Paul DeJong made the right decision to give up the scalpel, trumpet and piano to concentrate on baseball.
DeJong, a rising star for St. Louis as a 24-year-old shortstop, had the first multihomer game of his young big league career Sunday and helped the Cardinals beat the Mets, 5-1, to avoid an opening three-game sweep.
DeJong hit .285 with 25 home runs and 65 R.B.I. as a rookie last year, earning a six-year, $26 million contract. He had 13 homers at Class AAA Memphis before his major league debut on May 28 — when he homered off Colorado closer Greg Holland on his first swing in the majors.