On July 24, 2026, Citi Field hosted two events at once: a Mets-Dodgers game on the diamond and a Hollywood rom-com shooting in the dugout. Emma Stone was on site filming scenes for ‘The Catch’ — her upcoming movie due in theaters on May 21, 2027 — and Juan Soto, the man holding the largest contract in baseball history at $765 million over 15 years, spent part of his afternoon as an actor.
What Is ‘The Catch’ and Why Citi Field?
The premise is simple and fun: a fan interferes with a ball at the wall during a World Series game, accidentally catches a home run that costs her team the championship, and spends the rest of the story carrying the guilt and the unwanted fame. Stone’s character is, quite literally, the most hated woman in baseball. If that sounds familiar, the Steve Bartman inspiration isn’t exactly hidden.
The film is directed by Dave McCary — Stone’s husband — and produced by Universal Pictures. The cast includes Chris Pine as the male lead, with Tim Robbins and Sissy Spacek in supporting roles. Robbins, notably, also starred in Bull Durham, one of the film’s declared reference points alongside Notting Hill. Production has been shooting at Citi Field and other New York locations since June 2026.
One detail that set off social media: both the Mets and Dodgers wore their primary jerseys instead of their usual alternates — a requirement from the production. For fans already tracking every twist of the team’s season, it was instant meme fuel.
Soto Gets His Scene, Then Exits Early
Soto’s cameo was brief — he stepped out of the dugout for a pre-game scene — but it was enough to put the most expensive player in MLB history on the same credits list as two Oscar winners.
What followed was considerably less glamorous. Soto left the game in the sixth inning with a recurrence of his left calf injury, and the Mets dropped the game to the Dodgers 4-2. Fans online were quick with the take: ‘Every Mets game is a horror movie; at least this one had a Hollywood cast.’
The irony lands harder with the numbers behind it. Soto finished the 2025 season hitting .263/.396/.525 with an OPS of .921, 43 home runs, and a league-leading 127 walks — MVP-caliber production by any measure. The Mets still missed the playoffs. The issue was never Soto; it was everything around him.
Why This Crossover Matters Beyond the Novelty
That Emma Stone chose Citi Field over Fenway or Wrigley says something real about where the Mets sit in the broader culture right now. They generate more media attention outside of baseball than almost any other team — for better and for worse. They have the sport’s highest-paid player, now also a credited actor. They have a Hollywood production on their home field. And they have a fanbase that processes every loss with dark humor and genuinely good memes.
Soto’s $765 million deal remains the largest in MLB history. His cameo in ‘The Catch’ is a fun footnote; his spot in the lineup is something else entirely. When the movie opens on May 21, 2027, he’ll be in just the second year of that contract. If the Mets still haven’t won anything by then, the punchline will write itself.
