If you build it, they will come. No, in this particular instance, that quote isn’t referring to the famous scene in Field of Dreams, where Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella (played by Kevin Costner) hears a voice in his cornfield that implores him to build a baseball field in the scenic backyard of his farm.
Instead, on Sunday, that iconic line will pertain to four Phillies "phantom ballplayers" who made it to the major leagues, wore the red and white pinstripes, were on the active roster, but never appeared in a regular-season game.
As an ode to the Moonlight Graham storyline of the film, former Phillies Tim Gradoville, Tim Lahey, Jeff Singer and Will Toffey will throw out the ceremonial first pitches ahead of Sunday's game, which will be the first time they take the field in front of the Fightins’ fanbase. This ceremony is in honor of the upcoming Aug. 13 MLB Field of Dreams Game between the Phillies and the Twins.
In the 1989 film, Graham, in the present day of the movie’s context, was an elderly doctor who played in one inning of an MLB game but never got to take an at-bat. That plot point was paid off later in the film when a young, ghostly version of Graham finally has a plate appearance on the field in Iowa.
The Phillies will have four “phantom ballplayers” who spent time on the roster but never appeared in a game throw out first pitches on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/4bkPO1mGZ8
— Ty Daubert (@TyDaubert) August 4, 2026
Why were these four Phillies players chosen for Field of Dreams honor?
Gradoville spent seven years in the minors as a catcher and was called up to the majors in 2006. Lahey was in the minors for six seasons and served as a catcher and pitcher, but was with the Phillies in 2008 as a bullpen arm. Singer and Toffey received brief call-ups in 2022, with Singer working as a pitcher and Toffey as an infielder.
Next Thursday’s festivities will hit close to home for Gradoville and Toffey, two local ball players who grew up close to Veterans Stadium and Citizens Bank Park. Gradoville is from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, while Toffey hails from Philadelphia.
It’s a nice touch from the league and the Phillies organization to bring these players back in this sense ahead of this anticipated event. A-plus-plus for creativity.
The third MLB Field of Dreams Game will begin at 7:30 p.m. next Thursday and will stream on Netflix. After an off day Friday, the Phillies-Twins series will shift to Minneapolis for games Saturday and Sunday.
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