Yankees Paul Goldschmidt is a two-strike master by sticking with old-school approach

Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.The “professional” label follows Paul Goldschmidt around for good reason.

In virtually any part of the game that involves subtlety — the fundamentals around first base, knowing how and when to swipe a base without elite speed — the 37-year-old excels.It follows, then, that he owns a master’s in the finer art of hitting with two strikes.Entering play Sunday, 171 hitters had tallied at least 100 plate appearances in which they reached two strikes.Goldschmidt’s .278 average in such situations ranked third.Down to his last strike, the Yankees first baseman does what has become significantly less common around the game: He slides his hands up on the bat.“I definitely choke up,” Goldschmidt said before finishing a series with the Red Sox in The Bronx.“Just try to simplify mechanics.“When guys have asked about two strikes, I think at times you’re best almost not putting too much pressure on yourself, like, ‘I got to put the ball in play’ … because that’s when you start getting defensive.”At Texas State and coming up through the Diamondbacks’ system after getting drafted in 2009, Goldschmidt was taught to hit with a two-strike approach.

He went through two-strike drills in the batting cage, the situational hitting a “high priority” for him, he said.Different approaches for different counts certainly still exist in 2025, though not many hitters these days inch up on the handle to have a better chance at making contact.Many hitters will still swing with authority, accepting strikeouts because doubles and home runs are appealing.Before he reaches two strikes, Goldschmidt entered play with a .589 slugging percentage.

That number sunk to .365 when he encountered a two-strike count.In gaining a bit more bat control and swinging a bit softer — his zero- or one-strike swing averaged 73.2 mph, while h...