Yordan Alvarez has wholesome moment with Mariners fan who caught historic home run

The Houston Astros' loss to the Mariners on Sunday obviously wasn't ideal, but it was highlighted by Yordan Álvarez making a bit of history, as he hit for the cycle while the M's avoided the sweep. Not only does that bode well for Álvarez and Houston at the start of the second half, but it was also a pretty unlikely achievement, given that asking the notoriously slow Alvarez to hit a triple was a fairly big ask.

Fortunately, he did just that, and Astros fans got to celebrate his achievement, as well a series win over a division rival. However, the story did not end there, as a really kind Mariners fan wanted to make sure that Álvarez got the home run ball from his cycle, leading to a moment that reminded everyone why, as Sarah Langs often says, baseball is the best.

Mariners fan rises above Astros rivalry to make sure Yordan Alvarez had cycle keepsake

With a lot of notable home run balls, the story can become pretty gross in a hurry. Notorious ball hawk Zack Hample famously held Alex Rodriguez's 3,000th hit hostage until the Yankees made a six-figure donation to his charity as well as gave him some memorabilia. Ronald Acuña Jr.'s first home run ball was instantly run into the bowels of the stadium before that fan eventually relinquished it in exchange for quite a haul.

In this case, it was the opposite. The Mariners fan who ended up with Álvarez's home run realized after he completed the cycle that the ball would be a great keepsake for him, and immediately reached out over social media to try to get the ball to the 'Stros slugger. No cringe requests for tons of stuff in exchange. She just wanted to make sure he got the ball.

Not long afterwards, the same fan posted that she indeed was able to get the ball to Álvarez, who gave her a signed ball in exchange. It was a heartwarming moment that transcended what is turning out to be quite the division rivalry between the Mariners and Astros. Sure, it is fun to poke fun at the other team's misfortune and a little friendly trash talk is more than welcome, but last night was a reminder that we are all baseball fans and a little kindness goes a long way towards making the game fun for everyone.

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