ST. LOUIS — St. Louis Cardinals' first basemen Paul Goldschmidt was named the winner of the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award, becoming the seventh member of the franchise to win the award.
The award, which is sponsored by the Phi Delta Theta International Fraternity, is given to "a Major League Baseball player who best exemplifies the giving character of Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig." Gehrig was a member of the fraternity.
Goldschmidt was honored for his involvement in former teammate Adam Wainwright's Big League Impact and raising thousands of dollars for causes close to his heart. He raised $46,420 to help build a community center in the Dominican Republic with Food for the Hungry, $50,000 for Habitat for Humanity St. Louis and helped raise more than $120,000 for Big League Impact since 2021.
In addition to fundraising, he and his wife have been part of multiple outreach and community events. Those events include the "Goldy’s Golden Ticket" program, where Goldschmidt brings deserving youth organizations to a game. He provides t-shirts, photo cards, tickets, and food vouchers and meets with groups to answer questions, sign autographs, and take photos, according to the award announcement.
The award was first given out in 1955, and the first Cardinal to win the award was Stan Musial. The other Cardinals to win the award are Albert Pujols (2009), Mark McGwire (1999), Ozzie Smith (1989), Lou Brock (1977), and Ken Boyer (1964).
Goldschmidt will be presented the award on June 11 before a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
For more information about the award, click here.