ST. LOUIS – Paul Goldschmidt silenced any doubts about his injured knee Sunday afternoon with a vintage performance against his former team.
The Yankees first baseman collected three hits, including two doubles, to power New York to an 8-4 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. The win completed a three-game sweep for the Yankees.
“I really wasn’t worried about the knee,” said Goldschmidt. “There’s this weird, like subconscious, when you’ve kind of hurt something or your body maybe wants to test it out a little bit. But I’d hit fine [in the cage], I’d done defense. But yeah, to get out there and play nine, it was good.”
Paul Goldschmidt was making his first start since spraining his right knee last Tuesday. Yankees manager Aaron Boone had been reluctant to use him even as a defensive replacement Friday, initially fearing the injury would require an injured list stint.
“Obviously for us to get the win, for me to get a couple hits, it was good,” Goldschmidt said. “I tried not to, but definitely it was a little bit in the back of my mind. But you just go play. I knew there was no extra added risk to playing.”
Emotional return to St. Louis produces immediate results
The 37-year-old veteran received a standing ovation from Cardinals fans before his first at-bat. Goldschmidt spent six seasons with St. Louis from 2019-2024, winning the National League MVP award in 2022.
He tipped his helmet in appreciation before delivering a performance that reminded everyone why he earned that recognition.
“That’s classic Goldie right there,” Boone said. “He flashed it today.”
Goldschmidt’s fourth-inning double sparked a three-run rally that gave the Yankees an early 3-0 lead. His line drive registered a 110.8 mph exit velocity and missed clearing the fence by inches.
The double was the first of four consecutive hits for the Yankees in the inning. Jasson Dominguez, Ryan McMahon and Jose Caballero followed with run-scoring singles against Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas.
Yankees capitalize on late-inning mistakes
The Cardinals battled back to tie the game 4-4, but New York broke through with four runs in the ninth inning. The rally was aided by two errors from Cardinals second baseman Thomas Saggese.
Jose Caballero led off the ninth with a high chopper that Saggese threw wildly to first base. The speedy Caballero advanced to second on the error and reached third on a passed ball.
After walks to Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge loaded the bases, Cody Bellinger grounded to second base. Saggese couldn’t handle the ball cleanly, allowing two runs to score and giving the Yankees a 6-4 lead.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. added a run-scoring forceout before Goldschmidt capped the rally with his second double of the game, driving in the final run for an 8-4 advantage.
Bellinger provides clutch hitting throughout contest
Cody Bellinger proved instrumental in the Yankees’ victory, driving in three runs on the afternoon. The veteran outfielder tied the game 4-4 in the seventh inning with a sacrifice fly after Trent Grisham led off with a walk and advanced to third base.
Bellinger’s biggest contribution came in the decisive ninth inning when his ground ball to second base resulted in two runs scoring due to Saggese’s error. The contact hitter’s ability to put the ball in play created the opportunity that broke the game open for New York.
Caballero’s speed creates havoc on basepaths
Jose Caballero delivered exactly what the Yankees envisioned when they acquired him from Tampa Bay before the trade deadline. The speedy utility player finished the series 5-for-11 with four stolen bases and four runs scored.
“I’m trying to make [opponents] hate me,” Caballero said. “I don’t want them to like me. I’m just trying to mess with them. I don’t want them to have the full attention on what they’re doing. I’d rather them have a little more attention on me.”
Caballero’s ninth-inning at-bat exemplified his disruptive presence. His high chopper to second base forced Saggese to rush his throw, leading to the error that sparked the game-winning rally. The veteran then moved to third base on a passed ball, setting up the Yankees’ decisive four-run outburst.
Series sweep extends Yankees’ recent success
The victory marked the Yankees’ first regular-season sweep of the Cardinals at Busch Stadium in franchise history. New York has won five of its last six games and six of its last eight.
The Yankees (67-57) now lead Cleveland by 3.5 games for the final American League wild-card spot. They pulled within a half-game of the Red Sox and Mariners, who are tied for the first wild-card position.
“I hope so,” Goldschmidt said when asked if the team’s recent success could spark a prolonged run. “These last five or six weeks will tell. Obviously, this was a good week for us to win five out of six games, but there’s a lot of tough opponents coming up.”
Goldschmidt’s health no longer a concern
The first baseman admitted there were mental hurdles to overcome in his return from injury.
“I really wasn’t worried about the knee,” he said. “But there’s this weird subconscious when you had hurt something or your body maybe wants to test it out a little bit. I’d hit fine, I’d done defense, but to get out there and play nine, it was good.”
Goldschmidt finished 3-for-5 with two doubles, a single and one RBI. His performance eased concerns about how the knee injury might affect his production during the Yankees’ playoff push.
Luke Weaver (3-3) earned the win for New York, pitching 1.2 scoreless innings in relief. Will Warren started for the Yankees and allowed three runs (one earned) over 4.2 innings.
The Yankees will enjoy an off-day Monday before beginning a two-game series against Tampa Bay at George M. Steinbrenner Field. The series will be played at the Yankees’ spring training facility, which the Rays are using as their temporary home after Hurricane Milton damaged Tropicana Field.
“We’re not a finished product yet,” Boone said. “We know we’re capable of a lot, but we’ve got a ways to go.”
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