香港三级片

SEATTLE 鈥� Paul Goldschmidt is 37 and signed with the Yankees in the winter coming off a bad last season with the Cardinals. He was thinking his role could slightly change this season from being a middle-of-the-lineup slugger who starts 150-plus games.

He鈥檚 a seven-time All-Star who is third among active players in home runs, but he hadn鈥檛 excelled as a pinch-hitter in his first 15 seasons as a big leaguer. In 21 at-bats, he managed two hits.

Wanting to be prepared, Goldschmidt tracked down Matt Carpenter during spring training. His former Cardinals teammate had a lot of success transitioning late in his career from star regular to a role player who was good at coming off the bench to get big hits, the revival including a thrilling 47-game cameo with the 2022 Yankees.

Goldschmidt also phoned Turner Ward, his hitting coach in St. 香港三级片 the last two seasons. Over a 12-year playing career, Ward had 389 hits, 30 as a pinch-hitter.

鈥淭he main thing I just heard was just be ready for it,鈥� Goldschmidt said. 鈥淒on鈥檛 get surprised, whether that鈥檚 just getting ready physically and mentally. I鈥檓 not thinking, 鈥極h, well, I鈥檓 not gonna play today.鈥� It was, 鈥楬ey, I鈥檓 gonna get an opportunity later in the game.鈥� So I鈥檓 mentally doing that.鈥�

That鈥檚 how Goldschmidt handled not starting Wednesday鈥檚 Yankees-Mariners鈥� series finale at T-Mobile Park.

Goldschmidt skipped batting practice, then got in his swings in a batting cage in the third, fourth and fifth innings.

Feeling ready, Goldschmidt was called on to pinch-hit for J.C. Escarra to lead off the Yankees seventh with the Mariners leading 2-1.

One pitch later, the game was tied when Goldschmidt continued his slaughtering of left-handed pitching with a 377-foot homer off Gabe Speier on a fastball that was belt middle in.

Aaron Judge broke the tie with a leadoff homer in the eighth and the Yankees held on for a 3-2 win.

After the game, Judge raved about Goldschmidt.

鈥淚 think I have maybe two hits as a pinch-hitter, and I don鈥檛 think they鈥檙e homers,鈥� Judge said.

Judge was right about the homers and wrong about the hits He鈥檚 1-for-17 with a single pinch-hitting.

Goldschmidt now is 2-for-23, including 1-for-2 this season with two walks, one intentional.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just impressive,鈥� Judge said. 鈥淚t shows you the type of type of player he is, the knowledge he has, the preparation of where he was ready to go from the very first pitch.

鈥淚t just peace volumes to the depth that we鈥檝e got on this team and the player Goldschmidt is.鈥�

Of course, Goldschmidt basically was handed a carrot on a stick when the Mariners replaced right-handed starter Luis Castillo with Speier to start the sixth.

With the homer, Goldschmidt amazingly has 20 hits in 35-bats this season against left-handed pitching. That鈥檚 a .571 average.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 really think about it,鈥� Goldschmidt said. 鈥淚 just try to have a good at-bat every time I鈥檓 in there and be ready for the situation. Every pitcher is different.鈥�

Goldschmidt is having a big rebound season with a .346 average, five homers and 22 RBI playing 43 of the Yankees鈥� first 44 games, 40 as a starter and four coming off the bench.

His third career hit as a pinch-hitter excited him.

鈥淚t鈥檚 such a hard job,鈥� Goldschmidt said. 鈥淗onestly, for most of my career I was playing every day and knew I probably wasn鈥檛 pitch-hitting, but coming here it鈥檚 a little bit of a different role.

鈥淪o I鈥檝e just tried to embrace that and was excited for something new. And so I think that makes it a little different, where you understand that you鈥檙e going to be called on to come in to play D or pinch-hit versus other times when I was maybe playing every single day and when you got the off day, you were really trying to rest.

鈥淚t was fun to do that today.鈥�