Early life
Pujols was raised inCollege career
After graduating from high school a semester early in December 1998, he was given a baseball scholarship to Maple Woods Community College. Pujols hit aProfessional career
Draft and minor leagues
Few teams were interested in Pujols because of uncertainty about his age, which position he would play, and his build.St. Louis Cardinals (2001–2011)
Early career (2001–2003)
During spring training in 2001, incumbent first basemanNew contract (2004–2005)
After receiving many awards in his first three seasons, Pujols was rewarded monetarily for his accomplishments on February 20, 2004 St. Louis Cardinals season, 2004, when he signed a seven-year, $100 million contract extension with a $16 million club option for 2011 with no-trade provisions. He was moved to first base in 2004 after the Cardinals traded Tino Martinez in the offseason. On June 16, he hit a walk-off home run against 2004 Cincinnati Reds season, Reds pitcher Mike Matthews in the 10th inning of a 4–3 victory. Pujols's highlights later in the season included a July game in which he hit five RBI and three home runs in a thrilling win over the rival Chicago Cubs, and another in which he broke up a no-hitter by 2004 San Francisco Giants season, Giants pitcher Dustin Hermanson. During a September game against the 2004 Colorado Rockies season, Rockies, he earned his 500th RBI, joining DiMaggio and Ted Williams as the only players to have 500 RBI in their first four seasons. He said he was confident there was going to be "a lot more." Although Pujols was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis during the second half of the season, he finished the season with a .331 average (fifth in the league), 196 hits (fifth), 51 doubles (second to Lyle Overbay's 53), 46 home runs (tied with Adam Dunn for second behind Adrián Beltré's 48), and 123 RBIs (third, behind Vinny Castilla's 131 and Scott Rolen's 124) in 154 games. He also led the league in runs scored, with 133. On defense, he tied for the league lead in errors by a first baseman, with 14. He finished third in MVP voting (behind Bonds and Beltré), joining Musial as the only Cardinals to finish in the top five in voting for at least four years in a row. He won the Silver Slugger Award at first base, the third position he won the award at. Pujols, along with teammates Edmonds and Rolen, earned the nickname "MV3" for their phenomenal seasons; Pujols led the three in home runs and batting average. The Cardinals won the NL Central, aided by the MVP and pitcher Chris Carpenter, who won 15 games and had a 3.46 ERA his first season with the team. In Game 4 of the 2004 National League Division Series, NLDS against the 2004 Los Angeles Dodgers season, Dodgers, Pujols hit a three-run home run against Wilson Álvarez and had four RBI as the Cardinals won, 6–2, and took the series three games to one. In Game 6 of the 2004 National League Championship Series, NLCS, Pujols had three hits, scored three runs (including the winning run), and hit a two-run home run off Munro in a 12-inning, 6–4 victory. The Cardinals won the series in seven games, advancing to the 2004 World Series, World Series for the first time since 1987. Pujols was named the NLCS MVP after batting .500 with four home runs and nine RBI. He was one of three Cardinals to bat over .250 in the series against the 2004 Boston Red Sox season, Boston Red Sox (after batting .333) as the Cardinals were swept by Boston in four games. By 2005 St. Louis Cardinals season, 2005, many baseball fans thought that Pujols was the best Cardinal since Musial. Pujols picked up his 100th RBI of the season on August 31, joining Williams, DiMaggio and Al Simmons as the only players with 100 RBI in their first five seasons. Pujols hit his 200th career home run in a game against the Reds on September 30, making him the third-youngest major league player to reach that milestone (behind Mel Ott and Eddie Mathews) and the second-fastest to reach it (behind Kiner). In 161 games, Pujols batted .330 (second to Derrek Lee's .335 average) with 195 hits (fourth behind Lee, Miguel Cabrera and Jimmy Rollins), 38 doubles, 41 home runs (third, behind Andruw Jones's 51 and Lee's 46), 117 RBI's (tied with Burrell for second behind Jones's 128), and 129 runs scored (first in the league). For the first time in his career, he won the NL MVP award as Bonds was limited to 14 games due to an injury. Pujols returned to the playoffs as the Cardinals won the NL Central for the second year in a row. He had five hits in nine at-bats with four runs scored and two RBI in the 2005 National League Division Series, NLDS as the Cardinals swept the 2005 San Diego Padres season, Padres. In Game 5 of the 2005 National League Championship Series, NLCS against the 2005 Houston Astros season, Astros, with the Cardinals trailing by two runs and only one out from elimination in the ninth inning, Pujols hit a game-winning three-run home run against Brad Lidge that landed on the train tracks in the back of Minute Maid Park. The Cardinals won 5–4. ''MLB.com'' writer Matthew Leach later called it "one of the most famous playoff home runs in recent years." Nevertheless, the Cardinals were eliminated in Game 6 by the Astros. Pujols batted .304 with two home runs and six RBI in the series.Continued success and first World Series (2006–2008)
Over two games in April 2006 St. Louis Cardinals season, 2006, Pujols hit home runs in four consecutive plate appearances, making him the 20th player to accomplish the feat. Pujols maintained after the game that he was more concerned with winning than the numbers: "I don't look at numbers," he said. "I don't know. I didn't know anything about [the record] until you guys brought it up. Because that's not me. I don't get locked in on numbers. I don't get locked in on anything like that. I get locked in on seeing the ball and helping my team out to win and hopefully doing some damage out there." Pujols had three hits and four RBI, including his 1,000th career hit (a home run against Jerome Williams (baseball), Jerome Williams), as the Cardinals defeated the 2006 Chicago Cubs season, Cubs 9–3 on April 21, 2006. On June 4, he was placed on the disabled list (DL) for the first time in his career with a strained right oblique that kept him out for three weeks. On August 22, Pujols hit a three-run home run and a grand slam against John Maine in an 8–7 loss to the 2006 New York Mets season, Mets. On September 28, with the Cardinals trailing the Padres 2–1 in the eighth inning, he hit a three-run home run against Cla Meredith, helping the Cardinals win 4–2 and end a seven-game losing streak. The win preserved the Cardinals' 1.5-game division lead; La Russa later called it "the most huge of the huge ones he's hit." Pujols finished the season with a .331 average (third to Freddy Sanchez's .344 and Cabrera's .339), 177 hits, 33 doubles, 49 home runs (second to Ryan Howard's 58), 137 RBI (second to Howard, 149) and 119 runs scored (tied with Matt Holliday, Hanley Ramírez, and Alfonso Soriano for fifth). Of his 49 home runs, 20 produced a game-winning RBI, breaking Willie Mays' single-season record set in 1962. He finished second to Howard in MVP voting and won the Rawlings Gold Glove Award, NL Gold Glove Award for first base. He won his first of four consecutive Fielding Bible Awards for the first base position. Led by Pujols and Carpenter, the Cardinals won the NL Central and reached the playoffs for the third year in a row. In Game 1 of the 2006 National League Division Series, NLDS against the Padres, he hit a game-winning two-run home run against Jake Peavy as the Cardinals won 5–1. He had a game-winning RBI against David Wells and had three hits in Game 2 as the Cardinals won 2–0. He batted .333 with a home run and an RBI in the series as the Cardinals defeated the Padres in four games. In Game 2 of the 2006 National League Championship Series, NLCS against the Mets, Pujols scored three runs as the Cardinals won 9–6. He batted .318 with one home run and one RBI in the series as the Cardinals defeated the Mets in seven games. In Game 1 of the 2006 World Series, World Series against the Detroit Tigers, he hit a two-run home run against Justin Verlander as the Cardinals won 7–2. In Game 5, he made a sprawling, flip-from-his-back play to rob Plácido Polanco of a hit as the Cardinals clinched the series, giving Pujols his first career World Series ring. Near the beginning of the 2007 season in an April 22 game against the Cubs, Pujols hit a game-winning three-run home run against Ryan Dempster in the 10th inning of a 12–9 victory, tying Ken Boyer for second all-time on the Cardinals' home run list with his 255th. Pujols finished the season with 185 hits, 38 doubles and 103 RBI (a career-low). He was among the league leaders in batting average (.327, sixth) and home runs (32, tied for tenth). He scored 99 runs, ending his streak of seasons with at least 30 home runs, a .300 average, 100 runs scored and 100 RBI, at six. He grounded into a major-league-leading 27 double plays. He finished ninth in MVP voting, the first year he had finished outside the top five. Pujols began 2008 by reaching base in 42 straight games, the longest streak to open a season since 1999. On June 11, he was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left calf muscle. Pujols hit his 300th home run against Bob Howry on July 4 in a 2–1 loss to the Cubs. He said after the game that to him it was "just another homer that goes out of the park. I'm happy to do it in front of our fans; they were waiting for it." On September 11, in a 3–2 loss to the Cubs, Pujols hit his 100th RBI of the season against Rich Harden, making him the third player in major league history to start his career with eight seasons of at least 100 RBI (along with Simmons and Williams). He regretted that the milestone came in a loss, saying, "I wish it would have come with a great win. It would have been more special." In 148 games in 2008, Pujols batted .357 (second to Chipper Jones's .364 average) with 187 hits (third, behind Reyes's 204 and David Wright's 189), 44 doubles (tied with Stephen Drew and Aramis Ramírez for fourth in the league behind Berkman and Nate McLouth's 46 and Corey Hart (baseball), Corey Hart's 45), 37 home runs (tied with Ryan Braun and Ryan Ludwick for fourth in the league behind Howard's 48, Dunn's 40, and Delgado's 38), 116 RBI (fourth, behind Howard's 146, Wrights 124 and Adrián González's 119) and 100 runs scored. He grounded into a National League-leading 27 double plays. Pujols won his second NL MVP Award, and he won the Silver Slugger Award for the fourth time in his career. He was named ''The Sporting News'' Player of the Year for the second time in his career. For his work off the field, he was named the 2008 winner of the Roberto Clemente Award. He considered having Tommy John surgery after the season but underwent nerve transposition surgery on his right elbow instead to ease discomfort.Later Cardinals career and second World Series (2009–2011)
On April 25, 2009 St. Louis Cardinals season, 2009, Pujols picked up his 1,000th career RBI with a 441-foot grand slam against David Patton (baseball), David Patton in an 8–2 victory over the 2009 Chicago Cubs season, Cubs. "I hit that ball as good as I can hit a ball," he said after the game. On July 3, he hit his 10th career grand slam against Weathers in a 7–4 victory over the 2009 Cincinnati Reds season, Reds, breaking Musial's record for most grand slams by a Cardinal. The grand slam was also his 350th career home run, making him the third-fastest player to reach the milestone, behind Alex Rodriguez and Ken Griffey Jr. He received the highest number of votes in NL history for the 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, All-Star Game that year. Pujols had four hits, scored three runs, and knocked in five RBI on August 4, including a grand slam against Sean Green (baseball), Sean Green that tied the NL record for most grand slams in a season (five), in a 10-inning, 12–7 victory over the 2009 New York Mets season, Mets. In 160 games, Pujols batted .327 (third, behind Ramírez's .342 and Pablo Sandoval's .330) with 186 hits (sixth), 45 doubles (second to Miguel Tejada's 46), 47 home runs (first), 135 RBI (third behind Fielder and Howard's 141) and 124 runs scored (first). He was unanimously named the NL MVP for the third time, tying Musial as the Cardinals' leader in that category. For the fifth time in his career, he won the Silver Slugger Award. He won the ''Sporting News'' MLB Player of the Year award for the second consecutive year, joining Williams and Joe Morgan as the only players to win it in back-to-back years. For the fourth year in a row, he won the Fielding Bible Award for first base. Aided by the mid-season acquisition of Matt Holliday (who replaced Ryan Ludwick as the cleanup hitter) and the emergence of Adam Wainwright (who led the NL in wins), the Cardinals returned to the playoffs after a two-year hiatus. In the 2009 National League Division Series, NLDS against the Dodgers, Pujols batted .300 with one RBI as the Cardinals were swept in three games. Following the postseason, Pujols had surgery to remove five Osteophyte, bone spurs from his right elbow. The Cardinals called the surgery a "success," and James Andrews (physician), Dr. James Andrews decided that Pujols did not need Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, Tommy John surgery. For April 2010 St. Louis Cardinals season, 2010, Pujols earned his first Pepsi Clutch Performer of the Month Award. He batted .348, 1.270 OPS, three home runs and 14 RBI with runners on base. Further, in situations with his team leading by one run, tied, or having the potential tying run on base, at bat, or on deck after the seventh inning ("late-and-close"), he batted .583 (7-for-12) with a home run, two doubles, three RBI and five runs scored. On June 29, 2010, in an 8–0 victory over the 2010 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Diamondbacks, Pujols hit five RBI and hit two home runs against Dontrelle Willis for his 37th career multi-homer game, which tied Musial's franchise record for multi-homer games. "It's pretty special," he said of tying Musial. "I'm blessed to have the opportunity to be compared sometimes with him." On August 26, he hit his 400th career home run against Jordan Zimmermann in a 13-inning, 11–10 loss to the 2010 Washington Nationals season, Nationals. He became the third-youngest player to reach the milestonebehind Griffey Jr. and Rodriguezand he became the fourth-quickest player by at bats to reach the milestone (behind McGwire, Babe Ruth, Harmon Killebrew, and Thome). On September 11, in a 12-inning 6–3 loss to 2010 Atlanta Braves season, Atlanta, Pujols had three RBI and reached 100 RBI for the 10th consecutive year with a two-run double against Tommy Hanson. Only Simmons has a longer streak of 100 RBI seasons at the beginning of a career, with 11. Pujols joined Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig, and Rodriguez in having 10 consecutive seasons of 100 or more RBI at any time in their career. Foxx and Rodriguez are the only two players besides Pujols to have 10 consecutive years of 30 home runs and 100 RBI. The next day, in a 7–3 victory over the Braves, he passed Musial to be the all-time Cardinals' leader in multi-home run games when he hit two home runs against Tim Hudson for the 38th time in a game. In 159 games, Pujols batted .312 (sixth) with 183 hits (fifth) and 39 doubles (tied for eighth with Marlon Byrd); he led the league in runs scored (115), home runs (42) and RBI (118). He won his second Gold Glove Award for first base, and he won the NL First Base Silver Slugger Award for the sixth time. He finished second in the NL MVP voting to Joey Votto, who said he was "shocked" that Pujols only got one first-place vote. Pujols and the Cardinals set a deadline for the start of 2011 St. Louis Cardinals season, 2011 spring training for contract extension negotiations but failed to reach an agreement. After Pujols struggled in his first 30 games of the season in batting .231, he batted .316 with 30 home runs in his final 117 games. Against the 2011 Chicago Cubs season, Cubs, he hit consecutive extra-inning walk-off home runs on June 4 and 5 for the first time since Albert Belle in 1995. Carpenter noted after the game that Pujols' slump earlier in the year was over: "He continues to do great things, there's no doubt about it," he said. "The things that he's done the last few days have been just like the old Albert." On June 19 against the 2011 Kansas City Royals season, Royals, Wilson Betemit collided with Pujols, inducing a small fracture his left wrist and keeping him inactive until July 5. On July 30, in a 9–2 victory over the Cubs, he got his 2,000th career hit against Carlos Mármol, becoming the fifth Cardinal to reach 2,000 hits and 12th-fastest major leaguer by games to reach the milestone. In the Cardinals' final game of the season, against the 2011 Houston Astros season, Astros on September 28, he had the game-winning RBI against Brett Myers in the 8–0 victory, helping the Cardinals overcome a 10.5-game deficit to Atlanta to win the Wild Card. Pujols finished the season with 173 hits (tied for ninth with Aramis Ramírez), 29 doubles (a career-low), and 105 runs scored (tied for third with Justin Upton behind Ryan Braun's 109 and Matt Kemp's 115). He saw his streak of seasons batting at least .300 with 30 home runs and 100 RBI snapped when he hit 37 home runs (third, behind Fielder's 38 and Kemp's 39), but batted .299 with 99 RBI (seventh); however, only three other players in the major leagues matched him in those categories (José Bautista, Fielder, and Kemp), causing Tyler Kepner of ''The New York Times'' to write, "Even when Pujols struggles, he excels." He grounded into a major-league leading 29 double plays. He was fifth in MVP voting. In Game 2 of the 2011 National League Division Series, NLDS against the Phillies on October 2, Pujols had a game-winning RBI single against Cliff Lee in the 5–4 victory. He batted .350 with one RBI in the series as the Cardinals defeated the Phillies in five games. In Game 2 of the 2011 National League Championship Series, NLCS against the Brewers, he had four hits, three runs scored, one home run and five RBI, in a 12–3 victory. He batted .478 with two home runs and nine RBI in the series as the Cardinals defeated the Brewers in six games. On October 22, in Game 3 of the 2011 World Series, World Series, Pujols had five hits, three home runs, four runs scored and six RBI in a 16–7 victory over the Rangers. He joined Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson as the only players in baseball history to hit three home runs in a World Series game, set a series record with 14 total bases, became the first player in series history to have hits in four consecutive innings, and tied records for most hits and most RBI in a World Series game. He had one hit and no RBI the other six games of the series but became a World Series champion for the second time as the Cardinals defeated the Rangers in seven games. After the season, he became a free agent for the first time in his career.Los Angeles Angels (2012–2021)
Three teams were reported to be interested in Pujols during the 2011 offseason: the Cardinals, the Miami Marlins, and theEarly Angels tenure (2012–2016)
Pujols did not perform very well to begin the 2012 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim season, 2012 season, batting .217 with no home runs and four RBI in the month of April. Soon after the Angels called up top prospect Mike Trout and fired hitting coach Mickey Hatcher, Pujols's numbers began to rise, as he batted .323 with 13 home runs from May 15 through the All-Star Break. On July 31, he hit two home runs against Derek Holland in a 6–2 victory over the 2012 Texas Rangers season, Rangers. After the game, Holland observed that Pujols had "definitely turned it around, no doubt about it... He had a slow start, but he's picked it up. He's a great hitter...." On August 14, Pujols had four RBIs, including a game-winning three-run home run against Ubaldo Jiménez in a 9–6 victory over the 2012 Cleveland Indians season, Cleveland Indians. In 2012, Pujols batted .285 (at the time, a career low) in 153 games with 173 hits, 50 doubles (second to Alex Gordon's 51), 30 home runs, 105 RBIs (7th in AL), and 85 runs scored. In 2013, Pujols had by far the worst season of his career to date, failing to play at least 100 games in a season for the first time. Pujols also posted career worsts in hits, runs scored, doubles, home runs, RBI, walks, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS. Overall in 99 games, Pujols batted .258 with 101 hits, 19 doubles, 17 home runs, 64 RBI, and 49 runs scored. On August 19, 2013, Pujols was ruled out for the remainder of the 2013 season after suffering a foot injury. In August 2013, on his St. Louis WGNU radio show, former Cardinals player Jack Clark (baseball), Jack Clark accused Pujols of having used performance-enhancing drugs. Clark served as the Cardinals' hitting coach during the early part of Pujols's tenure in St. Louis. On the morning of August 9, Pujols issued a statement adamantly denying that he had ever taken PEDs. He denounced Clark's allegations as "irresponsible and reckless," and threatened to sue Clark and WGNU over the allegations. Partly due to legal threats from Pujols, InsideSTL Enterprises, which owns WGNU's weekday airtime under a time brokerage agreement, cut ties with Clark. On October 4, 2013, Pujols filed a defamation lawsuit against Clark. In response, Clark challenged Pujols, proposing that they both take polygraph tests to resolve who is telling the truth. However, on February 10, 2014, Clark apologized and retracted his accusations against Pujols, saying he had "no knowledge whatsoever" that Pujols ever used PEDs. "During a heated discussion on air, I misspoke," Clark said. In return, Pujols dropped the suit. On April 22, 2014, Pujols hit his 499th and 500th home runs off the 2014 Washington Nationals season, Washington Nationals' Taylor Jordan at Nationals Park, where he had hit his 400th career home run in the 2010 season. Pujols became the 26th player ever to reach the 500 home run club, 500-home-run mark, the third-youngest to reach it, and the only player to hit Nos. 499 and 500 in the same game. On August 10, he played in MLB's longest game of the year, and the longest in the history of Angel Stadium, ending the 19-inning, 6-hours-and-31-minute contest against the 2014 Boston Red Sox season, Red Sox with a solo home run for a 5–4 final score. It was his first walk-off home run as an Angel and first since June 2011. On September 6, against the Minnesota Twins, Pujols collected his 2,500th career hit, a two-run go-ahead double off of Jared Burton in the 9th inning. He also passed the 1,500-run mark in the same game. In the process, he became the fifth player in major league history with 2,500 hits and 500 home runs while maintaining a .310 lifetime batting average, after Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams, and Manny Ramirez. For the 2014 season, Pujols batted .272 and grounded into an American League-leading 28 double plays. He was tied for the 3rd-highest salary in the AL, at $23 million. After the 2014 season, Pujols traveled to Japan to join a team of MLB All-Stars playing against the All-Stars of Nippon Professional Baseball in the 2014 Major League Baseball Japan All-Star Series. Before the 2015 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim season, 2015 season, Pujols enjoyed his first offseason in his time with the Angels in which he was both free of injury or recuperation from injury. However, his offensive production lagged behind his career levels the first month of the season. By the end of April, Pujols was batting .208 with three home runs and nine RBI in 86 plate appearances. The next month, Pujols' offensive production had started to come around. Between May 28 and June 22, he batted .356 with 15 homers, 30 RBI, and a 1.326 OPS. At this time, he was leading the American League in home runs with 23. After batting .303/.395/.737 with 13 home runs in June 2015, Pujols was named AL Player of the Month for the first time and seventh overall monthly award. His home run total led the major leagues and 73 total bases tied Manny Machado for first in the AL. Remarkably, his batting average on balls in play was .218, significantly lower than the league average of about .300. Selected to the 2015 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, All Star Game, Pujols was announced as a reserve for the American League. Due to an injury just days earlier with 2015 Detroit Tigers season, Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera, Pujols instead started at first base. It was his 10th overall selection to the midsummer classic, and first as a member of the Angels. On September 22, 2015, Pujols hit his 556th career home run to pass Ramírez for sole possession of 14th place on the all-time career home run leaderboard. In the last game of the season, on October 4, Pujols hit his 40th home run, the seventh time he had done so in a season. Among active MLB players, he trailed only Alex Rodriguez, with eight. With Trout also hitting 40 home runs, the 2015 Angels became just the 31st team in MLB history with multiple players to hit 40+ home runs in a season. For the 2015 season, he batted .244/.307/.480, and he had the lowest batting average on balls in play (.217) of all major league players. He was tied for the 3rd-highest salary in the AL, at $24 million. On April 30, 2016 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim season, 2016, Pujols became the 85th player to make 10,000 career List of Major League Baseball career plate appearance leaders, plate appearances. On May 2, Pujols became the 20th player all-time to amass 5,000 careerLater Angels tenure (2017–2021)
On June 3, 2017 Los Angeles Angels season, 2017, Pujols became the ninth player in Major League history to hit at least 600 home runs, when he hit aAssessment of Angels tenure
In nine-plus seasons with the Angels, Pujols hit .256 with 222 homers and 783 runs batted in. During his time with the Angels, the team won the AL West once (in 2014) and won no postseason games. In 2016, sportswriter Joe Posnanski of NBC Sports described Pujols as "a cautionary tale against big contracts" and "an overpaid designated hitter in the middle of the lineup for a going-nowhere Los Angeles Angels team". In an August 7, 2018, article entitled "How the shift has ruined Albert Pujols," ESPN sportswriter Alden Gonzalez wrote:Los Angeles Dodgers (2021)
On May 17, 2021, Pujols agreed to a one-year major league deal with the 2021 Los Angeles Dodgers season, Los Angeles Dodgers. He made his Dodgers debut that night as the starting first baseman against the Arizona Diamondbacks. With his longtime number 5 having been assigned to Corey Seager, Pujols chose the number 55; both as nods to his two former teams, as well as the Bible. "If you know the bible," Pujols explained, "it's the number of grace. So I feel 5-5, double grace." On May 20, Pujols hit his first home run as a Dodger, a two-run homer off Merrill Kelly of the Arizona Diamondbacks. In October, Scott Miller of ''The New York Times'' asserted that Pujols had "flourished beyond expectations, scorching lefties for a .306 batting average". Overall, in 2021 he appeared in 85 games for the Dodgers and hit .254 with a .299 on base percentage, 12 homers, and 38 RBIs. For the second season in a row, he had the slowest baserunning sprint speed of all major league players, at 22.4 feet/second. His line drive percentage of 15.4% was the lowest in the major leagues, and his 16.7% of balls hit to the opposite field was the lowest in the majors. He was the oldest player in the league for the second season in a row, and had the fifth-highest salary at $30 million. In his first postseason appearance since 2014 Los Angeles Angels season, 2014, he appeared in nine games for the Dodgers, with five hits in 18 at bats for a batting average of .278. Pujols subsequently announced that he would play in the Dominican Professional Baseball League (LIDOM) in the offseason, for Leones del Escogido.Return to St. Louis (2022)
On March 28, 2022 St. Louis Cardinals season, 2022, Pujols signed a one-year contract to return to the St. Louis Cardinals and announced that 2022 would be his final season. He said, "There were a lot of teams interested. It took 12 hours, maybe even less, to get a deal done once we received a call from the Cardinals," adding: "We have the best fans in baseball. It feels like I never left." He was the oldest player in the major leagues for the third season in a row. On May 15, Pujols made his pitching debut, the oldest player to do so since 1929. In a 15–6 blowout win against the 2022 San Francisco Giants season, San Francisco Giants, he gave up two home runs and four earned runs in the ninth inning. He became the 10th major league player to play 3,000 games on June 4 versus the 2022 Chicago Cubs season, Chicago Cubs, appearing as an injury replacement for Corey Dickerson. Against the 2022 Tampa Bay Rays season, Tampa Bay Rays on June 7, Pujols singled for his 3,320th career hit, passing Paul Molitor for tenth all-time in hits. On July 10, after Philadelphia had Shutout (baseball), shut out St. Louis in three straight games, Pujols made a rare start against a right-handed pitcher, and his three hits, including a home run, helped spark a 4-3 win. The home run was Pujols' 1,377th extra-base hit, tying him for third all-time with Musial. Pujols was chosen to be on the National League team for the 2022 Major League Baseball All-Star Game by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred as a "legacy" selection to honor his career achievements. He was also selected to participate in the 2022 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby, where he advanced to the second round and fell one home run short of eventual winner Juan Soto. On August 20, he passed Stan Musial for second place all-time in Total bases#Records, total bases, trailing only Hank Aaron, Henry Aaron. On August 22, he was named the Major League Baseball Player of the Week Award, National League Player of the Week alongside teammate Paul Goldschmidt after hitting .615 with three home runs and seven RBIs. On August 29, Pujols hit a third-inning home run off of Ross Detwiler of the Cincinnati Reds. Detwiler was the 450th unique pitcher to surrender a home run to Pujols, who thus broke a record belonging to Barry Bonds. On September 10 and 11, Pujols hit his 696th and 697th home runs, at PNC Park against the Pittsburgh Pirates, to move into fourth place on the all-time list. On September 14, he became the second player in MLB history to officially compile 2,200 RBIs. On September 23, Pujols became the fourth player to hit 700 career home runs. His 699th and 700th home runs came during consecutive at-bats during an 11–0 victory for the Cardinals at Dodger Stadium. He hit No. 699 off Andrew Heaney, his 200th home run off a left-handed pitcher; and his 700th off Phil Bickford, his 500th home run off a right-handed pitcher. On October 2, he hit No. 702 in his last career home game, mirroring the home run he hit in his St. Louis debut two decades earlier. On October 3, he hit No. 703, which gave him sole possession of second place on the List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders, all-time RBI list, surpassing Ruth's total. Pujols finished his regular-season career first in double plays grounded into (426), 3rd in sacrifice flies (123), 5th in games played (3,080) and doubles (686), and 6th in at bats (11,421). The Cardinals won the National League Central division, earning a berth in the 2022 Major League Baseball postseason and enabling Pujols' 10th and final postseason appearance. He went 2-for-8 in the 2022 National League Wild Card Series, National League Wild Card Series with the Philadelphia Phillies. In Game 2 on October 8, Pujols singled in his last two at-bats. The Phillies won the game, eliminating the Cardinals and bringing Pujols' playing career to an end.Playing style
Pujols's swing has been praised for its consistency. "It's the same swing every time," former teammate Lance Berkman once said. "He has the ability to repeat his swing over and over and over, which leads to him being very consistent," Cardinals' video coordinator Chad Blair said. ''Sports Illustrated'' writer Daniel G. Habib described the swing as "quick" and "quiet". Pujols uses a 32.5-ounce bat against right-handed pitchers, but he uses a 33-ounce bat against left-handers to avoid trying to pull the ball when he swings. He has credited his hitting ability partly to learning what pitchers will do in certain counts and situations:Accomplishments and accolades
Pujols is second in major league history in Run batted in, runs batted in and Total bases#Records, total bases behind only Hank Aaron, Henry Aaron. He and Aaron are the only two players to amass 3,000 hits, 700 home runs, and 2,200 RBIs. (Babe Ruth has over 2,200 RBIs, but unofficially, as he played six seasons before RBIs became a recognized statistic.) Only two other players ( Stan Musial and Willie Mays) have surpassed 6,000 total bases. Pujols hit home runs off of a record 458 different pitchers over the course of his career, and is fourth in career home runs and fifth in doubles. In 2009, Pujols set the major league single-season record for Assist (baseball), assists by a first baseman with 185. Pujols is the all-time leader in double plays hit into. One of the reasons Pujols hit into so many double plays in his career is that he was one of the best hitters ever at making contact. In an age when seasons of 150+ strikeouts were the norm for sluggers, he never struck out at least 100 times in a season. Pujols, "who will go down as one of the greatest right-handed hitters of all time," became the first player to produce four hits and two homers in a single game at the age of 42 or older in August 2022. Given his career achievements, Pujols is widely expected to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2028, the first year in which he becomes eligible. Pujols has earned praise from many of his fellow players and coaches. In 2008, he was named the most feared hitter in baseball in a poll of all 30 MLB Manager (baseball), managers. La Russa has called him "the best player I've ever managed." Division rival Joey Votto referred to him as "one of the greatest hitters of all time." Larry Walker called him "a great hitter," and Brendan Ryan (baseball), Brendan Ryan said, "He's the best there is." Fernando Viña said, while Pujols was in his first stint with the Cardinals, "He's the face of the Cardinals."Awards and honors
Notes: ''Through 2017 season. Per Baseball-Reference.com.''Other endeavors
Business ventures
In 2006, Pujols and the Hanon family opened Pujols 5 Westport Grill, a restaurant located in Westport Plaza of Maryland Heights, Missouri. A 10-foot, 1,100-lb. statue of Pujols was dedicated on November 2, 2011, outside the restaurant. An anonymous donor commissioned sculptor Harry Weber to create the statue, which belongs to the Pujols Family Foundation. After Pujols signed with the Angels, the restaurant was renamed the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame Grill. In 2008, Pujols teamed up with St. Louis Soccer United, a group looking to bring a Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise to the St. Louis area. However, the group's bid for a franchise was unsuccessful, and a USL team (Saint Louis FC) was formed.Charitable work
In 2005, Albert and Deidre Pujols launched the Pujols Family Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to their "commitment to faith, family and others." The organization promotes awareness of Down syndrome and works to support those who have it and their families, aids the poor in the Dominican Republic, and supports people with disabilities and/or life-threatening illnesses. Among other activities, the foundation hosts events for people with Down syndrome. The foundation gave the Down Syndrome Association of Greater St. Louis the resources to open an office and hire staff. In 2009, the Albert Pujols Wellness Center for Adults with Down Syndrome opened in Chesterfield, Missouri; Pujols was present at the opening on November 18. The foundation hosts an annual "All Stars Basketball Game" with down syndrome players at Missouri Baptist University. Pujols has taken several trips to the Dominican Republic, by taking supplies as well as a team of doctors and dentists to the poor who need medical care. The Pujols Family Foundation also holds an annual golf tournament to raise money to send dentists to the Dominican Republic. In 2009, Pujols donated money to the Mike Coolbaugh Memorial Tournament, allowing the event to occur after a sponsor backed out. On August 28, 2010, Pujols and La Russa attended Glenn Beck's Restoring Honor rally in Washington, D.C., after being assured by Beck that the rally was not political. During the rally, Pujols was presented with a medal for his off-the-field efforts.Personal life
Pujols married Deidre Pujols on January 1, 2000. They have five children: Isabella (Deidre's daughter from a previous relationship), Albert Jr., Sophia, Ezra and Esther Grace. After 22 years of marriage, Pujols filed for divorce on April 4, 2022, citing irreconcilable differences. Pujols is a devout Evangelicalism, evangelical Christian. He became an evangelical Christian on November 13, 1998, influenced in part by Deidre and his grandmother. During his first tenure with the Cardinals, Pujols and his family attended West County Community Church, a Southern Baptist Convention, Southern Baptist church in Wildwood, Missouri. During the offseason, Pujols lives in St. Louis. He owned a home in Irvine, California, but put it up for sale in 2016. Pujols is a supporter of people with Down syndrome, a condition Isabella was born with. In 2007, Pujols became a U.S. citizen, scoring a perfect 100 on his citizenship test. Pujols is close friends with third baseman Plácido Polanco, a former teammate with the Cardinals. Polanco has called Pujols his "closest friend in baseball," and Pujols is the godfather to Polanco's son, Ishmael. Pujols is also friends with Robinson Canó, who selected Mark Trumbo for the 2012 Home Run Derby after Pujols asked him to.See also
*List of Dominican Americans *List of Major League Baseball annual doubles leaders *List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders *List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders *List of Major League Baseball annual runs scored leaders *List of Major League Baseball batting champions *List of Major League Baseball career at bat leaders *List of Major League Baseball career bases on balls leaders *List of Major League Baseball career intentional bases on balls leaders *List of Major League Baseball career doubles leaders *List of Major League Baseball career extra base hits leaders *List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders *List of Major League Baseball career hit by pitch leaders *List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders *List of Major League Baseball career OPS leaders *List of Major League Baseball career plate appearance leaders *List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders *List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders *List of Major League Baseball career slugging percentage leaders *List of Major League Baseball career total bases leaders *List of Major League Baseball doubles records *List of Major League Baseball hit records *List of Major League Baseball home run records *List of Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic *List of Major League Baseball runs batted in records *List of Major League Baseball runs records *List of St. Louis Cardinals team records *Los Angeles Angels all-time roster *St. Louis Cardinals all-time roster *St. Louis Cardinals award winners and league leadersNotes
References
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