The news of Robert Redford’s passing took the world by surprise this week, with countless outpourings of grief and tributes to his career. Considering that the iconic actor and director also shined in sports films, it was only a matter of time before his work was celebrated in this field too.
It was the New York Mets who took a moment Wednesday to pay tribute to Redford. It happened during the first inning, when Brett Baty homered off Michael King of the San Diego Padres, making it 5-0.
As the ball cleared the wall, the lights at Citi Field began to flicker, while the television broadcast digitally added sparks falling onto the field. It was a touching nod to the iconic scene from the film “The Natural,” in which Ray Hobbs, played by Redford, hits a home run that hits a light fixture, causing a chain of sparks around the stadium that fall as he triumphantly rounds the bases.
Later, John DeMarsico, the New York Mets’ SNY broadcaster, posted a tribute to Redford on his X account, accompanied by a video montage of Baty and Hobbs’ home runs simultaneously.
The Mets added two more runs in the second inning and one more in the fourth to win the game 8-3. The Padres’ runs came in spurts: one in the second, one in the third, and the last in the eighth.
Although Redford’s only foray into baseball cinema was “The Natural,” it’s a cult favorite for fans of the sport. Rotten Tomatoes ranks it 14th among all-time best films of its kind, while IMDb places it as the sixth best baseball movie on its list of best sports films.
Redford had other relevant roles in sports films, both as an actor and director. The first group includes “Downhill Racer” (ski) and “The Electric Horseman” (rodeo), while the second includes “The Legend of Bagger Vance” (golf).
Beyond his film work, Redford was deeply passionate about sports, particularly baseball and golf. A devoted supporter of the Boston Red Sox, he often spoke about his admiration for Ted Williams, his childhood hero. Redford paid tribute to Williams by wearing his iconic No. 9 while portraying Hobbs in “The Natural.”