St. Louis Cardinals

Ex-Cards 1B Voit carries his surge with Yankees into playoffs

Published Oct. 8, 2018 5:51 p.m. ET

Ben Walker

Luke Voit certainly never expected to hear crowds at Yankee Stadium chanting his name in October, especially when he was stuck at Triple-A Memphis for St. Louis in late July.

Voit, 27, was backed up behind star first baseman Matt Carpenter. The beefy Voit didn't exactly fit the physical profile of the athletic-minded Cardinals, either.

Dealt to the Yankees shortly before the July 31 trade deadline for Giovanny Gallegos and Chasen Shreve, Voit got off to a slow start and seemed to be a backup for Greg Bird, at best.

But then, his huge swing started clicking. He connected for 14 home runs down the stretch, hit a two-run triple in the AL wild-card win over Oakland and has two hits and two RBIs in two playoff games against Boston.

In a city known for fashion, Voit also has made his own style statement. He prefers to keep the top button on his jersey unfastened, with no T-shirt underneath.

"Let the chest hair hang, baby," he said.