CHICAGO — Shortly after a toast that was almost as brief as a champagne’s pop, Paul Goldschmidt trotted out of the Cardinals’ clubhouse, away from the available but mostly untouched bottles for celebration, and down the stairs back toward the dugout.
He had just delivered the dramatic game-winning double in the ninth inning that upended the Cubs, secured the Cardinals their first playoff berth since 2015 and completed a sweep the likes of which Wrigley Field had not seen in 98 years. There was more work to do. The Cardinals’ first baseman likes to get an extensive workout once a series and Sunday, postgame, was his last chance to do so.