ST. LOUIS — With just one batting Monday night, Paul Goldschmidt accomplished two feats that could be difficult for the average MLB hitter.
Tenth inning, tied 3-3, bases loaded, two out. The stakes were pretty close to a scenario a kid might work out when playing baseball in the backyard, and Goldschmidt delivered. He set off the fireworks at Busch Stadium with a grand slamcarrying the St. Louis Cardinals to a 7-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
The grand slam also extended Paul Goldschmidt’s active hitting streak to 15 games, a timely burst after being held without a hit on his first four at-bats of the game. Goldschmidt’s longest hitting streak is 26 games, which he reached with the Arizona Diamondbacks between the 2013-14 seasons.
In more ways than one, Goldschmidt’s grand slam turned out to be historic. With the Boston Red Sox hosting a grand slam on Sunday, it was the first time MLB had grand slams on consecutive days since 2018, according to ESPN.
Coincidentally, before Monday, the Cardinals’ last Grand Slam was also against the Blue Jays. Former Goldschmidt teammate Matt Carpenter delivered a grand slam during a weekday matinee on April 27, 2017.
According to Baseball Almanac, prior to the 2022 season, there were more than 200 instances of a player hitting a grand slam since 1876. Dozens have occurred with their teams tied in the ninth inning or extra innings, including blowouts by Goldschmidt and Carpenter. Only a small handful, 30 in total, are considered ultimate grand slams, when a player lands a winning, base-loaded outburst while their team is behind in scoring.
The grand slam is part of one of Goldschmidt’s strongest months since joining the Cardinals in 2019. During his 15-game hitting streak, he had 28 hits, 12 doubles, 5 home runs and 22 RBIs. According to Perform statisticsa sports data and analytics company, he is the only player to achieve all of these marks during a 15-game hitting streak.
Add to the potential of the Gold Glove defense, Goldschmidt could quietly build a debut record to consider MVP. Goldschmidt and the Cardinals wrap up a two-game series with the Blue Jays on Tuesday.
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