'Field of Dreams' star Kevin Costner honors Ray Liotta: 'He gets to live forever in our hearts'

Before the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds played in the MLB's Field of Dreams game Thursday, FOX and the MLB aired a tribute video of actor Ray Liotta, voiced by co-star Kevin Costner.

Liotta starred as Shoeless Joe Jackson in the 1989 film before his death in May. Costner, who had a number of scenes with Liotta acting as the character Ray Kinsella, made sure to highlight just how much the late actor meant to him.

"'Field of Dreams' is about belief and those rare moments where magic becomes real," Costner said. "And it doesn't work unless Shoeless Joe is worth the wait, unless he's special. And Ray Liotta was special."

One scene stood out in particular to Costner from their time on the "Field of Dreams" set.

"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. 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."

Liotta died at age 67. Aside from playing Jackson, a member of the 1919 Chicago White Sox team, in "Field of Dreams," Liotta also appeared in "Goodfellas" in 1990.

More: Fergie Jenkins throws out Field of Dreams game's first pitch to Johnny Bench

Kevin Costner will not attend the 2022 Field of Dreams MLB game

Frank Thomas, one of the owners of the "Field of Dreams" movie site, said Wednesday that Costner won't be in Dyersville for Thursday's game between the Cubs and Reds. Thomas added that he'd hopes to have Costner back for the next game.

Costner played Ray Kinsella in the 1989 hit film. And at last year's Field of Dreams game, he put on an entrance for the ages. Costner walked out of the cornfield shortly before the game started and shared a few words with the crowd.

"It's perfect," Costner said last year before the game. "We've kept our promise, Major League Baseball has kept its promise. The dream is still alive. There's probably just one question to answer: Is this heaven? Yes, it is."

More: 'The dream is still alive': Field of Dreams actor Kevin Costner emerges from cornfield before Yankees-White Sox game

Read more about the Field of Dreams game

• Actor Dwier Brown still inspiring decades after his brief but big role in 'Field of Dreams'

• MLB won't return to Field of Dreams in 2023 due to construction, owner Frank Thomas says

• How the 1919 World Series fix might not have happened if Iowan Red Faber wasn't injured

• Inside the numbers that it takes to create Field of Dreams game in Dyersville, Iowa

• Dyersville basks in attention of Field of Dreams game, but small-town baseball fever is year-round

Adam Hensley is a digital producer with the USA Today Network. You can follow him on Twitter @A_Hens83 or reach him at ahensley@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Ray Liotta honored by Kevin Costner, MLB before Field of Dreams game