Yahoo Finance Kevin Costner Says Ray Liotta Will 'Live Forever in Our Hearts' in Field of Dreams Game Tribute
Kevin Costner shared a moving tribute to Ray Liotta as part of the MLB's annual Field of Dreams game Thursday.
During the Fox broadcast, a special moment aired that included Costner, 67, speaking about Liotta's impact and role in their 1989 film Field of Dreams. Liotta, who played Shoeless Joe Jackson in the movie, died in May at the age of 67.
"Field of Dreams is about belief and those rare moments when magic becomes real," the Yellowstone actor said in the tribute. "And it doesn't work unless Shoeless Joe is worth the wait, unless he's special. And Ray Liotta was special."
"When Ray died back in May, I reminisced about how our batting practice moment together was not a stunt. It was real, and it happened as you saw it," Costner narrated over the scene from the movie.
"I said that God gave us that stunt that night, and now God has Ray. And though he may be gone, that's the beauty of a game like baseball and a movie like Field of Dreams: He gets to live forever in our hearts whenever he steps out of that cornfield. He's become eternal. Long live Shoeless Joe, and long live Ray, who helped show us that when dreams come from the heart they really can come true."
RELATED: Martin Scorsese Says He Wishes He 'Had the Chance' to See Ray Liotta 'Just Once More'
Universal/Gordon/Kobal/Shutterstock Ray Liotta and Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams 1989
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In May, Costner wrote on Twitter that he was "devastated to hear the news of Ray Liotta's passing." He added at the time, "While he leaves an incredible legacy, he'll always be 'Shoeless Joe Jackson' in my heart. What happened that moment in the film was real. God gave us that stunt. Now God has Ray."
In 2004, Liotta opened up about learning how to play baseball for Field of Dreams, admitting his character hit lefty while he was a righty.
"That's the beauty of baseball and a movie like 'Field of Dreams.' He gets to live forever in our hearts."
Earlier his year, Ray Liotta sadly passed away at the age of 67. Kevin Costner looks back at his time on set with Liotta and honors the life of his former colleague. pic.twitter.com/HRQ681OgbZ— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) August 11, 2022
"For a month, I was batting left-handed and throwing right-handed," Liotta said in a behind-the-scenes clip, according to the New York Post. "So one day the director came down to see how I was doing and I could see them mumbling and saying stuff and looking over and they said, 'Do you mind? It doesn't matter if it is historically accurate.' So they made me go right-handed and left-handed."
"I regret it because I'm a bug, making sure things are accurate," Liotta added. "There used to be Monday Night Baseball and they were talking about the movie and how wonderful the movie was and some announcer who shall remain nameless said, 'Yeah, but Shoeless Joe was batting the wrong way.' "
Field of Dreams also starred James Earl Jones and Amy Madigan, and it was directed by Phil Alden Robinson.
