Should the U.S. men’s national team and Arsenal be worried about the St. Louis Cardinals?
Matt Turner got a chance to throw on a Cardinals jersey and take some batting practice on Tuesday, and the USMNT goalkeeper showed some potential to follow in the footsteps of two-sport legends like Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders.
After getting a dap and a short visual lesson from Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado, Turner stepped up to the plate and was legitimately crushing what was thrown his way.
Batting as a lefty — take note, MLB scouts — Turner clubbed his first effort into the right field bullpen at Busch Stadium, which is a solid 375 feet from home plate.
“That’s not enough, is it?” asked Turner, before the reaction from onlookers told him he had home run distance. “Let’s go, man! Are you f— kidding me? Let’s go!”
The Arsenal man followed that one up with another to deep right field, checking with Arenado over whether he’d hit another homer before stating that Major League Baseball should “get me in the [Home Run] Derby!”
Turner — who notably played baseball well into his teen years before focusing full-time on soccer — smashed at least two more dingers, putting another into the bullpen and getting some legit praise from Arenado.
“That’s the fastest celebrity hitting I’ve ever seen in my life,” said the Cardinals star. “Usually they hit for a while because they can’t do it.”
Turner is still expected to suit up for the USMNT before heading back to London to sort out a possibly murky future with the Gunners. After showing some talent at the plate, though, the single-A Palm Beach Cardinals could be his next step.
Watch Matt Turner smack some dingers
Crushing dingers with Nolan Arenado and the @Cardinals ⚾️ https://t.co/N9rgvrvWqU pic.twitter.com/l3DHmeFgeM
— U.S. Men's National Soccer Team (@USMNT) June 27, 2023
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