By admin 
To ring in the new year, the New York Yankees hosted an introductory media session with their new first baseman, Paul Goldschmidt.
Despite a mediocre season in 2024, the 37-year-old Goldschmidt is just two seasons removed from a brilliant NL MVP season with the St. Louis Cardinals and has been a consistently strong hitter throughout his career; he brings a .289/.381/.510 lifetime slash line to the Bronx Bombers. The Yankees also acquired the veteran first baseman in Goldschmidt for a modest price even turning down bigger contract offers from other teams to put on the pinstripes.
There’s a reason for that: Goldschmidt likes playing in New York.
“I love it. I’ve always loved it,” Goldschmidt told the media. “All those big matches are something I’ve loved; those are my best memories. Just to feel the energy pouring out of the dugout was really fun. It was something I was excited about, and the energy is high every game. It’s something I’m looking forward to.”
“The energy is always high there.” Why Paul Goldschmidt Says He Can’t Wait to Wear Pinstripes at Yankee Stadium: https://t.co/vPhHpxmB13
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) January 2, 2025
Of course, there were other factors behind Goldschmidt’s decision to sign with the Yankees. He has been teammates with players who spent time in the Bronx and all of them speak highly of the organization. The Yankees are also coming off an American League pennant-winning season; Goldschmidt, who has yet to play in a World Series, should have a great opportunity to reach the Fall Classic with them.
But perhaps the most impressive thing about Goldschmidt’s admiration for the Yankees and their homey atmosphere is that he hasn’t played in the Bronx much. Until this coming season, the 37-year-old played 14 seasons, all in the National League with the Arizona Diamondbacks and St. Louis Cardinals; Due to interleague commitments before 2023, he played just once at Yankee Stadium from 2011 to 2022, a three-game stretch in 2013 while with the D-Backs.
Goldschmidt finally got another chance to play for the Bronx faithful more than eleven years later, when the Cardinals came to town from August 30 to September 1, 2024. Building on a resurgent second half of the season, the veteran collected seven hits (four for extra bases) in 13 at-bats over those three games; if you include his previous three games at Yankee Stadium more than a decade earlier, Goldschmidt is 12-for-26 in the Bronx.
Now the 37-year-old will play 81 games in that stadium, in front of a passionate fanbase and amid a vibrant energy.