Category: Sports News

Tim Anderson ended the first Field of Dreams game with a two-run, walk-off shot that magically disappeared into the right-field corn, and for five years, that has been the sentimental argument for playing baseball in Iowa. Nothing since has come close to that drama.

Thursday night at least they tried.

MLB brought out 26 Hall of Famers to appear out of the corn stalks, the most at one game since the 2008 All-Star Game. Players from both teams read the monologue from the movie reminding everyone of how baseball is the constant through the years in America. Brand-new Hall of Famers Andruw Jones and Jeff Kent threw out the first pitches to Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez and Joe Mauer.

All of it happened in a new, permanent ballpark that seated 8,000 Thursday night.

Dyersville has about 4,500 people living there. Thursday night close to twice that many were at the game on the outskirts of downtown, waxing poetic about the town's new tourist attraction.

The game started out with drama, Kyle Schwarber launching the third pitch of the game into the cornfield. The Twins couldn't keep up as Schwarber hit two homers and Brandon Marsh had one and Philadelphia won 7-1.

Here is who came out of Dyersville Thursday night winners and who left as losers.

Winners

Kyle Schwarber

His first at-bat ended up with a 369-foot, lead-off home run. In the fourth inning he did it again with a little help from Twins right fielder Luke Keaschall, who had it bounce off his glove and into the corn. Aaron Judge is the only other player to homer twice in this game. Judge did it in 2021 and left as a loser. Schwarber left as the game MVP, rewarded with a hot dog and cob of corn.

Brandon Marsh

He reached base four times, going 2-for-2 with two walks, stole a base and drove in two runs. His seventh-inning home run off Travis Adams was his 17th of the season, a career high with 40 games still to play.

Aaron Nola

Nola went five innings, holding the Twins to one run and he struck out a season-high nine. He came in 3-9 with a 5.47 ERA in a season that has been a grind.

LOS ANGELES — Max Muncy picked an ideal moment to become the all-time leader in home runs hit at Dodger Stadium.

Entering the game in the sixth inning as a pinch hitter, Muncy slugged a three-run blast that propelled the Dodgers to a 4-2 lead Thursday night against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Adding to the drama, the Dodgers third baseman hit a 3-2 pitch with two outs over the wall in right center. The crowd of 46,105 erupted in celebration. Unfortunately for Muncy and Co., the lead did not hold.

Still, it was Muncy’s 131st home run at Dodger Stadium, moving him past retired Dodgers star Eric Karros, who had 130 home runs at the Los Angeles park that opened in 1962.

MAD MAX! pic.twitter.com/tC1cvyoAU1

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 14, 2026

The blast also was Muncy’s fourth pinch hit homer with the Dodgers. All three of the previous shots came in 2018.

Muncy, 35, is in his 11th season in the majors and ninth with the Dodgers.

The home run was the 237th of his career and his 23rd this season, second on the Dodgers behind only Shohei Ohtani’s 27 homers.

Most home runs at Dodger Stadium

Here's who has hit the most home runs at Dodger Stadium, per the SportsNet LA broadcast:

• Max Muncy, 131
• Eric Karros, 130
• Ron Cey, 123
• Steve Garvey, 118
• Matt Kemp, 117

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Max Muncy sets record for most home runs at Dodger Stadium

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs blasphemed the St. Paul Saints (Twins), 10-3.

Kohl Franklin had a very good start as he works his way back from missing almost two years. Franklin allowed just one run on three hits over four innings. The one run came on a home run by the first hitter of the game, Walker Jenkins, the Twins’ top prospect. Franklin walked two and struck out three.

Evan Taylor pitched the next two innings and got the win because Franklin didn’t go five innings. But Taylor did not allow a run. He gave up two hits, walked none and struck out two.

The I-Cubs struck back with six runs in the bottom of the first inning, thanks to three Iowa home runs. First, DH Owen Miller tied the game with a solo home run, his seventh of the year. Miller went 1 for 4 and was hit by a pitch. He scored twice.

Next up, third baseman Ben Cowles hit a three-run home run to give Iowa the lead for good. But Cowles wasn’t done, as he hit a solo home run in the fifth inning as well. Cowles went 3 for 3 with a walk and the two home runs. he had five total runs batted in.

Catcher Ethan Hearn hit the third and final home run of the first inning with the bases empty. Hearn went 1 for 3 with a walk and two runs batted in. He has six home runs this year, two with the Cubs.

Cowles solo home run in the fifth inning was a back-to-back blast with left fielder Greg Jones’ solo shot. That was Jones’ second Iowa home run and third overall. Jones went 2 for 4 with a walk and two steals. He scored three times.

Second baseman Ed Howard was 2 for 4 with one run scored.

Miller’s first home run.

Cowles gives Iowa the lead.

Ethan Hearn goes back-to-back.

The velocity is back for Franklin.

Greg Jones goes deep.

And Cowles says two home runs are better than one.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies grounded the Rocket City Trash Pandas (Angels), 6-1.

Starter Brody McCullough was sharp as he allowed just one run on three hits over five innings. McCullough struck out eight Trash Pandas and walked none.

Daniel Palencia then pitched the sixth inning in a rehab assignment and did much better than the last time out. Palencia didn’t strike anyone out, but he did retire the side in order on three ground outs. Palencia threw ten pitches, eight for strikes.

The win went to Yenrri Rojas, who threw two scoreless innings after Palencia. Rojas allowed just one hit. He struck out two and walked no one.

Catcher Miguel Useche hit a three-run double in the seventh inning. Useche went 2 for 4.

Right fielder Alex Ramírez went 3 for 5. He drove in one run and scored one run.

Shortstop Karson Simas was 3 for 4. He scored one run and had one RBI.

Useche’s three-run double.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs were swamped by the Great Lakes Loons (Dodgers), 8-6.

Nazier Mulé started and took the loss after he was rocked for eight runs on six hits over 3.2 innings. One of the eight runs was unearned. Mulé walked three and struck out three.

Catcher Logan Poteet clubbed a solo home run in the second inning, It was his fifth with South Bend and 19th overall. Poteet went 2 for 4 and scored twice.

Third baseman Matt Halbach homered with the bases empty in the seventh inning. It was Halbach’s tenth home run this year. Halbach was 2 for 4.

First baseman Josiah Hartshorn was 2 for 4 with two RBI.

Center fielder Alexey Lumpuy went 2 for 4 with a stolen base. Lumpuy scored one run.

Poteet’s home run.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans soothed the Hill City Howlers (Guardians), 11-4.

Ninth-round pick Chase Meyer made his prod debut a successful one, going 3.1 innings and allowing just one run on three hits. Meyer struck out six and walked three.

Tenth-round pick Luke Alwood’s second pro appearance was a strong as the first one. He’s now 2-0 in two appearances after surrendering no runs on just one hit over three innings. Alwood struck out five and walked one.

Shortstop Corey Nunez went 3 for 4 with a double and a walk. He scored two runs and drove in two.

Right fielder Ethan Conrad was 2 for 5 with a triple and an RBI single. He scored once.

Center fielder Caden Sorrell went 2 for 5. He scored twice and drove in one.

Second baseman Juan Cabada got his first two hits in Low-A, going 2 for 5 with a double. He scored one run and drove in one.

Catcher Jose Silva was 2 for 4 and was hit by a pitch. Silva scored twice and had one RBI.

Highlights.

Carlos Rodón looks like a pitcher ready for a return to the majors.

The Yankees All-Star left-hander, making his second rehab start since going on the injured list with elbow inflammation in July, was dominant across 4 1/3 innings for the Double-A Somerset Patriots on Thursday night.

Rodón allowed just two hits and a walk while striking out seven New Hampshire hitters on 58 pitches (41 strikes) at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, N.J.

“I feel like I’m always ready to get big league hitters out,” Rodón told reporters after his outing.

“The goal was to go out there and throw as many strikes as I could and be efficient.

“As far as what’s next, not sure. I’d love to go out there, compete and help our team win [in the majors], but that is not up to me.”

The 33-year-old southpaw said his stuff — which generated 15 swings and misses — felt “fairly crisp,” especially compared to his first rehab appearance on Saturday when he allowed three runs over 2 2/3 frames with Triple-A Scranton.

Injuries have limited Rodón to just nine starts this season with New York, where he’s posted a 4-2 record with a 3.30 ERA and 52 strikeouts over 46 1/3 innings.

Offseason surgery to remove a bone spur in his left elbow forced Rodón to begin 2026 on the IL and delayed his season debut until May 10.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters over the weekend that the team may “piggyback” Rodón by having another starter, possibly Ryan Weathers or Will Warren, pitch behind him as he increases his workload.

For his part, Rodón said he has no issue with that possibility.

“I’m willing to do whatever to help our team win,” Rodón said. “If they think that’s the avenue they want to go, I’m ready to perform and help our team win.”

The Yankees’ offensive struggles have been prevalent in recent weeks, including Thursday afternoon’s 1-0 loss in the series finale against the Mariners.

But adding a healthy Rodón to the mix would improve an already formidable staff for the Yankees.

Cam Schlittler is a leading contender for the Cy Young. Gerrit Cole, in his first season post-Tommy John surgery, has been dominant in recent outings.

Max Fried has been solid since returning from his own elbow injury recently, including his five-inning, one-run effort in Thursday’s loss.

Warren and Weathers have also been stalwarts all season — and Rodón is excited to rejoin that mix.

“I’m very confident in our guys, and it’s up there, for sure,” Rodón said of where New York’s rotation ranks among the MLB’s best. “I have three guys in front of me that are really good in this game.

“I’m glad that all of us are on the same team, so it’s great to be able to have those kind of arms.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

More moonshine mashers in T7: after Alec Bohm nearly creamed some corn and ended up with a double, Marsh stalk-ed Travis Adams in the next AB. 7-1 PHI.

Despite clean pen outings from Taylor Rogers & Tommy Nance, the Twins could not muster any further mash. Closing things out for the Phanatics? Jhoan Duran with a clean B9.

Your Final: Philadelphia Phillies 7, Minnesota Twins 1.

76% of the way through their 2026 campaign, the Twins continue to be maddening in their step-forward, step-backward sequencing. Still hanging in the fringes of the AL Central “race” and the muddled AL Wild Card mess, if not doing themselves any favors with an extremely hot-or-cold offense.

Zach’s Zealot

• The whole Field of Dreams idea: Win or lose, this is a great thing that MLB does combining sporting & cinematic pastimes.

Zach’s Zombie

• Putting this game on Netflix: I know, I know…“elder millennial yells at cloud”. But think of the interest this could have drawn if aired on FOX or NBC or what not. At very least, allow it to be simulcast in the Minny & Philly markets on a local station and/or Twins.TV. Forever short-sighted is MLB.

Egg-cellent Elocution

• This special event not only brought out the HOF legends pre-game, but also HOF legends like TawnyFroggyin the chat!

Who’s Got Next

• The odd Friday off-day mid-series to allow the Twins & Phillies to get back to MN for two more Saturday & Sunday.

Kyle Schwarber’s second home run during Thursday’s MLB at Field of Dreams Game came with a little help from the field.

During the fourth inning of the Phillies 7-1 win, Schwarber belted a ball to right field off Twins starter Taj Bradley, but with the stadium’s low fences, it was in reach for outfielder Luke Keaschall.

Just as Keaschall appeared to track the shot down, however, the ball popped right out of his glove and over the fence, extending the Phillies’ lead to 4-1 over Minnesota.

The Netflix broadcast booth consisting of play-by-play commentator Matt Vasgersian and former MLB stars CC Sabathia and Hunter Pence let out collective “oh nos” as the ball fell out of Keaschall’s glove.

“I think that was a Keasch-made home run unfortunately,” Pence quipped.

Schwarber’s first home run came on the third pitch of the game in the first inning, as he sent one well into the corn field beyond the right field fence.

The two blasts put Schwarber at an MLB-best 37 home runs on the season.

Schwarber has yet again been one of the league’s top hitters this season, posting a slash line of .250/.371/.544 with 72 RBIs after Thursday’s effort.

Schwarber was ecstatic headed into Thursday’s game, telling reporters that he was “excited to see the corn” at the Field of Dreams.

“I think it’s going to be awesome,” Schwarber said, according to MLB.com. “I’ve never been out there before, so I’m excited to see the corn, see the field they actually filmed it at. Just to be in that atmosphere, I think it’s going to be really cool.”

He added that he expects the game to also have a nostalgic feel to it.

“I know they’re going to have a lot of different activities and things before the game that’ll make it a little bit nostalgic and make it feel like you’re playing back in the day,” Schwarber said.

“So I feel like it’ll be a really cool thing, and hopefully, we have a great time.”

I have a confession to make: I haven’t watched Field of Dreams. I intended to watch it last night, but I ended up watching The Long Goodbye instead. In my defense, that’s sort of related to baseball, since Jim Bouton is in it. Anyway, I’m going to substitute some Bull Durham references, since that’s a Kevin Costner baseball film that I have seen; it’s close enough. Bull Durham is somewhat risqué, and this is a family friendly blog, so I’ll be mindful; I’m not going to suggest that anyone playing tonight could benefit from having a fan read Walt Whitman to them.

Kyle Schwarber wasted no time in getting cinematic, blasting a fastball that caught the middle-inside of the plate deep into the maize. Bryce Harper walked, and Luis Arraez singled up the middle to put runners on the corners. Bryson Stott singled to left-center, scoring Harper. “Oh, my stars and garters,”, said the old-timey fans watching the game (speaking of garters, Annie Savoy would surely have advice for Minnesota starter Taj Bradley about how to deal with a rough patch).

Aaron Nola also had a rocky first, allowing two of his first three batters to reach, the second on a tiny little dribbler. Ground balls may be more democratic, but Nola decided not to embrace that particular philosophy, putting the next two Twins down without allowing the ball to touch the ground. Unfortunately, the ball hit by Luke Keaschall in the second also did not touch the ground, at least not until it found the corn over the left field wall.

In the fourth, Brandon Marsh worked a leadoff walk, then stole second; he was called out, but the film reel was rewound, and upon a second viewing he was deemed safe. Kyle Schwarber, knowing that a cinematic event calls for a sequel, smacked another ball out to right; Keaschall leapt and got a glove on it, but the ball bounced off and into the corn. Kyle Schwarber believes in the soul, the hanging curveball, opening your Christmas presents on Christmas morning rather than Christmas Eve, and he believes in long, slow, deep moonshots that take three days to land (what he thinks about the novels of Susan Sontag is unknown). Trea Turner doubled, Harper singled, and the score was 5-1.

Save for that solo shot, Nola had cruised through four. In the fifth, allowed a two-out double up the third base line in the bottom fifth, then walked the next batter, and then the next, and suddenly slow cinema became a thriller. Royce Lewis came to the plate with the bases loaded, representing the tying run. Nola rose to the moment, putting him away on a trio of pitches: knuckle curve, four-seamer, knuckle curve.

That ended Nola’s night (1 ER, 5 H, 9 K, 3 BB), with Brooks Raley his successor. He allowed a double, but kept the Twins from scoring; it’s very unfitting for a team with that name to have just a single run. The Phillies had no such problems: Alec Bohm doubled to deep center, and Marsh pulled a fly ball into the corn in right, and the Phillies had seven runs.

Orion Kerkering took the mound in the eighth, as Derek Hill took to right field in place of Harper. Kerkering put the Twins down in order.

The Twins entered the ninth dreaming of their Hollywood miracle. They did what they needed to in the top of the inning, surrendering no more runs. But the tall task was yet to come. Facing Jhoan Duran down by any amount is imposing; facing him down by a half dozen is petrifying. He wanted to announce his presence with authority, and did. The Twins managed a hit against him, and no more.

The Phillies are 65-58. They’ll return to action on Saturday at 7:10 in Minnesota.

Sell the Red Sox? Don’t bet on it, CEO Sam Kennedy said during a Boston radio appearance on Thursday. 

Kennedy was asked if he thought John Henry would ever sell the Red Sox while he was on “The Greg Hill Show” on WEEI, and gave an emphatic response. 

“It doesn’t matter, and I mean that sincerely,” he said. “It just doesn’t matter. John Henry, Linda Henry, the Henry family are never selling the Boston Red Sox. And that’s a soundbite you can play forevermore. I’d bet anything on that.”

The Red Sox are estimated to be worth $6.65 billion by Sportico and there had been some previous thought that there was possible interest in selling the ballclub.

Red Sox fans certainly made their feelings known when they chanted “Sell the team” during games earlier in the season.

Nevertheless, after their historically bad start to this season, the Sox have clawed their way back into the postseason picture and currently occupy an AL wild-card spot. 

Sports team ownership has been in the news as of late after two major pieces of news broke. 

The Yankees recently announced a $2.6 billion financing deal with Apollo Sports Capital — a private equity firm — and the Lakers, on Wednesday, were sold to venture capitalist Josh Kushner and former Disney CEO Bob Iger for $12.5 billion. 

Kennedy was asked about whether the Red Sox would ever looking into anything similar to what the Yankees did.

“Inside of Fenway Sports Group, we have 25, 30 investors of all types, all different types,” Kennedy said. “But John and Linda Henry, Tom Werner, Mike Gordon are the investors and owners of the club that run the club, and that has been consistent for 25 years, and I would bet for the next 25 years — at least 25 years, if not longer — that will continue. So, not something we’re focused on. Just focused on trying to figure out how we’re going to get back on track this week.”

It looks like Netflix listened to baseball fans’ demands after getting criticized for its Opening Day coverage.

The streaming platform displayed a new scorebug for the 2026 MLB Field of Dreams Game, won 7-1 by the Phillies on Thursday night, one that was noticeably larger than the one used during coverage in March.

Their original graphic was lambasted on social media for being outlandishly small, with many fans saying that they could not see any of the text displayed.

Netflix’s updated scorebug now takes up the entire bottom right corner of the screen, with the text appearing much larger and resembling a traditional on-screen graphic.

Despite the updated scorebug, fans still took to social media to voice their grievances.

“Genuinely hideous scorebug,” one user posted to X. “Looks like they got it from a graphics package from like 2007.”

“Netflix logo bigger than the players’ names,” quipped another.

Outside of their updated graphics, Netflix also brought on Matt Vasgersian to do play-by-play coverage, with ex-MLB stars CC Sabathia and Hunter Pence serving as the color analysts.

Thursday brought the third installment of the Field of Dreams Game after the first match was held between the Yankees and White Sox during the 2021 season.

The Phillies got off to a hot start thanks to two home runs by Kyle Schwarber, bringing the four-time All-Star to an MLB-best 37 blasts on the season.

Headed into Thursday’s game, Schwarber told reporters that he was elated to be playing at the Field of Dreams.

“I think it’s going to be awesome,” Schwarber said, according to MLB.com. “I’ve never been out there before, so I’m excited to see the corn, see the field they actually filmed it at. Just to be in that atmosphere, I think it’s going to be really cool.”

“I know they’re going to have a lot of different activities and things before the game that’ll make it a little bit nostalgic and make it feel like you’re playing back in the day,” he added.

“So I feel like it’ll be a really cool thing, and hopefully, we have a great time.”