DYERSVILLE, Iowa — Deep in the cornfields of northeast Iowa, a cacophony of voices loudly whispered to build a permanent baseball stadium. Build it — and the major leagues will come back, back and, years later, back again.

Four years after Major League Baseball last played at the Field of Dreams complex, the sport returned Thursday to a little slice of baseball heaven. The Philadelphia Phillies faced the Minnesota Twins on an August night that ended in a 7-1 Phillies win.

Baseball descended on this site — just 20 miles from where the Hawkeye state intersects with Wisconsin and Illinois across the Mississippi River, where the iconic 1989 movie starring Kevin Costner was filmed. It was a place that was nostalgic and familiar and at the same time changed, because the complex now features a fully functional baseball stadium with big-league sight lines and dimensions.

But as in the other two editions, people have come.

The Field of Dreams game returned this summer after a renovation at the site. (Charlie Neibergall / Associated Press)

Hours before first pitch at the new diamond, fathers and daughters played catch at the movie site along the infield and chased after baseballs in the lush grass that filled the outfield. Twins and Phillies players spent their pregame free time walking among fans, taking photos and sharing memories. So did those who spent their summer at this site more than 30 years ago.

In the late ’80s, Mark Danker saw an ad in a Dubuque, Iowa, newspaper looking for baseball players in their late 20s and early 30s. After finishing a professional baseball stint in Australia, Danker answered the call, left his full-time job and was cast as a first baseman in “Field of Dreams.” Early in their time on set, the players got a bit wild, knocked down some cornstalks and were forced to play cards and horseshoes away from the field in their spare time.

Danker went on to become head baseball coach at Division II Upper Iowa University before retiring and came back as one of the “ghosts” for Thursday’s festivities. Decked in an old White Sox uniform, he told story after story from his experiences with Costner and other cast members. Perhaps most poignant was that he learned about the movie ending from a fellow player, who found the script.

“That father-son thing just smacks you in the face,” Danker said. “No question about it.”

At Field of Dreams, the familial bond elicits the same emotions from movie extra players such as Danker to the greatest players in baseball history. Former Phillies third baseman Mike Schmidt was one of 26 Hall of Famers who strolled through the cornfields and walked to the infield ahead of Thursday’s game. MLB said it was the largest gathering of Hall of Famers since 2008. Minutes later, Schmidt provided a touching tribute.

“If I could see my father walk through the cornfields, I tell you what, I’d love to play catch with him,” he said. “That pretty much sums it up for me.”

Several Hall of Famers were on hand for Thursday night’s festivities. (Tyler Clouse / Getty Images)

Fellow Hall of Famer Joe Mauer smiled and referenced his joy of bringing his 7-year-old son to the game. Jim Thome, who participated in the ceremony before the first Field of Dreams game in 2021, saw his fair share of cornfields while playing youth baseball in central Illinois. Yet it was the movie theme that caught up with him Thursday.

“It brings fathers together, sons together, families,” Thome said. “It’s just really, really cool, really special.”

Another father making his first trip was the Rev. Burke Masters, who serves as priest at St. Isaac Jogues Catholic Church in Hinsdale, Ill., about 20 miles from downtown Chicago. Masters wore a Phillies jersey with the name “Father Burke” and was among thousands of Phillies fans sporting team colors. But what was unusual was that Masters works as team chaplain for the Chicago Cubs, a role he has held since 2013.

Masters’ parents moved from St. Louis to Joliet, Ill., when he was young, and there was no ambiguity concerning the Cubs-Cardinals rivalry. But they loved baseball and took him to Wrigley Field, where he watched Schmidt hit a couple of home runs and became a Phillies fan for life.

“We don’t say it too loud there that I’m a lifelong Phillies fan, but when I tell them, they understand,” Masters said. “So, I went from not liking the Cubs to they’re my second-favorite team, after the Phillies.”

Masters played college baseball at Mississippi State and briefly in the White Sox organization before “God brought me to a different team.” Amid thousands of fans milling around the movie set, he felt right at ease.

“I don’t get kind of gawky about too much,” he says, “but this has been a lifelong dream to come out here and be at the field. Now to be able to see the Phillies play and experience the field I feel like a little kid again.”

One fan, Catherine Rinker, said she traveled to the game to see her favorite player, Philadelphia’s Bryce Harper. (Emilee Chinn / Getty Images)

The Midwest weather threatened to make itself a main character in Thursday’s showcase but ultimately wasn’t a factor. Rain waterlogged the parking lots and grass around the movie set and stadium. There were fears of a delay or, at minimum, a miserable experience. Instead, the rain dissipated around noon, the temperature dropped, and a slight breeze provided a slight reprieve to the corn-sweat humidity that engulfs this region every August.

Major League Baseball plans to return to Iowa for a fourth Field of Dreams game in 2027, according to the Des Moines Register, which reported the news Thursday. The makeshift ballpark, which hosted the White Sox and Yankees in 2021 and the Cubs and Reds in 2022, now has permanent locker rooms and suites. On the path through the cornfield separating the movie site from the stadium sits a bar and seating areas. It will host a Northwoods League team starting next summer and a Division I baseball exhibition. Field of Dreams has grown up but with a sold-out crowd on a beautiful summer night, it has retained its charisma.

The site now mixes movie nostalgia with modern amenities, just like many of today’s great urban MLB ballparks, but it has kept its fierce Iowa character. The 1989 movie portrayed this area as quaint and quiet where practicality and a handshake replace braggadocio. That hasn’t changed. Another thing that hasn’t changed about Field of Dreams — and perhaps never will — is the emotion it elicits from those who step foot at the movie site.

Here at the Field of Dreams, the cornstalks still stretch 10 feet high, and the cicadas still form a deafening chirp. That’s the purity it provides with the ambiance of perfection.

“It feels like home,” said Catherine Rinker, a fan who drove from Iowa’s western border just to watch her favorite player, Bryce Harper. “There’s no graffiti. There’s no cement. It’s home.”