Solid Gold

Paul Goldschmidt's second game with the Cardinals was a night for the history books. St. Louis' major off-season acquisition grabbed the headlines by homering his first three times up against the Brewers; Milwaukee manager Craig Counsel apparently had a white flag moment by walking "Goldy" in his final at-bat.
In the 150 years of MLB history, this was the first time ever a player hit three home runs within his first two games for a team. Talk about charting new territory -- Babe Ruth didn't do that when he arrived with the Yankees, nor did Frank Robinson after being sent to Baltimore.
While one or two games are hardly the measure of long-term value, you won't hear too many gripes this morning about Goldschmidt's recently signed five-year $130 million extension. Come to think of it, Goldy was in a home-run trot when I captured the above image of him in the March 22nd Grapefruit League game against the Mets.
And below, a good look at the Goldschmidt swing.

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