When Paul Goldschmidt stepped to the plate in the bottom of the 10th inning on Friday night at Busch Stadium, one goal sat on his mind. The Cardinals starting first baseman looked to do what he could to help his team in an extra-innings affair against the Nationals.
The possibility of reaching a career milestone in the process was something he said he didn’t think much about.
With his team down by four runs, Goldschmidt sent a fastball from Washington closer Kyle Finnegan over the left field wall for a two-run home run that gave St. Louis its last runs in a 10-8 loss and gave the 36-year-old the 2,000th hit for his career.
“It’s something I never thought I would accomplish,†Goldschmidt said on Friday night of reaching the milestone. “It was pretty cool. I had no idea how many hits I had or that I was that close. It’s not something that I was tracking. This game is very hard. It kind of stinks that it came off of a loss in extra innings there. I just told myself just try to get on base and, fortunately, I was able to do it.â€
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The 2,000th hit gives Goldschmidt another milestone for a career that has included a National League MVP, seven All-Star appearances, five Silver Sluggers, and four Gold Gloves.
Goldschmidt became the fifth active player to reach 2,000 hits for their career, joining Los Angeles’ Freddie Freeman, Houston’s Jose Altuve, Toronto’s Joey Votto, and Pittsburgh’s Andrew McCutchen. Goldschmidt also became the 18th player to reach that milestone while wearing a Cardinals uniform. The last to do so was Cardinals great Yadier Molina during the 2020 season.
“Consistency,†Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said on Saturday of what Goldschmidt’s 2,000th hit embodies. “I think that’s one of the best ways to be described in this game is consistent regardless of situation. You look at Lance (Lynn) being able to punch out 2,000, Goldy being able to get 2,000 hits — that means you’ve gone through a lot of ups, a lot of downs, and you’ve been resilient enough to play the game long enough to reach that milestone. … I wish we would have won because then he would have been able to enjoy it because he’s going to place the win above the 2,000 hits.
“That’s just who he is.â€
The milestone baseball was caught by Jack, an 11-year-old from Linn Creek, Missouri, who Goldschmidt met with after Friday’s game and presented an autographed bat in exchange for the ball. Goldschmidt said he does not have a designated place where the mementos from his career are displayed but noted that each one is saved and will be “cool†to reflect on once his playing days are over.
Through his 14th season in the majors, the former NL MVP winner is batting .229 with a .670 OPS, 15 home runs, and 40 RBIs in 99 games. The multi-time All-Star described the feeling of reaching 2,000 hits as one that can be difficult to enjoy because of the quick turnaround for games during the regular season, which he is hopeful to turn around.
“You’ve got to play every day,†Goldschmidt said of the difficulties in reaching 2,000 hits. “There’s a lot of luck involved with that, for sure. And (you) just try to be consistent. We’ve talked. This hasn’t been my best year — probably been my worst year in the big leagues performance-wise. Hopefully, I can change that going forward. That’s the goal.â€
Edman continues rehab as deadline nears
Tommy Edman (right wrist surgery) started at designated hitter for Class AA Springfield on Saturday after a scheduled off day on Friday.
With Tuesday’s trade deadline looming, multiple teams have expressed interest in Edman and one team had a scout present at Hammons Field in Springfield, Missouri, on Saturday, a source told the Post-Dispatch’s Derrick Goold. As teams have shown interest in the utilityman and former Gold Glove Award winner, his timeline to play in a big-league game after being sidelined all year has been part of the equation.
Saturday’s rehab appearance was Edman’s seventh since beginning his assignment on July 9. He has yet to play the field during his rehab and did not play in any games during spring training after he underwent offseason surgery on his right wrist.
Extra bases
The Cardinals are open to hearing offers from teams interested in switch-hitting outfielder Dylan Carlson ahead of Major League Baseball’s trade deadline, Goold also reported. In 58 games this season as an outfield bench option, the 25-year-old Carlson has batted .200 with a .519 OPS.
Steven Matz (lower back strain) was set to simulate two innings of work in a bullpen session before Saturday’s game. Marmol said the Cardinals would reevaluate Matz after the session to see how he responds and to determine if the lefty could move forward in his rehab process by throwing to hitters next week.
Riley O’Brien (right forearm flexor strain) threw a scoreless inning of relief for Class AAA Memphis on Friday. The right-hander needed 15 pitches to get through the inning and flashed 96.2 mph with his sinker. O’Brien was said to have come out of the rehab appearance well. O’Brien’s next rehab steps were not available on Saturday.
Zack Thompson started for Class AAA Memphis on Saturday. Thompson, who was activated from the injured list on Friday, had not pitched in a game since June 28. The left-hander had been on the minor league IL with back spasms, Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak at the time of Thompson’s IL placement.