From Hoax To Home Run: Oscar Mayer Is Bringing 'Wienie Bowl' To Citi Field After AI Fake-Out

Baseball season is back, and so is the ballpark food mayhem that fans can’t stop salivating over. But this year’s most buzzed-about concession stand creation? It wasn’t even real. That is, until Oscar Mayer stepped up to the plate.

The now-viral “Winie Bowl," a jaw-dropping image of 12 hot dogs stacked inside a New York Mets-branded batting helmet, sent shockwaves across social media earlier this season. Priced at a suspiciously affordable $12.99, fans couldn’t believe their eyes. It turns out they were right not to. The photo was AI-generated, crushing MLB fans and hot dog lovers’ hopes everywhere.

But in an unexpected, and frankly delicious, turn of events, Oscar Mayer is making the hoax a hot dog reality.

Just in time for the Mets’ home opener this Friday, April 4, the brand is unveiling the Oscar Mayer Wienie Bowl: a glorious baseball helmet brimming with their signature wieners.

When Oscar Mayer learned the Dog Bowl was nothing more than a digital illusion, it frankly had to happen, the brand expressed in an email sent to The Blast. What goes better with America’s favorite pastime than hot dogs? Especially Oscar Mayer's.

To celebrate the real-life launch of the Wienie Bowl, the iconic Wienermobile is rolling into Queens on Friday. Hotdoggers will be stationed outside Citi Field, handing out free Wienie Bowls to hungry fans heading into the stadium.

Even if you’re not hitting up a Mets game, fans across the country still have a shot at a surprise snack delivery.

Oscar Mayer is inviting everyone to tag @oscarmayer in their stadium hot dog photos. Your post could earn you a special visit this summer from the 27-foot-long hot dog on wheels itself.

So whether you're in it for the game, the glizzies, or both, this is one “AI creation” you’ll actually want to sink your teeth into.

Some of the magic from the Mets’ 2024 campaign resurfaced Wednesday night in Miami, as Pete Alonso delivered a dramatic three-run homer to erase a late deficit and spark a 6-5 extra-inning win over the Marlins at loanDepot park.

New York was four outs away from dropping the series to a struggling Miami team when Alonso stepped to the plate in the eighth inning and launched a game-tying shot to center. The blast reignited a dormant offense and helped the Mets salvage a 3-3 road trip heading back to Citi Field.

Jesse Winker later drew a bases-loaded walk in the 11th to give the Mets the lead, and a fielding miscue by Marlins shortstop Xavier Edwards allowed Mark Vientos to add a crucial insurance run. That proved necessary, as the Marlins scratched across one in the bottom of the inning before Huascar Brazobán shut the door with the tying and winning runs on base.

For much of the night, however, it looked like the Mets were headed toward an uninspiring loss. Through seven innings, the offense had managed just four hits and trailed 4-1. But after Tyrone Taylor grounded out to start the eighth, pinch-hitter Luis Torrens and Francisco Lindor singled to set the stage for Alonso.

Facing Calvin Faucher, Alonso extended the at-bat to nine pitches before crushing a 96-mph fastball to center for his second home run of the series.

Edwin Díaz navigated through a tense bottom of the eighth, with Edwards initially called safe at the plate on a grounder to third. The call was overturned after review, and Torrens ended the frame by gunning down Griffin Conine attempting to steal second.

Holmes labored through his outing, pitching 4 ²/₃ innings and allowing two runs, one unearned, on six hits with six strikeouts and two walks. Defensive miscues, including a misread fly ball by Taylor and an errant throw from Vientos, contributed to the Marlins taking a 2-1 lead in the third.

Miami tacked on two more in the seventh, aided by a balk and another defensive miscue by Vientos, who hesitated on a slow roller and then made a delayed throw to first. That sequence allowed the Marlins to stretch the lead to 4-1.

But with their backs against the wall, the Mets once again found a way, thanks to Alonso’s heroics and a resilient bullpen. The late-game spark had shades of last year’s relentless squad that refused to quit, no matter the score or situation.

With the win, the Mets head home having secured a hard-fought series victory.