New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso nearly cost St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn the chance to own an important piece of his MLB career. After Winn beat out an infield hit for his first-ever hit in the big leagues, Pete Alonso tossed the baseball into the stands. The Mets' slugger didn't realize that he was throwing away a prized memento and immediately regretted his mistake.

“I was like, ‘Oh, God,'” Alonso told reporters after the Mets beat the Cardinals 7-1, via ESPN. “That was a huge mistake. Not a fun one to make. I feel awful about it.”

Fortunately for Alonso and Winn, the mistake was rectified in short order. The Cardinals were able to get the baseball from the fan who picked up Alonso's throw.

“He apologized on first (base), and when he got to second later, he apologized as well,” Winn said. “Complete accident. I thought it was quite funny. Especially after we got the ball back, I thought it was a little more funny.”

The 2023 season has been a miserable one for both the Mets and Cardinals. The Mets blew up much of the most expensive roster in MLB history and are long out of the playoff race. St. Louis also admitted defeat at the trade deadline. Alonso and Winn are two of the few bright spots on their respective teams.

Winn was the top prospect in the Cardinals' farm system. The middle infielder hit .288/.359/.474 with 18 home runs and 17 stolen bases in 105 games at Triple-A Memphis.

Alonso has 37 home runs and 91 RBI for the Mets.