St. Louis Veterans Fool Rookie in Epic MLB Fine Hoax
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Andre Pallante revealed a hilarious 2022 prank on the Cardinal Territory podcast with Katie Woo, recounting how teammates, led by Adam Wainwright and Nolan Arenado, tricked him into believing he owed a $5,000 MLB fine after a benches-clearing incident with the New York Mets. The story, shared on June 13, 2025, has fans buzzing on X with #CardinalsPrank trending.
During a heated 2022 clash sparked by Arenado, rookie Pallante joined his teammates on the field. The next day, he found a fake MLB notice: “I show up the next day,” Pallante said. “And I’ve got this notice from the MLB like ‘hey, you’ve been fined $5,000 for running out onto the field.’ Like, holy crap, I haven’t even received my first paycheck yet. I can’t pay this right now.”
Panicked, Pallante consulted the clubhouse manager, who played along: “Yeah, they deliver it, they sent it to us today, like, you know, it’s what you got.” Harrison Bader then upped the ante, urging Pallante to ask Arenado to cover the fine: “Hey, ask ‘Nado to pay for it, because he’s the one that started the brawl and you just got his back.”
Initially hesitant, saying, “I guess I’ll just wear it,” Pallante relented after Bader’s nudge post-Arenado’s walk-off. When he approached Arenado, the prank unraveled: “Arenado’s like ‘Nah, that’s on you,’” Pallante recalled. “And they tell me that it was just a prank, and that Waino had them print it out and put it on my chair before I showed up that day.”
The entire clubhouse, from Wainwright to the manager, duped Pallante, who admitted, “They’ll stop at no lengths to get me for sure.” The tale of the fake $5,000 fine has gone viral, showcasing Cardinals camaraderie. Will Pallante plot revenge? Follow the fun on X for more MLB hijinks!