JUPITER, Fla. (KMOX) - Paul Goldschmidt has already seen a home opener in St. Louis. He's witnessed the Clydesdales and the Ford vehicles going around the Busch Stadium track, carrying Hall of Famers and current Cardinals, all with the adoring red-clad fans thundering their approval.
"With the Diamondbacks, we were actually there for it last year," Goldschmidt told me at his locker in the Cardinals clubhouse. "That was kind of cool to get to see that as a visitor."
Imagine that.
Little did Goldschmidt know, he would soon be the one wearing the Birds on the Bat. A year later, he'd be the recipient of one of the biggest welcomes at Busch Stadium in years, joining one of the best traditions in baseball.
"I just know the whole town is excited," Goldschmidt said. "And it's going to be really special to be part of that."
The Cardinals traded for Goldschmidt on December 5, acquiring the six-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger and three-time Gold Glover to join their infield at first base and anchor the middle of their order. Not since Albert Pujols has a player dominated NL Central pitching like Goldschmidt, who owns a career .979 OPS against the division, ranking 12th all-time in Major League history and trailing only Pujols (1.037) among active players.
Goldschmidt is a career .323 hitter at NL Central parks, including a .337 batting average at Wrigley Field and .420 at Miller Park.
But this is about Busch Stadium (.302, by the way) - where Goldschmidt will make his first appearance as a Cardinal on April 4 against the Padres. Waiting for him will be the first stage of his recruitment, with approximately 45,000 fans rolling out the "red" carpet in St. Louis.
"It's a really special place," Goldschmidt told me. "And there's a ton of history here. A ton of World Championships (11). A ton of Hall of Famers. Excited to learn about it, and know there's a tradition of winning and playing the game hard. That's what the fans expect and that's what we expect out of ourselves. So we'll go out there and try to play well ... and do something special this year."
Hear the entire interview here:
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