In what may be the fitting crowning of a Hall of Fame career, Albert Pujols on Friday tied for his 700th home run as a major league player, a feat only three other players have achieved in baseball history.
Homer — second to the Pujols — came in the fourth inning from Dodgers right-hand Phil Pickford, the latest of 455 different bowlers to have given up at least one round to the Pujols over the course of 22 MLB seasons. .
Pujols joins Barry Bonds (762), Henry Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714) in the 700-HR club, just 12 days after passing Alex Rodriguez (696) to finish fourth on the home race list.
Dodger Stadium’s 50,041 crowd gave a standing ovation when he returned from the dugout to cheers for his historic explosion. Chants of “Albert, Albert” came from the fans behind the Cardinals’ bunker.
Pujols said of reaching the milestone: “It’s very special. When it really hits me (be) when I finish, it’s at the end of the season and I’m retired. Maybe a month or two after that look at the numbers. You know, don’t get me wrong. I know where I stand in the this game.”
For him, Pujols said, baseball was never about “chasing numbers.” But the numbers kept piling up.
The historic Homer comes at the end of a late career renaissance for the Pujols, who returned to the St. Louis Cardinals this season at the age of 42 – after leaving as a free agent a decade ago.
Depth chart: A look back at Albert Pujols’ historic career
It was in St. Louis that Pujols originally rose from an unknown 13th-round pick to stardom which included three National League Player of the Year awards and a pair of World Championship titles in his first 11 seasons.
After signing a 10-year, $254 million free agent contract with the Los Angeles Angels, Pujols hit 222 home runs over the next 10 seasons — plus 12 again in late 2021 after being released by the Angels and signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
But back in the familiar confines of Busch Stadium and in Cardinal uniform, Pujols has seemingly found the fountain of youth this year, recording his highest Idle and OPS since leaving St. Louis in 2011.
The Pujols earlier in Friday’s game against Dodgers starter Andrew Heaney shook a two-stage shot to the left that put the Cardinals 2-0 up for a third-half lead. The home run gives Pujols 21 per season.
The Dodgers won 11-0. The Pujols finished off their historic night 2 for 4, with the two home races producing five RBIs.
Before the game, after playing a video in honor of Pujols on two plaques at Dodger Stadium, fans gave Pujols a standing ovation. “Well, I just want to take this opportunity to thank all of the Dodgers fans,” said Pujols, who had the opportunity to address the fans before the game started.
After the game, Pujols sat in front of his six children in the Dodgers interview room, thanks to the team he played last season when he regained his joy in the match.
He said, “What a special night.” “First of all, to have my family here in town, and to be able to do it here at Dodger Stadium.”
Contributing: Josh Peter in Los Angeles
