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

Tim Capurso | Jul 24, 2024

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

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.

To get Lance Lynn's 2,000th strikeout ball back, Willson Contreras went to work. 😂 pic.twitter.com/osnhtfd0x1

— MLB (@MLB) July 24, 2024

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.