Masyn Winn Collected His First Major League Hit Before Pete Alonso Threw The Ball Into The Crowd

This shit was funny. I can honestly say I've never seen this before. It's been a tumultuous season for both the Mets and Cardinals. The Mets are very accustomed to having tumultuous seasons. The Cardinals are very much not. This is the first time that I can remember in which the Cardinals were actually bad. It's been bizarre to see. At the same time, they just called up their top prospect Masyn Winn. 

The Cardinals have historically done an excellent job of developing players, so I'm sure there was an expectation that a young guy would get called up and provide something of a spark during what's been a miserable season. He collected his first Major League hit in his second at-bat against the Mets. It was a weakly hit infield single, but it's still a magic moment nonetheless. It will go into the scorebook as a base hit. That's all that matters. I've seen hundreds of hitters collect their first hit in my lifetime, but I have never seen an instance where an opposing player chucked the ball into the seats. 

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Having the courtesy to toss the ball into the dugout so the hitter can collect it later as a keepsake is one of the more popular unwritten rules of baseball. As I said, in my lifetime, I can't recall a single instance in which that didn't happen. It's a commonplace. And it's good sportsmanship. This is the moment that this kid will remember for the rest of his life. He should have the ball to celebrate. Pete Alonso does not feel that way.

Honestly, I kind of respect this move by Alonso. That's competitive spirit. Is he being kind of an asshole? Absolutely, but there's a fine line between the two. It was a weakly hit ball. Pete Alonso had to dive just to save it from going into foul territory. It's been a brutal season, and he's had enough of this shit. He's done with the Mets being the team that everyone celebrates against. He took his frustrations out on Masyn Winn's first career hit.

I know how this works, by the way. After the game, I'm sure Alonso will either apologize or say that he had no idea it was Winn's first career hit. I don't believe that. These players always know. They're always aware of who is at the dish. He was frustrated. I'm not going to act like it's a good look, but for the sake of entertainment, I find it very funny. 

For what it's worth, I'm sure that this will have a happy ending. The St. Louis Cardinals are renowned for being supposedly the nicest fans in baseball. Somebody will return the ball to Masyn Winn, they'll get some free tickets and some memorabilia, and everyone will go on happily with their lives. Everything will work out the way that it is supposed to, but this is a hilarious moment.