their draft picks to arrive in the majors. Perhaps draft picks are seen as more valuable than international free agents? Certainly, I imagine the former tend to be more expensive to sign.

But one thing I did notice was that earlier draft picks are much more likely to be retained. 27 players who were picked in the first round have made their debuts in 2026. But only four were for another team than the one who drafted them, led by Braden Montgomery. He was the 12th overall pick in the 2024 draft by the Red Sox, but was traded to the White Sox just a few months later, as part of the Garrett Crochet deal. The other 23 first-round picks, which is an 85% rate, debuted for their drafting clubs, including Tommy Troy and Ryan Waldschmidt. Though less extreme, the same went for second-round picks: 76% (13 of 17) stayed in-house.

Overall, the average draft round for those who remained with the drafting franchise was 4.95. For those traded or left otherwise, it was 9.28. This makes sense. The value of a player increases sharply at the top end of the talent bell-curve, and you need to make the most of them. Of course, don’t tell former Arizona GM Dave Stewart that. He traded away our 2014 (Touki Toussaint) and 2015 (Dansby Swanson) first-round picks before the played in the majors, and then his 2016 selection (Anfernee Grier) never made it above the High-A level. Say what you like about Mike Hazen, the vast majority of his 20 first-round picks since taking over, are still in the organization.

So, what have we learned? Well, bear in mind this is based on a single year of debuts – and not even a full year at that. Expanding the range to cover multiple seasons might tell a different story. But, again: not that interested! If I’d to guess, I think teams are now more aware of the value of prospects, so I think the percentage being held is likely higher now. It also makes a difference that there now are only twenty rounds, not forty or fifty, there’s far less of a long “tail” of prospects who can be traded without much fear, or simply released. But now at least we have some figures, and I’ll be able to sleep tonight…

If you build it…how’s the rest of that go?

The Phillies and Twins will venture to the cornfields of Dyersville, Iowa to take place in MLB’s special Field of Dreams game on Thursday night. Or at least they will be if the weather holds up.

The Phillies will start Aaron Nola. The righthander has had an overall down season, but has been fine lately, giving up three or fewer runs in six of his last seven starts.

Under the lights in Iowa#MLBatFieldOfDreamspic.twitter.com/2CUNPoYhbO

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 13, 2026

The Twins will go with righthander Taj Bradley who is 9-4 with a 3.76 ERA this season.

Is this heaven?

No, it's (our lineup from) Iowa! pic.twitter.com/HihNAXyyOf

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) August 13, 2026

Game time is 7:30 Eastern and will be televised exclusively by Netflix.

The White Sox came from four runs down to have the winning run at the plate in the ninth, but the tale of this game came in the third inning.

The first pitch was moved up an hour to beat expected rainstorms, but somebody forgot to tell the players they were supposed to be in a hurry, so the game stretched over three hours, mostly thanks to some pretty awful pitching by both teams, as you might have guessed by the score.

Still, the biggest game lengthener came early. The Reds had taken a 3-0 lead in the first on two homers. The Sox got one run back when their first two batters, Chase Meidroth and Randal Grichuk, doubled to the left-field wall. Then they took the lead 4-3 in the second with four hits after two outs and no one on — singles by Sam Antonacci and Luisangel Acuña and doubles (again) by Meidroth and Grichuk.

Which brings us to the top of the third, with Sal Stewart, who had one of the first-inning dingers, leading off. Davis Martin threw one pitch a foot over Stewart’s head, then didn’t miss with the next one:

Being a typical baseball team confrontation, it was more a benches-clearing chat than a brawl, with any former teammates getting to exchange pleasantries, but Davis got the heave-ho.

Was Davis intentionally throwing at Stewart? Very doubtful. Do you have to toss him after two such head shots? Yep.

That brought in Erick Fedde, it being handy to have a usual starter in the pen for such an occasion. Stewart scored on a sac fly to tie the game, but the big damage to Fedde was done in the fourth, when two singles, a walk and a three-run blast by Tyler Stephenson made it 8-4 Reds.

Light rain started falling in the fifth, and the Sox made it pour on two Reds relievers, cutting the deficit to 8-5 on a clutch RBI single by Edgar Quero, who had a great day challenging pitches even if his teammates didn’t.

In came Tanner McDougal for his major league debut in the sixth. He got Elly De La Cruz to ground out, but then suffered from waaaay too much adrenaline, walking three in a row on 16 pitches and giving Eugenio Suarez, who’d homered in the first, the rare HBP RBI which made it 9-5, Reds.

Things then quieted until the home eighth, when singles by Quero (his third of the day) and Antonacci and a Meidroth walk led to a two-run Andrew Benintendi base hit to cut the lead to 9-7.

The Reds produced another pitcher not sure where the plate might be in the ninth, and the Sox came, oh, so close. Braden Montgomery drew his third walk of the day, but Munetaka Murakami pinch-hit and struck out on balls around his ankles. Colson Montgomery drilled one 105 mph to right but not quite far enough for a warning track out; Quero plated Braden with a single, then Sam Antonacci grounded hard, but balls don’t often get by De La Cruz, and that was that.

White Sox pitchers still managed to issue more walks than the Reds staff, six to five, and also hit three batters — by odd coincidence, the three who had homers. Both sides tossed a whole lot of hanging breaking pitches and middle-of-the-plate fastballs when they weren’t issuing free passes. Blame it on the rain if you like.

Losing the series to the Reds makes the White Sox 62-58 on the year, and they head to Detroit with a 2 1/2-game lead on the Tigers, who beat the Guardians this afternoon. The Tigers may have traded Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize at the deadline and lost Riley Greene to the IL this week, but they’re somehow 7-3 in their last 10 games.

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MVP
Edgar Quero: 3-for-5, R, 2 RBI

Runners-Up
Randal Grichuk: 2-for-3, 3 RBI
Chase Meidroth: 2-for-3, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB, K
Andrew Benintendi: 1-for-2, 2 RBI, K
Sam Antonacci: 2-for-5, 2 R, 2 K
Trevor Richards: 2 2/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K

Cold Cat
Davis Martin: 2 IP, 2 H, 4 R (3 ER), BB, 3 K, 2 HBP
Erick Fedde: 3 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 BB, K, L
Tanner McDougal: 1/3 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 3 BB

Red Sox 7 Blue Jays 0

If you had told me, going into this series, that we would win 3 of 4, I would have been happy. I knew we weren’t going to run the table. As Meatloaf never said, 3 out of 4 ain’t bad.

But…..when you win the first three, you get greedy. I wanted four. I wanted, at very least, an effort.

Max Scherzer can’t be faulted. He had a great game. He might be the only Jay to have a great game, but he was very good. Five innings, three hits, two walks, one earned, four strikeouts. You really couldn’t ask better from Max.

He is now at 3004 innings pitched. He’s 139th all time.

You could have asked better from the offense. Just two hits. And really not many good at at bats. The threw eight innings, likely could have gone nine, but why push it when it is 7-0. There was no offense to speak of. I don’t know that Payton Tolle was all that great, but we seemed to be in a hurry to get it over with.

Vlad and Nathan Lukes had a hit each.

Spencer Miles gave up two hits, but got out of his inning.

Braydon Fisher had a quick seventh.

Chase Lee….well, not so quick. Four hits, Four earned (a grand slam). And that was the game.

Lazaro Estrada gave up two more.

Jay of the Day: Max Scherzer (0.14).

Other Award: Lee (-0.23), Clement (-0.12), Valenzuela (-0.11, plus he picked the wrong pitch to challenge in the first inning. Why?), and Okamoto (-0.10). and Springer (-0.09).

I don’t know that a first inning challenge is ever a good idea, but a first inning challenge on a pitch that wasn’t even close to a strike is never a good idea. Maybe not the reason the Jays lost, but it really didn’t help.

Tomorrow the Yankees are in town. Let’s win another series.

Sal Stewart smashed a homer off Chicago White Sox starter Davis Martin in the Top 0f the 1st inning, a homer that was later followed in the same inning with a 2-run shot by Eugenio Suarez. It was the first salvo in a game the Reds would eventually win 9-8, a game that featured Andrew Abbott getting bounced early and some pretty epic back and forth lead changes.

Nothing, though, got the fireworks going like the Top of the 3rd.

Stewart stepped in to face Martin for a second time, and after Martin hummed a four-seam fastball over the outside part of the plate to get ahead 0-1 a pair of 93 mph heaters nearly domed Sal right in his helmet.

White Sox pitcher Davis Martin is ejected after consecutive pitches end up near Sal Stewart's head pic.twitter.com/ROVRRCfrjk

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) August 13, 2026

Sal seemingly shrugged off the first one, surely knowing that it would be quite odd for Chicago’s starter to be intentionally putting a runner on in a 1-run game while they’re mired in a playoff chase. The second one, though, clipped his helmet, and the benches cleared as the Reds clearly weren’t having any more of that nonsense on the day.

Whether intentional, or not, Martin was ejected from the game. Even if he didn’t mean it, you simply can’t have a guy that wild still on the mound.

Sal later added another RBI on a day that saw him go 2 for 4 with a walk, said HBP, 4 runs scored, and a pair of ribbies, and he’s pushed his season OPS all the way back up to .817. The homer was his 26th, by the way, and sounded like it couldn’t have been hit more on the screws.

Goodness gracious that sound 😮‍💨@stewart_salpic.twitter.com/MtEBlsxDgU

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) August 13, 2026

The win gave the Reds the series victory and keeps them 5 games back of the final National League Wild Card spot, albeit in a position where they still need to leapfrog 5 teams to get into position. The odds of that are long, obviously, but when Sal’s in the lineup everyday seemingly anything is possible.