Paul Goldschmidt makes history with three homers in second Cardinals' game
It hasn’t taken Paul Goldschmidt long to endear himself to St. Louis Cardinals fans.
The former two-time National League MVP runner up was acquired in a major offseason trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and in just his second Cardinals game he’s already making a huge impact after smashing three home runs in Friday’s 9-5 win against the Milwaukee Brewers.
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Goldschmidt started his barrage with a two-run homer on the 10th pitch of his first-inning at-bat against Brewers starter Freddy Peralta. He added a solo blast against Taylor Williams in the sixth, before capping his hat trick with another two-run homer against Jacob Barnes in the seventh.
In doing so, Goldschmidt made a little history as well.
Paul Goldschmidt has 3 home runs tonight in just his 2nd game in a Cardinals uniform.
He is the first player in Major League history to hit three homers in either their first or second game with a team.
h/t @EliasSports pic.twitter.com/zcIOTbhJoX— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 30, 2019
It’s the second three-homer game in Goldschmidt’s career. He came to bat in the ninth inning with a chance to become only the 19th MLB player to hit four homers in a single game. But by then the Brewers had already seen enough. With first base open, they signaled for an intentional walk.
Goldschmidt settled for a 4-for-5 night with five runs batted in.
Goldschmidt’s change of address was mostly overshadowed by the winter’s long drama surrounding Bryce Harper and Manny Machado’s free agency. He was acquired by St. Louis on Dec. 5 in a trade that sent Carson Kelly, Luke Weaver and Andy Young back to Arizona.
The Cardinals made Goldschmidt a franchise cornerstone last week when they inked him to a $130 million extension. The deal will keep Goldschmidt in St. Louis through the 2024 season.
Given Goldschmidt’s background as a perennial MVP contender, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he makes the biggest impact among players to change uniforms over the winter. It also wouldn’t be a surprise if he gives the rest of the NL Central nightmares for as long as he’s around.
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