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  • Field of Dreams Game – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    Major League Baseball implemented the Field of Dreams game in 2021. The game was played in 2022 but not in 2023 due to construction at the stadium. The last two seasons the MLB opted to play games in other locations including the Giants-Cardinals at Rickwood Field and the Reds-Braves at Bristol Motor Speedway. The first game played at the Field of Dreams in Iowa was a thrilling back and forth affair between the Yankees and White Sox, ending in a Tim Anderson walk-off home run. 

    The Game Returns

    After a three year hiatus, a Major League Baseball game will be played in Dyersville, Iowa for the third installment of the Field of Dreams game. This time our beloved Philadelphia Phillies have been selected. The Phillies will take on the Twins on August 13th, 2026. 

    Phillies-Twins seems like an interesting matchup for a big game like this. In the movie, Kevin Costner and James Earl Jones travel to Minnesota to visit Archibald “Moonlight” Graham. Although he played one game for the New York Giants, “Doc” practiced medicine in Minnesota. It would be a miss by the Twins to not feature a “Moonlight” uniform for the game.

    Dyersville, Iowa

    Dyersville is a small city in the eastern part of Iowa. Dyersville touches two counties with part of the city in Delaware County. This is probably different than Delco, but I can firmly say this is now a home game for the Phillies. 

    Field of Dreams was filmed at a farm outside of the city, which is still the town’s claim to fame. Other things to do in town include visiting The National Toy Farm Museum and The Basilica of St. Francis Xavier, one of the few basilicas outside a large metropolitan area.

    Special Games

    The Phillies have been no stranger to special games in recent years, playing in both the Little League Classic and across the pond in London. Now the Phillies are the headline team for the Field of Dreams game. The Phils have been ok in “special games” the last few seasons going 1-2. They split with the Mets in London but lost the Little League Classic.

    The venue is as cool as they come in sports. Getting away from our massive, technology filled stadiums, the game returns closer to its roots. A traditional baseball diamond in the middle of corn fields. It does not get much better than that. You can already feel the excitement coming from the Phillies. John Middleton had this to say, “It’s an honor to have been selected for the return of the prestigious MLB at Field of Dreams game… for our players, this will be an experience they never forget as they step onto the set of one of the most iconic baseball movies ever made.” 

    This is probably the coolest game in baseball and will be an amazing opportunity for the players. The Phillies may need to re-sign Kyle Schwarber just for the clips of him hitting a moonshot into the Iowa corn fields. But regardless of who is on the team next year the Phillies will be centered around two of the biggest events of the season, Field of Dreams and the MLB All-Star game. 

    Photo Credit: Daniel Shirley/MLB Photos

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    Liam Mahoney

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  • Stay or Go – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    Phillies President of Baseball Operations David Dombrowski on his phone during batting practice before the Phillies play the San Diego Padres in game two of the National League Championship Series at Petco Park in San Diego on Wednesday, October 19, 2022.

    With the 2025 Phillies season over we look toward next year. The World Series was played in the NLDS and the Phillies are still on the cusp of a World Series after a few years of playoff disappointment. Let’s take a look at who should stay or go for the Phillies next season.

    Stay

    JT Realmuto  

    He is the best catcher on the market. He is vital to our pitching staff. Look at the growth of Wheeler, Suarez, and Sanchez. Caleb Cotham is phenomenal but JT deserves a lot of credit too.

    For as much as people complained about his regular season hitting, JT actually showed up in the playoffs, hitting .353 with 6 hits including a home run. So spare me age or whatever reason you come up with to not re-sign him. The guy is still a really good ball player. The bigger issue is how much we rely on JT to knock in runs. If the offense can add more production you don’t have to rely on JT to carry the load.

    Kyle Schwarber

    He has got to stay. The lineup would be worse off without him. You can say what you want about his performance in the playoffs, but game 3 shows how important he is to the team. The second he homered everything got going. I am not sure fans realize how much this team would have struggled without his 56 home runs and 132 rbis. You cannot replace that. Pay him whatever he would like.

    Ranger Suarez

    The loss of Ranger Suarez feels inevitable. Andrew Painter should be added to the rotation, but there is still a spot for Ranger. Wheeler is not going to be healthy to start the season and who knows how his recovery will go. A rotation of Sanchez, Luzardo, Suarez, Nola, and Painter is still nasty. Ranger will come at a high cost, but with no salary cap I don’t see any reason for him to leave other than Middleton avoiding a tax. 

    Let’s not forget Ranger has been deadly in the playoffs and Toppers failure to use him in game 1 is a huge reason they lost the series. Ranger needs to be a Phillie next season, even though the feeling is he won’t be.

    Justin Crawford

    Crawford should be on this roster. He will add youth and speed to this team. I think he should have been called up in the second half of last season, but the Phillies decided against it. Since he didn’t get an opportunity last season, it will be interesting to see how productive Crawford will be for the Phillies. The teams biggest mix up this offseason will likely be in the outfield. I would love to see Crawford start in left or center for the Phillies.

    Jose Alvarado

    Alvarado is a really interesting case for the Phillies. He has been one of our better relievers the past couple seasons, but a PED suspension kept him out for most of the season and the playoffs. Alvarado has a $9 million dollar player option, which makes sense for the Phillies to pick up. It is not anything too expensive and they need a left handed arm. I think he stays but feel indifferent on his status.

    Go

    Alec Bohm

    The team needs to move on from Bohm. He just isn’t it. Doesn’t hit for average, doesn’t hit for power, isn’t a great fielder but also isn’t a bad one, and offers nothing on the basepaths. 

    For being 6’5” he severely lacks in power which hurts the lineup (and top 3 hitters) as a whole. You expect your 3rd baseman to have some power, but the Phillies have not gotten that. They do not have a true 4 hole hitter and I would like to see them fill that role at 3rd base or right field. Regardless, it is time to move on from Bohm. 

    Nick Castellanos

    Castellanos has been one of the more interesting players for the Phillies the last few seasons. He is one of the most frustrating players on the team to watch. Free swinger, who gets fooled by the same sequence over and over. But at the same time, he has had many big moments at the plate and even on defense during the playoffs. Overall his hitting has been fine, but his defense is not nearly good enough. In fact, it is awful. His first step is the slowest I have seen, he leaves so many outs on the field that look like he made the correct play but in reality, he physically can’t reach the ball. A new RF is needed. Just move him, I do not care about the return. 

    Maybe Stay Maybe Go

    Bryson Stott

    Stott is an interesting case. He could fit in the same category as Bohm. A player from the “Day Care” not developing as much as we hoped. However, I feel this team has bigger holes to fill than Stott. His fielding is second to none and he makes them an infinitely better defensive team. His at bats leave a lot to be desired but having Sott hit 8th or 9th with his defense helps this team a lot. There is not a logical reason to move on from him. He should stay. 

    Harrison Bader

    Most of the fans would like to see Bader back in CF. The fit is there, but the contract will be the question. He added “something” to this team that was previously missing. Bader was a mold of hitter that fit what the team needed and played great defense; he was missed during the NLDS. Bader coming back depends on his cost, which may end up being too high for Middletown and Dombrowski, but he would make an ideal starting CF.

    Brandon Marsh and Max Kepler

    I decided to pair Kepler and Marsh together. I do not see both of these players coming back together. Throughout the season I assumed Kepler would be one and done, but he came on strong at the end of the year and had a good playoffs. Depending on the outfield options I could see them bringing back Kepler on a cheap deal. 

    I also believe the will hold onto Brandon Marsh. There seems to be a belief in the lockeroom that he can get his hitting figured out. The issue is he cannot hit lefties. So, if Marsh is on the roster next season, he may need to be paired with a right-handed bat. Marsh is an interesting piece because he is still young and has shown potential, but I feel we have seen the player that he is. The Phillies shouldn’t look to move him but if a trade package makes sense, we could see Brandon Marsh on the move.

    Photo Credit: Yong Kim/Philadelphia Inquirer

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    Liam Mahoney

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  • Phillies clinch NL East title, Wild Card bye with series win over Cubs

    Phillies clinch NL East title, Wild Card bye with series win over Cubs

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    The Phillies got their postseason spot, then their first NL East title in 13 years, and now they have their first-round bye into the NLDS.

    In front of a sold-out Citizens Bank Park crowd for the last time in the 2024 regular season, the Phillies beat the Chicago Cubs 9-6 on Wednesday night to take 2 of 3 in the final homestand, which coupled with a Milwaukee Brewers loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, bought them a valuable few extra days of rest before the fabled Red October comes back around again. 

    All that’s left now is one more three-game set in Washington against the Nationals, and one last push in a race with the Dodgers to try and claim the NL’s top seed. 

    But it’s been a whirlwind few days for the Fightin’ Phils already. Here’s a rundown of it all…

    The Toast

    The regular-season clock was ticking and magic numbers were shrinking. 

    Red October, at this rate, was a near inevitability, and to an extent, the NL East title, too. But the Phillies still needed to bag a few more games to get there. 

    Last Friday against the Mets up in Queens, the Phils punched their first ticket. 

    Cristopher Sánchez was stellar for five innings, then the bullpen took over and shut New York down, all while the offense teed off for 12 runs on 17 hits. 

    The Phillies won, 12-2, and although they eventually lost 3 of 4 for the series, they clinched their postseason berth at the very least. 

    But the party wasn’t on just yet. 

    In the visiting clubhouse afterward, the team put a hold on the overalls, blaring music, and flying champagne. 

    They made a toast instead, knowing there was more for them to chase after. 

    “This is the first step,” manager Rob Thomson told his club. “We can’t have a countdown, J.T., because we don’t know how many games we’ll have. But when we know, I’ll ask you. 

    “But congrats. This is a huge accomplishment. I love you guys, and this is the first step of many more.”

    The Party

    The Phillies came back to Citizens Bank Park on Monday for their last home series of the regular season. 

    The magic number to clinch the division dropped to one. The first NL East pennant in 13 years was right there for the taking against the Cubs, and in front of the South Philly faithful.

    Aaron Nola, the longest-tenured Phillie, took the mound and tossed through 6.0 innings before the ball was given to Matt Strahm in relief with the bases loaded. But by then, the Phils were already up 6-1, J.T. Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos had put a dent in the Cubs, and Nola was walking back to the dugout with a crowd of 42,000-plus on their feet for him. 

    It was fitting.

    Two years ago, way late into a 2022 season when absolutely nothing felt certain yet, Nola was on the bump with a chance to lead the Phillies into the postseason for the first time in 11 years. He gave them 6.2 shutout innings to kickstart what became the October run of a lifetime. 

    So of course it was him on Monday night, leading the charge on putting another franchise drought of over a decade to bed. 

    And the Phillies did. 

    The bullpen held the line again and deadline acquisition Carlos Estévez registered the final out to what’s become his signature Dragon Ball celebration as the rest of the team huddled around the mound.

    The white 2024 division pennant was out, the team photo was taken, and now it was time for a party in the clubhouse. 

    Thomson brought owner and CEO John Middleton in to kick the celebration off. He re-stated the phrase that’s been his whole M.O. since building up this era of Phillies baseball…

    “I want my f—ing trophy back!”

    The champagne flew. 

    But there was still work to do.

    The Hangover

    The postseason spot was clinched, the NL East title was clinched, but the Phillies still had a chase to close out against the Dodgers and Brewers for a bye straight into the NLDS – and possibly the league’s No. 1 seed.

    For the physical toll this season has taken on them throughout, they needed the extra few days’ worth of rest and could’ve moved a step closer to it with another win on Tuesday night. 

    But Tuesday night was the notorious hangover game, and…yeah…

    The Final Touches

    The dullness didn’t linger. 

    On Wednesday night, for the last game in front of the Citizens Bank Park crowd before the postseason, the first-round bye was on the table. The Phillies needed a win and a Milwaukee loss to clinch it. 

    Trea Turner opened with a solo shot in the first, and then Bryson Stott quickly followed up with a two-run double after a Bryce Harper walk and a Castellanos two-bagger to immediately make it 3-0.

    Castellanos came back to homer in third, Kody Clemens put a ball in the center-field ivy in the fourth, Brandon Marsh cleared the deck with a bases-loaded double in the fifth, and then Realmuto drove in a run on a liner in the seventh to withstand two Chicago home runs from Nico Hoerner for the 9-6 win.

    The Phillies did their part, taking the series finale and 2 of 3 from Chicago, while the Pirates held the Brewers to a 2-1 defeat to lock the Wild Card bye in for Philadelphia.

    The series in Washington to tune up and possibly claim the top seed from the Dodgers for full home-field advantage is all that’s left until the calendar flips.

    “I think it’s huge to get these guys some rest, and now we can sort of plan out our pitching for the weekend,” Thomson said postgame. “Our starters, I mean, they’re gonna have to start – [Ranger Suárez], [Zack Wheeler], and Nola – but we can pull them back a little bit.”

    Then it’s on to the real show, which will begin back here at Citizens Bank Park on Oct. 5 for Game 1 of the NLDS.

    “We’re all excited,” Marsh said from the clubhouse. “We worked our butts off for this moment. We’re gonna make the best of it.”

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    Nick Tricome

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