August 21, 2026 [LINK / comment]
For the third time, on [the 13th of] August a Major League Baseball game was played at (or near) the Field of Dreams movie site near Dyersville, Iowa. The Minnesota Twins were "hosting" the Philadelphia Phillies, but there wasn't much doubt which way things were headed. On the third pitch of the game, Kyle Schwarber blasted a home run into the corn fields beyond right field, and the Phillies added another run before the Twins came to bat. In the 4th inning Schwarber homered again, and Brandon Marsh added two more runs with a homer in the 7th inning. Final score: Phillies 7, Twins 1.
This was the first time that an MLB game had been played at the Field of Dreams since the new permanent stadium was built there earlier this year. I made a point to visit it in June, on my way out west, and my photos were very useful in capturing the details. Interestingly, the outfield fences, light standards, scoreboards, dugouts, and even the stadium outline were virtually identical to the temporary stadium that had existed there from 2020 through 2022. (When I visited in 2024, I was surprised to see that there was no stadium at all; the entire structure was temporary in nature, and was removed after the 2022 game.)
Some views of both the new stadium at the Field of Dreams, as well as the farm and ballfield where most of the movie was shot.
So, needless to say, I had some diagram revisions to take care of, which you can now see on the Field of Dreams page! For the most part, it's fairly accurate, but I noticed some discrepancies between the photos that I took there two months ago compared to the video images of the game that I saw. So, there are no doubt a few corrections that will need to be made...
Next year the Kansas City Royals will play as "host" to the Boston Red Sox at the Field of Dreams. Unlike this year's exclusive Netflix TV arrangement, the 2027 game will be broadcast nationwide on NBC Sports, which does not require a paid subscription to view. Yay! See royalsreview.com.
The Washington Nationals have been in a terrible slump for over a week, so let's accentuate the positive. In the only two games the Nats have won since August 11, the starting pitcher was Cade Cavalli, and both times he reached the double-digits in strikeouts, going 8 and then 6 innings without giving up a run. In the August 19 game against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, he had a no-hitter going until the 6th inning! Earlier in the season he was mostly very good but had a few bad outings. But since the Nats' previous ace pitcher Foster Griffin was traded away to the Cleveland Guardians on August 3, Cavalli has stepped up and assumed a truly dominant role on the mound. He has had seven consecutive "quality starts," i.e. 6 or more innings pitched with 3 or fewer earned runs. With an ERA of 3.22, he currently ranks 15th in the major leagues, catching up on his former team mate who is now in Cleveland. (Griffin's ERA is 3.18, ranked 13th.)
Cade Cavalli (L) and Foster Griffin (R) in the dugout during the Nats' game against the Baltimore Orioles on May 15.
Unfortunately, Cavalli's rise to excellence has coincided with a sharp decline in his team mates' performance. Since the August 11-13 series with the Cubs, the Nats have been shut out twice, and only once have they scored more than 4 runs. Andres Chaparro and Abimelec Ortiz continue to hit home runs, but otherwise not much is happening. James Wood remains on the injured list, and C.J. Abrams has been slumping badly at the plate. Because of his often-shaky defensive performance at shortstop, he is starting to play at second base (or as designated hitter), which is probably not good for morale.
To sum up the recent series, the Nationals lost the first two games to the Cubs and then totally dominated the visitors 7-0 on August 13 when Cavalli was on the mound. Then they traveled to New York, where the hungry Mets took every opportunity they could, sweeping the Nats in 3 games straight. The Saturday, August 15 game was especially disheartening because the Nats had a 4-3 lead going into the bottom of the 9th, whereupon relief pitcher Yovanny Cruz gave up a walk, a single, and a double before getting the first out, and then Francisco Lindor hit an RBI single to win the game. Jubilation in Queens!
The August 18-20 series in Arlington, Texas was strange, because all three games were shutouts. On Tuesday the Nats' rookie pitcher Jackson Kent gave up 5 runs to the Rangers in the first 3 innings, which was 4 more than the [home team] ended up needing. On Wednesday, the 3rd-inning home run by Jose Tena was all the Nats really needed, but the 3-run blast by Andres Chaparro in the 7th inning was a nice bit of insurance. Nats 6, Rangers 0. On Thursday Andrew Alvarez had another decent outing, but didn't get credit for it, as the Nats only got one hit the entire game. Final score: 2-0.
And then in Miami tonight there was another tension-filled pitchers' duel, and the Nats took a 1-0 lead when Keibert Ruiz homered in the 6th inning. But the Marlins took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the 8th, as Tom Cosgrove proved less than effective as a reliever. In the top of the 9th, hopes were fading fast, when Daylen Lile hit an ultra-clutch RBI single to tie the game. But in the bottom of the inning, Clayton Beeter loaded the bases after giving up a single and then committing a throwing error on a bunt single, after which he intentionally walked the batter in hopes of getting some miraculous force outs. It didn't work out that way, as Javier Sanoja hit an RBI single to win the game for the Marins. So now, the Nationals are only 2 1/2 games ahead of the last-place Mets.
FOOTNOTE: Tonight's game was the 33rd blown save by the Nationals' bullpen overall, equaling the relief pitchers' total number of saves. That is almost unimaginably bad. So far, the pitching acquisitions made just prior to the trading deadline don't seem to have made much difference.
Last Sunday, rookie outfielder Joshua Baez played a decisive role when the St. Louis Cardinals took on the Chicago Cubs in Wrigley Field, and made history while he was at it. He not only hit a home run on the first pitch he saw in his very first game, he hit two more home runs in his next two at bats. No other major league player had ever done that before. Not surprisingly, the Cardinals won it, 8-4.
The pitcher for whom "Tommy John surgery" was named passed away at the age of 83 earlier this week. In 1974, in his 12th year in the majors, Tommy John tore a ligament in his pitching elbow, and it seemed that his career was over. But Dr. Frank Jobe performed an experimental surgery, in effect "transplanting" ligament tissue from the lower part of his body, and John came back to pitch several more years with the L.A. Dodgers, and then the New York Yankees, among other teams. Nowadays, Tommy John surgery is almost routine for pitchers. He finally retired after the 1989 season, amassing 2,245 strikeouts with a 3.34 career ERA. (From Yahoo Sports and The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 2003.)