NEW YORK (AP) — Paul DeJong made the right decision to give up the scalpel, trumpet and piano to concentrate on baseball.

A rising star on the St. Louis Cardinals, the 24-year-old shortstop had the first multihomer game of his young big league career Sunday and helped the St. Louis Cardinals beat the New York Mets 5-1 to avoid an opening three-game sweep.

DeJong hit .285 with 25 home runs and 65 RBIs as a rookie last year, earning a $26 million, six-year contract. He had 13 homers at Triple-A Memphis before his major league debut on May 28 — when he homered off Colorado closer Greg Holland on his first big league swing.

“I know that I can consistently hit for power, whether it’s doubles or homers,” DeJong said.

A 2015 graduate of Illinois State who majored in biochemistry and pre-medicine, he was selected by the Cardinals in the fourth round of that year’s amateur draft. During spring training last month, when the Cardinals gave him the big contract, he attended several social events of the Palm Beach Symphony — not a regular nightlife stop of most big leaguers.

“I like all types of music, from Metallica to Chopin,” he said.

His younger brother Matthew is in a master’s program for piano at Florida State.