In the 1989 movie Field of Dreams, ghosts of baseball legends walked out of the cornfields into the diamond in Iowa. This year, Field of Dreams game welcomed real-life legends from those fields. 26 Hall of Famers strode in to form the most elite group of spectators on Thursday night. The field, which became a place of nostalgia years before MLB even held its first game, marked its third edition after a hiatus of four years. To mark its return to Iowa, Bryce Harper is leaving no stone unturned in acknowledging the corn iconography.

“I’m going to have a corn bat. I don’t know if it’s approved or not, but I’m going to use it,” Bryce Harper said before Thursday’s game, per Foul Territory.

On Thursday, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Minnesota Twins faced off in Iowa for the third edition of MLB at the Field of Dreams. The special showcase held in a baseball diamond surrounded by cornfields is the most nostalgic night in baseball. Streamed on Netflix, the night began with multiple pre-game festivities and fun activities.

The Philadelphia Phillies’ two star sluggers were, at one point, caught up in the ‘Catch the Corn’ challenge with Netflix. Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper competed to see who could catch the most ears of corn. The two-time MVP proved to have a hidden talent for catching corn.

While Schwarber dropped all the previous corn ears, trying to catch the 14th, Harper held on to his pile till the 23rd was thrown at him. Corn was the central theme of Thursday night, just like it was in the 1989 fantasy baseball movie Field of Dreams, based on W. P. Kinsella’s 1982 novel Shoeless Joe.

Harper also carefully planned to include the corn iconography in every possible way. On Thursday night, his bat, created by Victus, was an acknowledgement of the theme. Harper’s bat is specially designed to look like a corn cob, which even has a chunk of melting butter on it. The demonstration is so accurate that one can almost taste it.

Apart from his special bat, Harper will also sport corn-themed cleats during the game. Under Armour built the special shoes for him. But Harper’s action is not entirely surprising. He has a knack for curating his gear to match the vibe of the night.

In 2021, Harper wore Phillie Phanatic-themed cleats on Opening Day and used a Phanatic-themed bat as well. He was again seen with a different Phanatic-themed bat at the 2023 Little League Classic in Williamsport. His teammates wore No. 2 pencil-themed bats and caveman-themed bat designs.

Interestingly, Harper is not the only Philly who read the room correctly about what vibes Thursday demanded.

Bryson Stott took to recreating his own version of the movie Field of Dreams on his cleats. Similar to the film, where ghosts of baseball legends walk out of the cornfield, Stott’s cleats will show late Phillies icons walking out. The custom cleats, a creation of Ryan Stevens of NXT LVL Customs, feature Tug McGraw, Roy Halladay, Darren Daulton, Robin Roberts, Richie Ashburn, and Harry Kalas.

It marks a night of celebration and nostalgia, with the Hall of Famers gracing the game as spectators. Players from both teams will have a chance to prove themselves in front of their franchise icons.