St. Louis Cardinals' Paul Goldschmidt Blasts Home Run For 2,000th Hit of MLB Career

Paul Goldschmidt became the fifth active player and 297th player all-time to reach 2,000 career hits during the St. Louis Cardinals' extra-innings loss to the Washington Nationals on Friday.

Jul 26, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (46) runs the bases after hitting a home run on his 2000th MLB hit during the tenth inning in a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Busch Stadium. / Jeff Le-USA TODAY Sports

With the St. Louis Cardinals down four runs in the bottom of the 10th inning, Paul Goldschmidt went yard.

It was only a two-run home run, and the Washington Nationals held on to win 10-8, but it was a massive moment for Goldschmidt regardless.

The 376-foot shot was Goldschmidt's 15th home run of the season and the 355th of his career. It was his second hit of the night, bringing the 36-year-old first baseman to 2,000 in his MLB career.

Paul Goldschmidt's 2,000th career hit is a home run! pic.twitter.com/92cn1spnUO

— MLB (@MLB) July 27, 2024

Goldschmidt is now one of five active players with 2,000 career hits, joining Freddie Freeman, José Altuve, Joey Votto and Andrew McCutchen. He also passed Ian Kinsler and Jimmy Collins on the all-time hits list, becoming the 297th player in major league history to join the 2,000-hit club.

Since making his MLB debut with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2011, Goldschmidt owns a .289 batting average and .894 OPS. The seven-time All-Star, five-time Silver Slugger, four-time Gold Glove winner and one-time MVP has racked up 1,162 RBI, 164 stolen bases and a 61.9 WAR along the way.

There are now 25 players in MLB history with at least 2,000 hits, 350 home runs, 150 stolen bases and 1,000 RBI, and Goldschmidt is the only one who is still active. Of the 20 players on that list who are not tied to PEDs or another cheating scandal, 15 are in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Carlos Santana is the only player to appear in more MLB games than Goldschmidt since Aug. 1, 2011. Goldschmidt has played in 1,873 out of a possible 1,997 contests over the last 13 years, and he hasn't missed more than 11 in a single season since 2014.

Goldschmidt is currently batting .229 with 15 home runs, 40 RBI, six stolen bases, a .670 OPS and a 0.3 WAR this season, almost all of which put him on pace for career-lows. He is slated to hit free agency this winter, so it remains to be seen where – or if – Goldschmidt will continue to add to his resume beyond 2024.

For now, Goldschdmit and the Cardinals are set to resume their series against the Nationals on Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET.

Follow Fastball on FanNation on social media

Continue to follow our FanNation on SI coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

You can also follow Sam Connon on Twitter @SamConnon.