The Yankees open a series with the Athletics in Sacramento, and Paul Goldschmidt is one home run away from tying Matt Williams and Manny Machado for 78th on the all-time list.
Friday night in Sacramento doesn’t start with fireworks—it starts with an at-bat that could change a milestone.
The New York Yankees are set to open a series with the Athletics, with Paul Goldschmidt standing one home run away from MLB history. He needs a single blast to tie Matt Williams (378) and Manny Machado (378) for 78th on the all-time home run list.
Goldschmidt’s last home run came on May 26. He’s already at 377 career home runs, and when he hit his 377th—passing Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk—he moved into a tie with Norm Cash and Hall of Famer Jeff Kent for 79th on the All Time HR list.
This is his second year with the Yankees. At 38, the former MVP is batting .265 with 26 hits, five home runs, 15 RBI’s, and 17 runs in 31 games this season.
For Yankees fans. the storyline has a familiar rhythm: Goldschmidt’s steady presence. the kind that makes even the biggest numbers feel close enough to touch. Before he wore pinstripes, he spent stints with the Arizona Diamondbacks and St. Louis Cardinals across 16 total MLB seasons. He has also been a seven-time MLB All-Star, a five-time Silver Slugger, and a four-time Gold Glove winner.
The Yankees are carrying momentum into the trip. They swept the Kansas City Royals in their previous series, and they enter this stretch as the second-place team in the American League East. They’re only 1.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first in the division.
On the road, the Yankees have gone 17-13 in 30 games—proof that this isn’t just a home-run chase playing out in isolation. It’s happening alongside the standings, with every game carrying weight.
And in the background, the math keeps tightening. Goldschmidt is the one bat away from catching Williams and Machado, while the Yankees chase what comes after: a lead in the division that could be decided as much by timing as by talent.
By the time the first pitch is thrown on Friday night, the series with the Athletics won’t only be about three games in Sacramento. It could also be about one swing—one moment that moves a career into a new place on the sport’s permanent list.
Paul Goldschmidt New York Yankees Athletics MLB home run milestone Matt Williams Manny Machado American League East Yankee Stadium Sacramento series