An MLB rookie’s first career goal is one of the most important moments in his life, turning the ball into a lifelong memory in the blink of an eye. St. Louis Cardinals rookie Masyn Winn nearly lost his.
Winn, a 21-year-old center fielder, made his MLB debut against the New York Mets on Friday. In the fifth inning, he hit a high chopper to third base and used his speed to beat the throw for an infield hit. Mets first baseman Pete Alonso laid out to catch the ball, then was expected to throw the ball to the Cardinals’ dugout to salvage the souvenir.
Instead, Alonso threw it high and deep in the Busch Stadium stands:
It’s safe to say the Cardinals crowd wasn’t happy, and neither were the Cardinals themselves. Katie Woo from the Athletics Noted starting pitcher Miles Mikolas was so enraged that first base umpire John Tumpane had to tell him to calm down, as the crowd chanted “Give it back.”
Fortunately for everyone involved, the ball was found and returned to the Cardinals, securing the all-important memento for Winn.
Alonso instantly became a social media villain, but his effusive apologies and explanations after the game, a 7-1 Mets win, indicated the throw was an innocent mistake. Alonso, never one to hide his emotions, admitted his mistake, calling it a “really bad brain fart” and promising to win something on Saturday to make up for it.
The full explanation, via SNY:
“I feel terrible. I feel terrible. I know it sounds stupid but it’s just a bad brain fart. I know throwing the ball in the stands robs him of a very special moment. I feel really bad when I think about my first goal.” and just get the ball thrown back to the dugout. I feel horrible. I feel like a piece of shit.
“In the heat of the game, you just get lost. I got up after trying to make a play, the umpire said, ‘Hey, we’re going to try and knock this ball out,’ so I’m like, ‘OK, I’m going do what I always do.’ I always throw the ball in the stands, but I will never throw the ball in the stands again. I’m just going to roll every ball to the dugout when they go to switch it.
“That’s a really big mistake and it’s completely unintentional. I feel terrible about it. I feel really bad. I apologized to him when I was second after the forced dropout. I’m really sorry and I’m going to try talk to him.” him and give him something for tomorrow as an apology. It’s stupid, it looks really bad and it makes me feel like an idiot. I feel horrible. I feel really bad. ‘
The Cardinals clearly accepted Alonso’s apology says manager Oli Marmol some players had spoken to Alonso after reaching first base and understood what was happening. Winn himself laughed the whole thing off, via Bally Sports Midwest:
“He apologized first, and when he came second later, he also apologized. Complete accident. I thought it was quite funny, especially after we got the ball back, I thought it was a bit funnier.”
Winn said he would give the ball to his mother. Ranked the No. 32 prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline, Winn started at shortstop and went 1-for-4 while batting ninth. Alonso went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
