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With eight All-Star selections, ten Gold Glove awards and five Silver Slugger awards to his name, Nolan Arenado is on track to make it to the National Baseball Hall of Fame after his playing career comes to an end.
The veteran backed up those credentials on Thursday, as he hit his 350th career home run in the second game of the Cardinals' doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox.
Coming out to bat at the top of the third, Arenado's solo blast to left field improved his team's lead to 4-1. They won the game 8-6.
Reacting to Arenado's milestone-reaching home run, his teammate Lars Nootbaar praised the third baseman on Instagram shortly after the game.
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"HOF Sh*t 👑⚓," Nootbar captioned his Instagram story.
Nolan Arenado and Lars Nootbaar played important roles in helping Cardinals sweep White Sox
With the St. Louis Cardinals having raced out to a lead in the early innings of the game, a five-run rally from the White Sox in the bottom of the seventh, which included a grand slam from Andrew Benintendi, tied the game heading into the last two innings.
In addition to the solo home run he hit, Nolan Arenado also made a hugely important defensive play in the bottom of the ninth to throw out Mike Tauchman at home plate, stopping the White Sox from walking off the game. Then, in extra innings, Arenado hit a hugely important RBI single to re-establish his team's lead.
Following up on Arenado's at-bat, Lars Nootbaar hit a solo home run to right field, handing his team an extra insurance run for good measure, before Andre Granillo held the White Sox at arm's length in the bottom of the tenth to secure the win, securing the series sweep in the process.
These three wins at the Guaranteed Rate Field improved the Cardinals' record to 40-35 for the season. As St. Louis continues to push for a playoff spot, fans will be hoping for many more important contributions from the likes of Arenado and Nootbaar in the months to come.
