Yankees Slugger Heats Up in Time for Postseason

When Fox picked the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles to play on national television, they most likely surmised this series could have playoff implications. Instead, they were treated to Max Fried feasting on the remains of a once-upstart Baltimore team that's in the cellar of the American League East. It was a more dominant win after the Minnesota Twins gave the Yanks fits, and outside of their ace, the only person feeling better about themselves might be Paul Goldschmidt.

Goldschmidt, coming off a two-hit game against the Twins, had another two in Baltimore. It was a sign of life that the first baseman had only shown in spurts this season.

New York Yankees first base paul goldschmid — Aug 26, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (48) breaks his bat in the eighth inning against the Washington Nationals at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Goldschmidt started the game ripping a single off of Cade Povich. Povich left a 90.9 MPH fastball down the heart of the plate, and the former MVP hit a 103.5 MPH liner to left field. The veteran and former MVP kicked off an inning that would later lead to Amed Rosario driving in two.

Goldschmidt's next base knock came in the 7th. On a 3-2 count, he hit an opposite-field dribbler, which scored Austin Wells. This drove in the fourth run of the game.

There was an opportunity for more, but Goldschmidt hit into a bit of bad luck. He also had a sharp 100.3 MPH groundout in the third and a 96.4 MPH lineout in the eighth.

“I think we’re just playing solid team baseball. When we were struggling, when we weren’t winning, nobody panicked. Everyone stuck together.”@Ken_Rosenthal spoke with Paul Goldschmidt after the Yankees moved to 17-7 in their last 24 games pic.twitter.com/20OLJvx7tJ
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) September 19, 2025

It remains to be seen how Goldschmidt will be used in October. If the Yankees face a lefty, they'll most likely deploy him as they did against Povich, where the veteran slugger hits lead-off. This season, Goldschmidt is hitting .327/.368/.482 against lefties. There's a huge discrepancy between his .850 OPS when facing southpaws and his .626 OPS against righties.

If facing left-handed pitching will be Goldschmidt's primary use in October, he did earn it. He has quietly put together a strong end to 2025, even if the power numbers don't stand out. In 35 plate appearances this month, he is hitting .313/.371/.344. His 14.3% K rate and 8.6% walk rate are improvements from his season averages. In 2025, Goldschmidt has an 18.4% K rate and a 6.9% walk rate.

He also has an average exit velocity of 91.4 mph and a hard-hit rate of 59.3% during this span. However, he hasn't barreled any baseballs.

The last time Goldschmidt barreled a ball was on August 26th against the Nationals. He's experiencing a rare power outage for his career. His last home run was against the Rangers on August 6th. He got in that game as a pinch hitter. His 10 home runs are a career low, outside of the pandemic-shortened 2020, where he hit six, and his 2011 rookie campaign, where Goldschmidt launched eight homers.

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