Kevin Costner shared a poignant tribute about Ray Liotta from “Field of Dreams,” posting a clip from the movie between his character Ray Kinsella and Liotta’s Shoeless Joe Jackson. He tweeted: “Devastated to hear the news of Ray Liotta’s passing. 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.” The batting practice scene between Shoeless Joe Jackson and Ray Kinsella was one of the highlights of the 1989 baseball epic, and Costner’s reveal that his stunt was real is a special tribute to his friend.
For those who might not know, the “Yellowstone” star has been a lifelong baseball fan, and aspired to play in college. “The only thing I really loved was baseball, and I was at the end of the road athletically,” he said in 2016 while attending an event at his alma mater, Cal State Fullerton, the Daily Titan reported. Unlike Costner, Liotta had zero baseball experience and worked with USC baseball coach Rod Dedeaux to prepare for “Field of Dreams.” Liotta said he tried to hit left like Shoeless Joe so he could be “historically accurate” but couldn’t make it work, returning to hitting right, according to the New York Post. But fans won’t ever forget Liotta’s Shoeless Joe says one of the film’s best lines: “If you build it, he will come.” Chills.
