It's a Winn win, but Pete Alonso upset about throwing ball from Cardinal's first hit into stands
Mets' Pete Alonso hits a two-run home run against the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023, in St. Louis. Credit: AP/Jeff Roberson
ST. LOUIS — Pete Alonso repeatedly apologized Friday night for absent-mindedly throwing the ball from Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn’s first MLB hit into the stands at Busch Stadium, calling it “a complete bonehead move” that made him “feel like an idiot.”
“I feel horrible. I feel awful. I didn’t mean to — I know it sounds stupid, but it’s just a bad [brain cramp],’’ Alonso said after the Mets’ 7-1 win. “I feel awful. I feel like a piece of crap. In the heat of the moment, you kind of just get lost. I got up from trying to make a play, the umpire said we’re going to switch this ball out. OK, I’m going to do what I always do, I always throw the ball in the stands.”
Winn, 21, the Cardinals’ top prospect making his major-league debut, wound up with the ball anyway after team officials retrieved it from the fan who caught it. He said he gave her an autographed baseball in return.
When Winn beat out a weak grounder toward third base for a single in the bottom of the fifth, Alonso made a diving stop of a potentially wild throw from Jonathan Arauz. When the play was over, he tossed it over the netting and into the stands, not into the St. Louis dugout for souvenir safekeeping.
Then a couple of Cardinals yelled to ask: What was that? Fans began to boo, as they did each time Alonso stepped to the plate for the rest of the night.
Alonso apologized to Winn as they stood at first base and later when Alonso wound up near second. He said he wants to talk to Winn again and “get him something for tomorrow as an apology.”
“Complete accident,” Winn said. “I thought it was quite funny. Especially after we got the ball back, I thought it was even more funny.”
Alonso said: “I’m happy he’s got the ball, but I feel like an idiot . . . I’ll never throw the ball in the stands again. I’m just going to roll every ball to the dugout when they’re going to switch it out.”
Lucchesi does good job, but will he stay?
Joey Lucchesi pitched well enough Friday night to help the Mets beat the Cardinals. But did he pitch well enough to stick around in the majors?
Lucchesi tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings in his first start since May 13, holding St. Louis to four hits and two walks. He struck out five.
Lifted at 84 pitches, Lucchesi was working on a limited pitch count because this was his first outing after spending the previous month on the minor-league injured list with left knee tendinitis.
Before the game, Lucchesi was not guaranteed to stay for more than the day. Manager Buck Showalter indicated the Mets probably would make a move to add an extra reliever before Saturday’s game. That would require subtracting a starter.
The Mets got to Zack Thompson for two runs in five innings. Brandon Nimmo led off the game with his 18th home run, setting a career high. Jeff McNeil’s three-run homer in the seventh highlighted a five-run rally that blew the game open.
Extra bases
The Mets sent righthander Grant Hartwig down to Triple-A Syracuse to make roster room for Lucchesi. Hartwig had a 4.74 ERA in 19 appearances (24 2/3 innings). “It’s always good for a young pitcher to take a blow here and there,” Showalter said. “But he certainly has presented himself pretty well.”
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
