Phillies Get Field Of Dreams Game Update After MLB Rule Change

The Philadelphia Phillies are preparing for one of Major League Baseball’s most unusual regular-season games, and a new wrinkle could very well change the outcome of Thursday night’s matchup against the Minnesota Twins.

The Phillies will meet the Twins at the Field of Dreams site in Dyersville, Iowa, in a game that combines postseason implications with some pageantry and extra travel to one of baseball’s most recognizable settings.

Major League Baseball has hosted the event before, but this year’s game will also be played under a different set of rules, as the automated ball-strike (ABS) challenge system that the Phillies have been using this season won’t be in place.

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The third edition of the MLB at Field of Dreams Game, presented by John Deere, is scheduled for Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET and will stream exclusively on Netflix. The Phillies are the visiting team and both teams are granted an extra position player.

And MLB also informed the team that ABS won’t be functional at the unique venue.

“The two teams will not be able to challenge ball-and-strike calls because the league’s Automated Ball-Strike technology is not installed for the Field of Dreams Game in Dyersville, Iowa,” Matt Gelb reported for The Athletic.

Though the game won’t be played with the same rules as the rest of the season, the Phillies might not be hurt as badly as the Twins with that change.

“I think no ABS for a night in Iowa might not matter, because the Phillies have refused to use the system like other teams,” Gelb added. “They entered Sunday with the fewest challenges from their catchers (96) in the majors. And they have the second-best overturn rate on challenges by their catchers.”

Still, any necessary change in strategy will inform the Phillies approach to the game, particularly with playoff positioning on the line.

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In addition to the ABS change, MLB has confirmed that the event is also expected to bring together a remarkable collection of baseball legends.

“It’s believed that this will be the largest gathering of living Hall of Famers at one game since the 2008 All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, where 49 Hall of Famers convened during the legendary ballpark’s final season,” according to MLB.com.

The Phillies also have practical considerations surrounding the unusual road trip. They are scheduled to travel from St. Louis to Dubuque, Iowa, on Thursday morning before making the short drive to Dyersville. Rather than staying overnight in Iowa, Philadelphia is scheduled to fly to Minneapolis after the game.

Ultimately, the Field of Dreams matchup is designed to celebrate baseball’s history. But for the Phillies, it could also become an important late-season game played under rules that make it unlike almost any other contest on their schedule.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com