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Willson Contreras Mistakenly Throwing Special Ball Into Stands Led to Trade With Fan

Tim Capurso|
St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras hands a bat to a fan during the club's 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday at PNC Park.
St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras hands a bat to a fan during the club's 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday at PNC Park. | Screengrab Twitter @MLB

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St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Lance Lynn became the 89th pitcher in MLB history—and the sixth active pitcher—to reach the 2,000-strikeout milestone during Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park, but he almost didn't get the historic baseball back.

Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras, after Lynn struck out Pirates infielder Jared Triolo to end the fourth inning, accidentally tossed the milestone ball to a Pirates fan in the stands.

It was at that moment that Contreras, undoubtedly feeling badly about his mistake, turned into a negotiator, as he bartered with the fan to secure the baseball.

In a funny exchange, the Pirates fan, with a little help from another spectator, tossed the ball back over the netting and into the Cardinals's dugout, then watched as Contreras slid a bat back under the netting to him as a return in the trade.

Contreras's damage control made for a lighthearted moment, one that was not lost on Pirates fans, during the contest. St. Louis and Pittsburgh will play the rubber game of the three-game series on Wednesday afternoon at 12:35 p.m. ET.

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer for Sports Illustrated, primarily covering MLB, college football and college basketball. Before joining SI in November 2023, Capurso worked at RotoBaller and ClutchPoints and is a graduate of Assumption University. When he's not working, he can be found at the gym, reading a book or enjoying a good hike. A resident of New York, Capurso openly wonders if the Giants will ever be a winning football team again.

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