Albert grew up in the Dominican, the youngest of 11 children, but with no mother, and his Dad going off for long periods of time to work. His grandmother and grandfather really raised him. The family was poor, living in a camp-like setting. They often needed government assistance. Some of his aunts also raised him at times.

"Growing up in the Dominican, I wasn't poor like a lot of people down there, I was middle class," Pujols related to ESPN's Peter Gammons in 2004. "Where I didn't have everything, my family did whatever they can to get me a pair of shoes or a pair of batting gloves. Just because of the support I have from my family, that is why I am in the big leagues."

• Albert was playing baseball at age 6 as often as possible, following in his Dad's footsteps.

• Albert's father, Bienvenido Pujols, was a great softball pitcher in the Dominican Republic. Albert idolized him; he would wear his father's jerseys around his neighborhood in Santo Domingo. After a softball game was over, Bienvenido often stayed around with his friends, had a few drinks. When Bienvenido was done, Albert would drag and carry his father back to the house. Albert was 10 years old.

  The memory does not haunt him—Albert Pujols still idolizes his father. Rather, it explains him. "God made me older," Albert says, and this is the defining quality of his life.

  An only child, he was primarily raised by his grandmother, America Pujols, and by 10 uncles and aunts he still calls his brothers and sisters. He grew up on baseball and lived the archetypal life of a Dominican boy. He remembers playing catch with limes, using a glove made from a milk carton, and playing in games with players four and five years older. (Joe Posnanski-Sports Illustrated-3/16/09)

• Albert says that when he was growing up, he shared a pair of spikes and a glove with a friend. He was around 10 or 11 when he owned his first bat and glove.

• In high school, as a senior, he was walked 55 times in protest because opposing coaches believed he was older than 18, but he still hit eight home runs in 33 at bats.

• Pujols's mother and father divorced when he was three but maintained an amicable relationship. Albert was raised by his grandmother and father in a single-level, three-bedroom, one-bathroom house shared by 10 people. His father, Bienvenido, was a house painter and one of the country's best softball pitchers. Bienvenido had one requirement of his team as it traveled around the D.R.: "If there is not a seat for my son, I won't go." There was always a seat for Albert.

• When Pujols was growing up, the Braves were on TV a lot, and they had a lot of Dominican players.

  "My favorite was Julio Franco," Albert said. "He was one of the best hitters all-time coming from the Dominican Republic."

  Estadio Quisqueya, with its single horseshoe deck of seating and its awning like roof, was built in Santo Domingo in 1955 and originally named for Rafael Trujillo, the Dominican Republic's dictator and a baseball aficionado. Almost all the great Dominican baseball stars have passed through Estadio Quisqueya, mostly in winter league ball or off-season workouts. In the 1980s, Pujols's stepfather operated a little store underneath Quisqueya's stands, where he sold sandwiches, soda and beer. As a boy Albert helped his stepfather at the store. One of the perks of the job was early access to the empty ballpark, and Albert would marvel at the batting-practice feats of Raul Mondesi, Sammy Sosa and other Dominican stars as the noise of professional hitting echoed across 14,829 empty seats.

  No other hitter, however, was as engrossing to watch as Julio Franco. Every swing seemed to be a merengue in miniature, a dance of flourish and filigree in which the barrel of Franco's bat began pointed at the pitcher, was drawn back and, after a dramatic leg kick, came around in a tight arc, more often than not sending line drives whistling into the right field gap-the signature result of what hitters call keeping the hands "inside the ball," or close to the body through the hitting zone.

  "I remember me and my friends watching Julio Cesar Franco," Pujols says, smiling at the memory. "Everybody in the D.R. wanted to be like him-staying inside the ball."

• He's the youngest of 11 children. When Albert was young, his uncle moved from the Dominican Republic to New York, but realized the cost of living was too high for the rest of the Pujols clan. The uncle found that life could be good in Independence, Missouri, a suburb of Kansas City.

  Gradually, Albert's grandmother and six brothers moved to Kansas City. Albert and his Dad followed when Albert was 16. As many as 10 members of the Pujols clan lived in a small home. Always the quick learner, Albert learned English in less than a year.

• Cardinals' fans show their appreciation for Albert by chanting "POOH!" when he is introduced at the plate.

• In 1997, Albert helped Fort Osage High School win a state championship. In 1998 he enrolled in college, spending the year playing junior college baseball at Maple Woods Community College in Kansas City, Missouri.

• In his first junior college game, playing shortstop, he turned an unassisted triple play and hit a grand slam.

• Albert slipped below baseball's radar. In the 1999 draft, he was the 402nd choice. His bonus from the Cardinals was only $60,000. But, most people don't know that Pujols' contract also included a $30,000 bonus for reaching the Majors, and $30,000 for school (which he never received).

  David Karaff, the scout who recommended Pujols to the Cardinals, was fired in 2003—four years after the Cardinals drafted Pujols. The former scout wound up taking a job at a Walmart in Hot Springs, Arkansas. (Gordon Edes-Boston Globe)

• "Since I was a little kid, I knew I had the opportunity to play pro ball," the soft-spoken Albert said. He doesn't act presumptuous. He is usually the first Cardinal in uniform every game. His nice, easy-going personality makes him popular in the clubhouse.

• Pujols could have been playing for the Red Sox. Boston came real close to drafting him in 1999, when it blew first-round picks on Rick Asadoorian, Brad Baker, and Casey Fossum. (Editor's note: If he was the 402nd choice, every other Major League passed on him too.)

  Midway through the draft's first day, Pujols's name rose to the top of Boston's draft board. His age couldn't be verified beyond a shadow of a doubt and his asking price was in the six figures, but his bat was enticing. So scouting director Wayne Britton placed a call to Pujols.

  Britton asked Pujols, then an infielder at Maple Woods (Missouri) Community College, if he'd consider signing for ninth-round or 10th-round money. Pujols said no, so Britton passed him up. The Cardinals took Pujols in the 13th round, and they initially offered him $10,000. He spent most of the summer of 1999 playing in the Jayhawk Summer League, then Pujols signed with the Cards for a $60,000 bonus late in August. He headed almost immediately to instructional league after that. (Jim Callis-Baseball America-11/04/04)

• Those who watched Albert's amateur career remember the almost mythical blasts he hit at various times. For example, he nailed a ball at Liberty High School in Missouri that went over the 402-foot fence in centerfield and off an air conditioning unit atop a two-story building. He sent a drive over the leftfield wall at Highland Community College in Kansas, which sailed across a street and over a tree.

• In 2000, Pujols was Midwest League MVP and the Cardinals' Minor League Player of the Year.

• Albert is coachable. He applies instruction well. "The best thing I have going for me—my ability to listen to a coach and fix what I'm doing wrong so fast."

• He has a serious, mature approach to the game, along with a real love for it.

• April 2000: In the Cardinals' home opener, Pujols became the first rookie in 47 years (Wally Moon in 1954) to homer in his first game with the team.

• One-time Cards' hitting coach Mike Easler said, "His aptitude is so high. Obviously, his parents did a great job. He is responsible, he's respectful, works hard, and always wants to learn."

• Pujols says the priorities in his life are God, family, and career, in that order. "Always been that way," he says. Albert deeply believes that God has given him the baseball platform to do good work.

  MARRIES DEE DEE

• Albert met his then-future wife, Deidre (Dee Dee) when he was just 18 years old. She thought he was 21, because they met in a Kansas City dance club that was for people 21 and older. On their first date, he admitted being only 18. She revealed something too: she had a baby daughter, Isabella, who had been born with Down syndrome. Pujols quickly fell in love with both of them.

• What strikes Dee Dee is how Albert seemed entirely driven to be something more than just a baseball star. He did not drink. He would not even be in the same room as a smoker. He did not get tattoos. He never wore an earring. He wasn't interested in going out with the boys. He played baseball, and he went to church, and that seemed about all that interested him.

• On New Year's Day 2000, he married Deidre. She is three years older than Albert, who was 19 when he married her. Her parents are of Mexican and Irish heritage. He became a father to her daughter, Isabella, who has Down's syndrome.

• After Albert's one season in the minors, he got a part-time catering job at a Kansas City-area country club. "We didn't have any money," Albert says. "It was hard." They spent $150 on their wedding. Their honeymoon was in Peoria, Albert's first minor league stop.

• Then, on January 10, 2001, Albert and Deidre brought Albert Jose, Jr. into the world. They call him "A.J."

• Albert and Deidre attend Kansas City Baptist Temple. And they tithe (donate 10 percent to the church).

  "We both know we shouldn't hold out on God. God is Albert's source," Deidre says. And Albert said, "I'm lucky I've got a good wife who's good to me. We have a great family. She's going to be the one I live forever with. We have two kids, one with Down's syndrome. Besides living through the Lord, what else can be better than your family?"

• His impact on the Cardinals reaches far beyond the numbers he posts. As a rookie in 2001, his consistency through the whole season was tremendous. On the rare occasions he made a "rookie" mistake, teammates didn't hesitate to point it out to him, and he never pouted about the criticism, instead correcting the problem. It made him an even better player. By the end of the 2001 season, his approach was exemplary.

• Third base coach Jose Oquendo has served as Pujols's most significant mentor, providing a soothing voice and hitting him countless grounders.

• Because he is such a big guy, Albert will always have to work hard during the winters to stay quick and in shape.

  HIGH PRAISE

• In the spring of 2001, when Mark McGwire first saw Albert, he was extremely impressed with him. "He's all ears. I've never seen anybody pay attention like him," McGwire told Jim Palmer.

• Cardinals manager Tony La Russa gave Pujols the biggest complement for a player. "A lot of guys have talent and play below it,'' La Russa said. "This guy keeps maximizing his talent and keeps wanting to learn. The way he works, the way he's willing to learn. He's the best player I ever managed.'' 

  La Russa has managed Carlton Fisk, Mark McGwire, Rickey Henderson, Dennis Eckersley, and Dave Stewart. So that is quite a compliment.  "He has the work ethic," La Russa said. "He prepares. He's intelligent about making adjustments. He has a hunger, a willingness to keep learning. He's never content. After he won Rookie of the Year, his response was to work harder. After he had his outstanding second season in 2002, he pushed even more.

  "And what puts him over the top for me is a big part of his motivation is winning the game that day. When you have a great player who is putting up huge numbers, but recognizing that this is a team competition, and all that matters is winning and losing, he goes right to the top. His No. 1 motivation as a player is finding a way to win."

• Pujols's impatience with unsolicited suggestions, however, is well-known. He can be curt with teammates who approach him immediately after an ugly at-bat, dismissive to outsiders who encroach on his pre-game preparation, and sullen when struggling.

  In 2002, two veteran teammates approached manager Tony La Russa about Pujols's disposition. La Russa dismissed the complaints. "They were players who really didn't have a feel for what were the team's real concerns," the manager said. "You look at how far he's come as a player in two years," said Mike Matheny, a winter workout partner of Pujols's. "He's a central player on this team. There are people coming at him from every angle who want something from him. To his credit, he's able to keep his focus. Some people may have trouble understanding that. But there's probably no way he can make everyone happy."

• In 2003, Pujols's contract had a $50,000 bonus that paid off when he made the NL All-Star team.

• On a shelf in Albert's locker sits a ceramic baseball with a verse from the Book of Ecclesiastes on it: "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might." The ball was a gift from Pujols's wife, Dee Dee.

• "You see him celebrate somebody else's base hit more than his own. He's really just trying to help us win. That's out of the [Stan] Musial, [Red] Schoendienst and [Lou] Brock era. He's just out there playing. The numbers and the money take care of themselves. That's why I admire him," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said in 2004.

  MULTIPLE MVPs

• In 2004, Pujols was named Most Valuable Player of the NLCS, posting a .500 batting average, with 10 runs scored, four home runs, and nine runs batted in. He helped the Cardinals beat the Astros to become the NL champ (before losing the World Series to the Red Sox).

  He had 14 hits in the series, setting an NLCS record, and tied Hideki Matsui of the Yankees for the most in either league. He had an NLCS record 28 total bases (also tying Matsui) while his four homers equaled the LCS mark. He became only the fifth player in LCS history to hit .500 or better in a series.

• Albert won the 2005 National League MVP Award. He edged Andruw Jones of the Braves for the prize. Pujols received 18 first place votes and 14 seconds for 378 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Jones, the Atlanta Braves center fielder, got 13 first-place votes, 17 seconds and two thirds for 351 points.

• At a December 2005 charity auction, Pujols bid $2,500 for the glove Roger Clemens wore during his 300th win, then gave the glove, along with a hug and a kiss, to Miki Cunningham, a teenager with Down Syndrome.

  And in January 2006, at the St. Louis chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America auction, Albert bid $5,000 for an autographed Chris Carpenter jersey, five times the second-highest bid; then he passed the jersey along to the second-highest bidder.

• February 7, 2007: Albert officially became a United States citizen when he was sworn in by U.S. District Court judge Richard E. Webber. The ceremony at the Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. Courthouse culminated a nearly yearlong process.

  Pujols received a perfect score on the oral and written exam, according to Chester Moyer, officer in charge of the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Service's St. Louis branch. The 10-15 minute exam included questions about the American form of government, the function of its three branches, how a judicial proceeding works, and the nation's history.

• 2008: Albert was presented with the Roberto Clemente Award, given annually to a Major League player who combines community service with excellence on the field.

  Pujols received the award in a ceremony at Citizens Bank Park before Game 3 of the World Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and Philadelphia Phillies. He was selected from 30 nominees, one from each major league team, by a committee that included commissioner Bud Selig and Vera Clemente, Roberto’s widow.

  He was honored for his work with the Pujols Family Foundation, which helps the lives of children and young adults with Down Syndrome. The foundation has helped more than 500 families affected by Down Syndrome in the St. Louis area, with various programs and fundraising events.

• In 2008, Pujols was named the National League MVP for the second time. He is the first Dominican player to be named MVP twice. This time, Albert beat out the Phillies' Ryan Howard, who garnered 12 first place votes to the 18 Pujols received.

• In 2009, Albert was named National League MVP for the third time. He is the 10th player in history to win three MVPs, and the fifth to win it three times in the National League. He is the 12th player to win back-to-back MVP awards. The last was Barry Bonds, who won it four straight years from 2001-04.

• In 2010, Pujols finished second in the NL MVP voting, behind Joey Votto of the Reds.

• 2009: In the midst of all the steroids finger pointing, Albert said, "You know how I want people to remember me? I don’t want to be remembered as the best baseball player ever. I want to be remembered as a great guy who loved the Lord, loved to serve the community, and who gave back."

  None of the accusations suggesting Pujols was using steroids ever proved true.

  "Why would I lie?" Pujols said in 2009. "I don't play this game for money, for my family, or for fans. I play to glorify God because of the talent He has given me. Maybe some people don't want to hear that, but it's the truth. What you do eventually will come into the light. So why should I lie now for the truth to come out in a month, a year or five years?

  "My responsibility has been the same since my first day as a pro," Albert says. "My first responsibility is to represent God. I fear God too much to do anything stupid in the game. If I can stay healthy, I can accomplish what I want: to keep on winning and to one day reach the Hall of Fame."

• Albert's wife, Deidre, has a signature dish that she calls, "Home Run Chicken" that she shares in a cookbook written by the wife of Marlins owner, Jeffrey Loria, Julie, called "Diamond Dishes."

• Pujols departed St. Louis for Los Angeles with a top-10 career mark in virtually every significant offensive category—this for a franchise with more than a century of distinguished history. He's fourth all-time in hits, third in runs, and second in total bases, doubles, home runs, RBIs and walks—behind only Stan Musial in all five of those latter categories.

  Albert left with a .328 batting average, a .420 on-base percentage and a .617 slugging percentage. He's already amassed 445 home runs, one category where he was closing fast on Musial, who hit 475. His 1,329 RBIs and 1,291 runs were already starting to approach Hall of Fame territory.

  Along with manager Tony La Russa, he was the dominant face of a 12-year stretch in which the Cardinals were playoff perennials. In Pujols' 11 seasons, they made the postseason 7 times. They won the World Series twice and made it to the Fall Classic three times. Pujols played on the winning side in 10 playoff series as a Cardinal.

• In May 2012, the St. Louis Post Dispatch reported that the Pujols Family Foundation has plans to expand to Kansas City, Nashville, and Southern California. The program primarily serves people with down syndrome, but also funds anti-poverty, medical and youth baseball programs in Pujols's native Dominican Republic.

• September 16, 2012: Albert's wife, Deidre, gave birth to the couple's fifth child, and third daughter. She delivered baby Esther Grace over two weeks early.

• Pujols is one of the most charitable athletes around and fully aware of the responsibilities that come with fame. But he's very selective about when he makes himself available and won't let anything stand in the way of his routine. It's why he's so difficult to track down for interviews, why you don't see him in commercials and why "congenial" isn't a word anyone would use to describe him.

  In some ways, though, he believes he's misunderstood.

  "Like I said the other day with Trout—you have to learn how to say no sometimes, because those are distractions you don't want in your game," Pujols said. "That's why a lot of people read me wrong. They'll say I'm moody and this and that. But when I'm doing my work, it's my work. If I want to be successful, I have to focus on my job 100 percent. And then later, if I have time, then I'll do it. But that's how my Mom and Dad raised me."

• His first at bat in spring training always gives him jitters, he said in March 2013, as does his first at-bat in the regular season and the playoffs.

  So how does he combat that feeling? Pujols said he thinks of some heady advice from his father, who frequently told him when growing up, "If you're not nervous, you're not ready."

• March 15, 2013: Pujols, five months removed from right knee surgery, ran the bases in a Cactus League game—all by himself. It seems strange to even have to note that, but the Angels were granted the rare allowance of using a "courtesy runner" for Pujols in his three previous appearances in a spring exhibition game. The condition of the right leg was still shaky enough to prevent Pujols from doing anything in the field, aside from fielding a few ground balls in morning workouts.

• Pujols is a nine-time All Star, three-time National League MVP and six-time Silver Slugger winner. But when Mark McGwire looks at Pujols, he sees something Pujols used to see in McGwire—a baseball player with a strong desire to be the best.

  "His work ethic is far and beyond anybody that I know," McGwire said. "He's relentless. Right now, playing through what he's playing through, bad foot, bad knee. Guys like that don't come along too much. I got to see him in his rookie year and seeing him now, how he's grown as a player, as a person, playing through pain. He never wants to be out of the lineup."

  While Pujols insists he does not play for numbers, McGwire is aware of Pujols' numbers and often reminds his friend just how great he is.

  "He always tells me that," a beaming Pujols said. "Anytime we have a conversation he tells me that. It means a lot, but I still have a lot of career left in my lifetime hopefully. I just try to go one day at a time."  When Pujols retires and does decide to look back at his numbers, he and McGwire will have at least 1,066 home runs, 2,879 RBIs, 21 All-Star games, four World Series rings and plenty of memories.

  "At the end, we are all going to hang our jersey, but the best thing you have is the memories from the time you played," Pujols said. "I think that's more important than anything else." (5/31/13)

• Albert appeared in a short film in partnership with I Am Second, a movement meant to inspire others through the life stories of athletes, actors, models, musicians, pastors, politicians, etc.

  The short film consists of Pujols sitting on a white couch, with a black T-shirt and a black background, while talking about his life—his move from the Dominican Republic, his marriage, his daughter with Down syndrome and, mostly, his faith.

  The film can be seen on iamsecond.com. Other professional sports figures including Josh Hamilton, Matt Barkley, Joe Gibbs, Clayton Kershaw, and Jason Witten have also appeared in videos.

  Pujols was approached about the idea four or five years ago.

  "The most important thing in my life is to be able to share my testimony with everybody," Pujols said. "I think this is a great opportunity, to see what's the most important thing in my life, which is my relationship with Jesus Christ. It was an easy yes for me."

  Pujols shares how there is more to him than his many baseball accomplishments.

  "A friend of mine challenged me about four years ago to ask every guy that gets to first base what the most important thing in their life is," said Pujols. "The response I sometimes get is why I am asking such a question and I tell them it is because there's more to life than this game."

  Pujols dreamed of playing baseball from a young age. He grew up in poverty in the Dominican Republic, before his family moved to the United States in 1996. Before long, his dreams began to come true and it seemed baseball would be the focus of his life. But then he met his wife, Deidre. Her faith and Down syndrome daughter Isabella gave Pujols a new perspective on life. Through his journey raising Isabella as his own, Pujols became a stronger man of faith.

  "I don't want people to remember me as just a baseball player," Pujols says in his I Am Second film. "To me, off the field is more important than what I do on the field. Sure, I want to be a great baseball player, but I also wanted to be a Godly daddy and husband, setting an example for my kids. If you would ask me this 20 years ago, I would have told you that I thought it was about me." (Alden Gonzalez - 7/02/13)

• October 2013: The Pujols Kitchen wrapped up its most successful Facebook campaign to date, helping increase social media awareness on the company’s mission—using profits from the sales of its cookware to address poverty globally, one family at a time. After the company’s Facebook page reached 2,500 likes, it gave away a Baseball Bat Pepper Grinder signed by Albert.

  With the pepper grinder, the winner also received the official Pujols Kitchen cookbook signed by founder Deidre Pujols, wife of the star baseball player. The Pujols Kitchen is updating its current cookbook of Dominican-inspired and Pujols family recipes for debut later this year. The cookbook features beautiful, vibrant photographs of Deidre Pujols’ many trips to meet and cook with the women of the Dominican. It also provides recipes for the delicious and hearty recipes Deidre learned to make from Dominican women who inspired her on her trips.

  LAWSUIT

• Albert wasn't bluffing when he threatened to sue former All-Star Jack Clark for calling him "a juicer" on St. Louis airwaves on August 2, 2013. On October 4, 2013, in St. Louis County Circuit Court, Pujols's legal team officially filed a defamation lawsuit against Clark.

  In the suit, Pujols asks for unspecified damages that would be donated to charity and a determination that Clark's statements are false. The petition calls Clark's on-air comments "malicious, reckless and outrageous falsehoods," and says the Angels first baseman's character and reputation are "impeccable and beyond reproach, while calling Clark "a struggling radio talk show host."

  On Aug. 2, while hosting the now-defunct "The King and the Ripper Show" on WGNU 920 AM in St. Louis, Clark said he knew "for a fact" that Pujols used steroids. How? Because Pujols' former trainer and junior college coach, Chris Mihlfeld, told the host when the two were together on the Dodgers in 2000 (Clark as hitting coach, Mihlfeld as trainer) that he "shot [Pujols] up."

  Mihlfeld denied those allegations in a written statement a week later, saying he would "bet my life" that Pujols would "never use illegal drugs in any way." Shortly thereafter, Pujols issued his own statement, calling Clark's comments "irresponsible and reckless" and saying he's "going to send a message that you cannot act in a reckless manner, like they have, and get away with it."

  Pujols' lawsuit does not name the radio station as a defendant. Clark and his co-host, Kevin Slaten, were dismissed shortly after Pujols' statement—seven shows into their tenure—and the station has issued a handful of apologies since, most recently on air.

• February 11, 2014: Albert Pujols dropped the defamation lawsuit against Jack Clark after Clark issued a statement retracting his previous comments alleging that Pujols had used performance-enhancing drugs.

• 2014 Tony La Russa comments about Albert: Asked what jumps out to him most about his former lynchpin, La Russa recalls all those 0-for-4 days when Pujols was on the top step cheering for his teammates or when he would sacrifice himself to move a runner over while chasing a batting title. To La Russa, the Cardinals' skipper from 1996 to 2011, those moments captured the essence of Pujols, because "from the first time he got to the Major Leagues until right now, he has been the consummate competitor, teammate."

  "I say that," La Russa cautioned, "and I don't think enough people will understand."

  So he tries again.

  "He plays like the old days. You know, when your values were simple. You played as hard as you could for your team, you took pride in what the team did and then you got fame and fortune. Guys are so distracted now. Albert has never been distracted and has been tempted to many, many times, because he's had a great, great career." (April, 2014)

• April 22, 2014: Pujols homered twice in the Angels' 7-2 victory over the Nationals, becoming the 26th member of the 500-home run club and the first player to hit Nos. 499 and 500 on the very same day, just like he said he would.

  "It's pretty special," said Pujols, who wouldn't talk openly about his pursuit of 500 homers until it actually happened. "To have almost 18,000 players wear a big league uniform, and to have only 26 players do this, it's pretty special. At the end, I give all the glory and all the credit to the Lord, because without him, I wouldn't be here. And my family, which supports me through good times and bad times."

  Tom Sherrill, a 29-year-old Air Force staff sergeant originally from Pomona, Calif., began the evening sitting down the left-field line. And even though Pujols' first-inning homer, career No. 499, went in that direction, something told Sherrill to move toward center field before Pujols batted in the fifth.

  "When I saw Albert was going to come up, we kind of finagled our way over toward left-center," he said. "Just a hunch, I guess. It worked out."

  Sherrill wound up with the ball, which he gave back to Pujols without hesitation, asking nothing in return but receiving a new Angels hat and a signed ball, with more items likely to come.

  "I'm happy with whatever they decide to give me, if anything," said Sherrill, who was in town to participate in some Air Force training in the area.

• August 17, 2014: Angels infield coach Alfredo Griffin knows Albert Pujols isn't healthy. He knows the left foot, the one stricken by plantar fasciitis in an injury-shortened 2013 season, isn't 100 percent and never will be—even if the veteran first baseman won't say anything about it.

  "He's not going to tell you it hurts him; he won't tell anybody," Griffin said in Spanish. "But he can't fool me."

  In Griffin's mind, that's what makes Pujols' defensive work this season all the more impressive.

  One year after spending 65 of his 99 games at designated hitter, Pujols is back to playing elite-level defense at first base, leading American Leaguers at his position in Ultimate Zone Rating while ranking second in Defensive Runs Saved and fielding percentage as of late August, 2014.

  He doesn't play off the bag as much as he used to, and he doesn't cover as much ground, but he's making a case for his third Gold Glove nonetheless.

  "That's why I respect him so much and I give him so much praise," Griffin said, "for the courage that he has."

  "It's hard to take him out of the game," Griffin said. "He doesn't want to come out, he doesn't want a day off, he doesn't want to DH. He wants to play every day. He has a lot of pride, and that's very valuable in this game. Some people who make a lot of money don't think like that. But the money doesn't matter to him. He loves to play." (Alden Gonzalez - MLB.com - 8/17/2014)

  September 6, 2014: Albert has a giant trophy room in the basement of his house in St. Louis, a prodigious collection of mementos he once thought about transplanting to his place in Southern California before realizing it probably wasn't worth the trouble. "I can't do it, man," Pujols said. "It's too much."

• 2015: Pujols's 9-year-old daughter, Sophia, is aiming for the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo in gymnastics. In February 2015 she showed that she's well on her way to competing for that gold medal by placing first in a meet in St. Louis. Pujols says he'll retire if his daughter qualifies for the 2020 Olympics.

• Albert passed Mike Schmidt with three home runs in one doubleheader. Pujols remembers Schmidt as the Phillies legend who showed up at the Cardinals' Spring Training facility in 2002, to speak with the team about how to prepare for the grind and act like a professional.

  Pujols was only 22 then, entering his second season and still wondering what he was going to do, who he was going to be, in this game. And if somebody would've told that  Pujols about someday hitting 600 home runs, moving into 15th place on the all-time list and passing the Hall of Fame third baseman, well ...

  "I would've asked, 'What are you thinking?'" Pujols said, a big smile after the Angels' doubleheader sweep.  But there he was 13 years later and still, somehow, leading the Major Leagues in home runs.

  Pujols turned on an Eduardo Rodriguez slider in the second inning of the Angels' 11-1 win in Game 1, then pounced on a knuckleball from Steven Wright in the second and unloaded on an Alexi Ogando changeup in the seventh inning of the Angels' 7-3 win in Game 2. Three solo homers, giving him 29 on the year and adding Schmidt to the list of players Pujols has passed on the home run leader board this year.

  The others: Ted Williams, Jimmie Foxx, Willie McCovey, and Frank Thomas.  The list is getting more distinguished, the names more renowned. 

  "At the end of my career—and I'm going to continue saying this until the last time I wear a uniform—I'm going to have time to think about it," Pujols said. "It's hard for me to think about it, who I'm passing, who's in front of me, because that's not my main focus. Arte [Moreno, the Angels' owner] brought me here, to the Angels organization, for one thing only, and that's to accomplish a championship for our fans. I'm going to try to do my best."  (Gonzalez - mlb.com - 7/20/15)

• Aug 20, 2016: There are only nine men who have hit more home runs than Albert Pujols, who slugged career homer No. 583 in the ninth inning of the Angels' 5-1 loss to the Yankees at Angel Stadium, tying him with former teammate Mark McGwire for 10th on the all-time list.

  Pujols said it would have been sweeter if the home run came in a winning effort and added he doesn't want to dwell on his career numbers, but he admitted tying his former mentor with the Cardinals was a big deal.

  "Tied with Mark is pretty special, because he's a close friend of mine," said Pujols, who was beaming as he read a congratulatory text from McGwire on his way out of the Angels' clubhouse after the game. "We stay in touch, a guy who always helped me out whenever I went through a slump."

  "Every time Albert does something, there's always a little footnote of who he's passing, and you hear the names that we've heard for the last couple years of guys that are the immortals of this game," said Angels manager Mike Scioscia. "It's just fun to see every time he does something, whether it's a double or an RBI or a home run, I think it just puts in perspective the incredible career he's had and really how strong he's still going."

  Pujols, 36, can now set his sights on Frank Robinson, who is ninth all-time with 586 homers. The rest of the Top 10 includes: Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755), Babe Ruth (714), Alex Rodriguez (696), Willie Mays (660), Ken Griffey Jr. (630), Jim Thome (612) and Sammy Sosa (609).

  "A guy that mentored me in St. Louis my first year, just to see how he was approaching the game, how all the pressure was on him because he was the guy," said Pujols, who has 23 homers and 96 RBIs in 120 games this season. "He and Sammy Sosa pretty much turned baseball around. And just the way that he approached the game and his focus and his work ethic. It was pretty amazing as a young 21-year-old, I was just following him around, just seeing his preparation, and obviously he helped me along my way."

  Angels pitcher Ricky Nolasco believes Pujols will head to the Hall of Fame when all is said and done. "He's always a pain, always a really good hitter, and obviously he's going to be in the record books in a lot of categories," said Nolasco, who has allowed three homers to Pujols over the years. "I'm sure he's a no-doubt Hall of Famer." (A Laymance - MLB.com - Aug 21, 2016)

• Sept 17, 2016: The milestones just keep coming for Pujols, who registered his 14th season of at least 30 homers with a solo shot in the second inning against the Blue Jays. Pujols' 30th put him in elite company. Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez are the only other players to accomplish the feat.

  Pujols is also the fastest to reach 14 30-homer seasons of the four players, doing it in just his 16th season as a Major Leaguer, while it took Rodriguez 17 seasons, Bonds 18 seasons and Aaron 19 seasons. With another season of at least 30 homers, Pujols would tie Rodriguez and Aaron for the most in MLB history. (J Baer - MLB.com - Sept 18, 2016)

• Sept 24, 2016: When you've had as long and prolific a career as Albert Pujols, you're bound to pass some big names in the record books. The 36-year-old slugger passed another one in a 10-4 win over the Astros at Minute Maid Park.

  With his RBI double in the fourth, which went a Statcast-projected 104.8 mph off Brad Peacock's 93.3 mph fastball, Pujols passed Barry Bonds on the all-time doubles list with 602 for 15th-most in Major League history.

  "Every time Albert does something," manager Mike Scioscia said, "whether he knocks a run in or hits an extra-base hit or a home run, it's fun to see just what the footnote is and who he's passing."

  Pujols is one double away from tying Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. for 14th on the list. "The names are legendary every time he does something now," Scioscia said. "It's fun to watch." (J Ray - MLB.com - Sept 25, 2016)

• July 1, 2017: The Angels honored Albert Pujols with a ceremony before the 4-0 win over the Mariners at Angel Stadium. The club celebrated the slugger for becoming the ninth player in Major League history to reach the 600-homer career milestone earlier this 2017 season. Pujols accomplished the feat on June 4 when he launched a fourth-inning grand slam off Twins right-hander Ervin Santana. He's the first of the nine-member group to enter with a slam.

  The gathering took place at home plate, with Pujols, his wife Deidre, and their son, AJ, on the field, alongside Angels owner Arte Moreno and his wife Carole, and manager Mike Scioscia. Angels play-by-play broadcaster Victor Rojas began the celebration by introducing Pujols before a pair of slideshows played on the Jumbotron. The first featured the other eight members of the 600-homer club, and the second highlighted several of Pujols' milestone shots.

  The Machine was then honored with a commemorative encasement of the historic connection, which included the bat and ball involved. The framed shrine also featured inscriptions of the date and number of each of his career home runs. The ceremony concluded with the game's first pitch, which was thrown to Pujols by Scott Steffel, a 23-year-old graphic designer from Costa Mesa, Calif., who caught Pujols' 600th career home run. (K Jones - MLB.com - July 2, 2017)

• Sept 16, 2017: Albert and Deidre Pujols have long established their reputations as two of the baseball community's most charitable citizens. Since 2005, they've run the Pujols Family Foundation, an organization that supports families of children with Down syndrome and impoverished people in the Dominican Republic. Now, the couple is teaming up to raise money and awareness to help combat another global issue: Human trafficking and the epidemic of modern-day slavery.  

  They hosted Strike Out Slavery Day at Angel Stadium to educate fans about the $32 billion industry that enslaves 45.8 million people in 167 countries, according to figures compiled by the Global Slavery Index.

  "This was not something that I was necessarily going after," Deidre said at a press conference last month. "It came after me."

  Deidre, a mother of five, first became aware of the magnitude of the issue last year and soon became consumed with helping to support the fight against human trafficking and sexual exploitation. She traveled to places like Mexico City and Cambodia to educate herself about these types of crimes. When she returned from her travels, Deidre felt compelled to use her husband's platform to raise awareness. She and Albert decided to launch Strike Out Slavery, an initiative meant to raise funds for eight non-profits organizations that work to end human trafficking.

  "I'm so proud of her," Albert said. "I'm really excited because I see her heart is in this. She makes the time to care for people and since I met her that's what she's been. That's why I call her Wonder Woman."

  After the game, Nick Jonas performed a free postgame concert for fans at Angel Stadium to support the cause.

  "It's one thing to support a cause, it's another thing what Deidre and Albert are doing," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "She's out there on the frontlines of this. She's visited a lot of areas around the globe to not only educate people, but to start to put up battle lines of trying to alleviate this issue. It says a lot to their commitment. They're not just writing checks and sitting back. They're out there in the fight, and I think that says a lot about what they're about. They're totally committed to it." (M Guardado - MLB.com - Sept 17, 2017)

• You aren't truly a star until you've been given a nickname, whether you're The Man, the Kid, or Big Sexy.

  But the nickname is not just an American phenomenon: Fans of the Chinese Professional Baseball League, or CPBL, have their very own nickname system. And just as many English language nicknames are based on puns, these nicknames are also largely based on the player names' phonetic similarity to Mandarin words.

  Rob Liu, who runs CPBLStats.com—one of the greatest English-language information sources on the league—spoke to MLB.com from his home in Taiwan to introduce us to these glorious nicknames, and to give a little more info for some of them.

  Though these nicknames may not be as popular with non-baseball fans, Liu says, "If you are really into baseball, fans will know these sorts of names."

  Here are some of the best. We've included the Mandarin spelling of each nickname and its pronunciation to help illuminate their lore.

  Corey Kluber: Uncle Skeleton 骷髏伯 (Ku-Lou-Bo)

  Bartolo Colon: Eight-headed Dragon 八頭龍 (Ba-Tou-Long)

  Francisco Lindor: Chairman Lin 林董 (Lin-Dom)

  "In the business world in Taiwan, if you're a chairman, they always use your last name and add 'Dom.' So, if you're Lin, you're Lin-Dom."

  Miguel Cabrera: Ricecake 米糕 (Mi Gao)

  Dallas Keuchel: Mouth Open 開口 (Kai Kou)

  Albert Pujols: The Bionic Man 生化人 (Sheng Hua Ren)

  "This is more for Pujols' performance and the way he plays than how it sounds." Note: It's also a play on his American nickname, The Machine.

  Justin Morneau: Ferocious Bull 猛牛 (Meng Niou)

  "Morneau is a ferocious bull and Morneau hit well for the organization. So, you put two and two together."

  Chi-Chi Gonzalez and Didi Gregorius: Chip and Dale 救難小福星 Chi-Chi and Di-Di

  "Whenever those two have a matchup, the people of Taiwan call them Chip and Dale: Rescue Rangers. Because in Taiwan, we call Chip and Dale, Chi Chi and Didi." (Michael Clair -MLB.com-Feb. 28, 2019)

• June 21, 2019:  Nearly eight years after Albert last played in a Cardinals uniform, Pujols finally returned to the stadium that he once helped christen with championships, MVPs, and majestic home runs. He hadn’t been back at Busch Stadium since he had departed a 2011 World Series champion.

  That changed at 2:35 p.m. CT, when he walked through the security entrance not only to find the blinding lights of TV cameras awaiting, but also so many old friends. A few of them snuck into his press conference—including former teammate Jim Edmonds, Cardinals manager Mike Shildt and all three Molina brothers—while others peeked their heads out of offices or around corners to catch a glimpse or say thank you.

  He stopped to hug security guards and Cardinals team doctors, broadcasters and front office staffers.  “It’s him!” one lady exclaimed as she cracked open the door to the stadium operations office.

  “It hasn’t hit me yet,” Pujols said three hours before first pitch. “I’m pretty sure later on, when I take the field, it’ll be . . . I’m not really an emotional guy, but I think it’s getting to me now. Besides the two World Series that we accomplished together here in this organization, with the Cardinals, I think this is probably going to be right up there. This moment, this weekend.” 

  By the end of the night, there would be so many moments.  The first ovation from the second-largest crowd (48,423) in Busch Stadium III’s 14-year history came at 6:50, when Pujols emerged from the dugout to stretch. Cameras caught him grinning from ear to ear. He briefly choked up.

  “That got me there, too, for a minute,” Pujols said after the Cardinals’ 5-1 win over the Angels. “The moment was pretty special.”

  Minutes later, he jogged to center field, where several Cardinals players were waiting to meet him. With so much time passed since he last called St. Louis home, most had never met him before. At 7:01, the Busch Stadium scoreboard began to play highlights of Pujols’ career with the Cardinals. It concluded with a standing ovation from the sellout crowd. Players from both teams lined the top of their respective dugouts to join in the applause. 

  “The pregame tribute was awesome,” Angels center fielder Mike Trout said after playing his first game in St. Louis. “Obviously, he's done a lot for St. Louis. I was looking at his numbers. If he would've retired after his 11 years here, he would've still been in the Hall of Fame. It's just pretty remarkable.”

  Pujols moved into the on-deck circle at 7:23, waving to all the fans who pulled out their smartphones. Two minutes later, an entire stadium rose.

  For about the next 80 seconds, the appreciation for Pujols’ lasting legacy in a baseball-crazed town hit its crescendo. Molina cleared the area around home plate to let the moment build. Thirty-three seconds in, Pujols doffed his helmet. Ten seconds later, he and Molina embraced. Owner Bill DeWitt Jr. and team president Bill DeWitt III joined in the standing ovation. 

  The reception continued as Michael Wacha—the player that the Cardinals chose with the compensation pick they received upon Pujols’ departure—delivered a pitch. The applause didn’t end until center fielder Harrison Bader snagged Pujols’ 365-foot flyout to end the first inning.

  “I can tell you that if it was up to these fans, they would have stood out there for three hours,” Pujols said. “Because that’s the appreciation they have, not just for me, but to everybody who has worn that uniform.”

  The standing ovations recommenced each time he returned to the plate. During his fourth-inning plate appearance, fans chanted his name. They also booed Wacha after Pujols drew a four-pitch walk. Pujols later apologized to Wacha for the spotlight that he stole. “I really didn’t think too much about it,” Wacha said. “It’s obviously well deserved, and he probably deserved about five more minutes of that ovation.”

  The crowd, again on its feet, later seemed to will Pujols to first as he beat out an infield single to open the seventh. His 4.76-second home-to-first time was the fastest that Pujols had gotten down the first-base line in over four years, according to Statcast.  When he was lifted for a pinch-runner later in the frame, the crowd took one final opportunity to express its gratitude for all that Pujols had accomplished under the shadow of the Gateway Arch. 

  “Words can’t describe this night,” Pujols said. “Maybe a week from now, that’s when it’s really going to sink in.”  (Langosch - mlb.com)

• Player of the century? So far, it’s Pujols

  Mike Trout was the Player of the Decade, without question, hands down, either as an MVP or MVP contender just about every single year. If he is blessed with good health, he may be discussed some day with Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle at his best and Hank Aaron as one of the greatest all-around players of all time, even without much of a postseason resume. So far he has played just three postseason games in his career, with one hit, a home run.

  But he’s not the Player of the Century, as much of a force of nature as he’s been. At least not yet. His teammate Albert Pujols is.

  Given how his last few years with the Angels have gone, it’s easy to forget just how good Pujols was in the first 15 years of the millennium. Here are just the appetizers for him if or when he enters a shortened 20th season in the big leagues sometime this summer, the second-to-last season of the 10-year deal he signed with the Angels when he left the Cardinals as a free agent following their World Series triumph in 2011: He has 656 home runs, 2,075 RBIs and 14 100-RBI seasons and three MVP Awards (2005, 2008, 2009) and has been a World Series champion twice and won an NL Rookie of the Year Award (2001). And he once hit three home runs in a World Series game (2011), same as Reggie had in ’77.

  When he went over the 100-game mark for Wins Above Replacement, he became only the 21st position player to do that. He once had seven straight seasons with at least eight Wins Above Replacement. That is Ruthian stuff right there. It is too easy now, with the 40-year-old Pujols not the hitter and player he once was, to forget what he was in a lengthy and fairly glorious prime. It shouldn’t be.

  Without question, an abbreviated 2020 season would hurt his chances of joining Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds in the 700-home run club, but he still has a chance of making it, though probably not for another year or two. He is even talking these days about perhaps playing past the end of his contract after the 2021 season if he is blessed with good health.

  This is something he said, in Spanish, to Alden Gonzalez of ESPN a few weeks ago: "[Next season] is my last year under contract, but that doesn't mean I can't keep playing. I haven't closed that door. I'm taking it day by day, year by year, but you haven't heard from my mouth that I'm going to retire next year ...”

  With all of the talk lately about Michael Jordan because of “The Last Dance,” Pujols brings to mind another basketball immortal, because of excellence and longevity and even grace, and that is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who isn’t discussed nearly often enough when we discuss the biggest legends of American sports. Kareem won six NBA titles, the same as Michael did. He was a six-time MVP. He scored more points than anybody in history and didn’t retire until he was 42. And, oh by the way, he won three NCAA titles when he was at UCLA. He was built to last, the same as Pujols.

  Again: We know that Trout’s WAR does everything except give off a beam of light. He really is the Willie Mays of this baseball generation. The only thing he can’t do in baseball is somehow surround himself with enough good players to get himself to a World Series someday. Even Mays made it to four World Series in his career, the first in 1951 with the New York Giants and the last in 1973 with the New York Mets. By the way? He only ended up with one career home run in October. Think about that, even taking into consideration that Trout could play into his 40s the way The Say Hey Kid did: Right now, Mays and Trout have a combined total of two post-season home runs.

  Of course you’d rather watch Trout at his best than have watched Pujols at his very best. It doesn’t change the fact that across this baseball century, starting in 2001, Pujols has been something to see. Even last season, at the age of 39, he still managed to hit 23 home runs for the Angels and knock in 93. As slow as he is, if and when he does start the ’20 season, he will start it with a lifetime batting average of .300. As a hitter, he has been so much more than just home runs. He is fourth on the all-time RBI list, just 200 or so behind the great Aaron, who is still the all-time leader and might always be.

  “I don't get caught up into memories,” Pujols said once in Spring Training. “It's a new season. Hopefully, we can make new memories. You don't get caught up in that stuff. You have to make sure that you move on.”

  He just kept going, the way Hank Aaron did. Aaron, of course, has 755 career home runs and 2,297 RBIs and a lifetime batting average of .305. He just kept going, into his 40s. Aaron played 3,298 games in the big leagues. Pujols still has a great chance, even if it is just an 82-game season this time, to make it to 3,000 himself. Only three times in his 19 seasons has Pujols had fewer than 600 plate appearances. When you add it all up, Trout may turn out to be the best all-around baseball player of this entire century. He has already put eight amazing full seasons into the books. He’s just not the player of this century. Not yet. That title belongs to the guy still DH-ing for the Angels, or playing first.  (Mike Lupica - May 20, 2020)

• Albert joined rare company as he became the fifth player in Major League history to make an Opening Day start in each of his first 20 Major League seasons, joining Pete Rose and Hall of Famers Carl Yastrzemski, Eddie Murray and Frank Robinson.

  Pujols, 40, started at first base and batted sixth for the Angels against the A’s. The three-time NL MVP and 10-time All-Star made 11 Opening Day starts for the Cardinals, and this is his ninth with the Angels.

  “Pretty spectacular, isn't it?” manager Joe Maddon said. “To get 20 opportunities, you gotta be good. We've had a lot of great conversations recently. I’m very happy for him and his family. I know it's important to him. He's definitely ready to rock and roll. He's working really hard.

  “He’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer and probably a unanimous first-ballot Hall of Famer,” Maddon said. “The numbers he's put up are extraterrestrial kind of numbers. Then you get to know him, talk to him about all this stuff he does off the field. So I feel very fortunate to be in this position right now. And I know he's very motivated.”  (Bollinger - mlb.com - 7/24/2020)

• Oct. 9, 2020: When you play 20 Major League seasons, appear in three World Series and make 10 All-Star teams, you're going to accumulate some memorable moments. When you sprinkle 3,000 hits and more than 600 home runs over the course of a career like that, there will be even more.

  Here is a look at 10 of the most memorable moments from Pujols' incredible career.

  Sept. 20, 2003: Buddy Walk

  Down syndrome is a cause dear to Pujols' heart, as his daughter has the condition. And Pujols always delivered on "Buddy Walk" day, a day to raise Down syndrome awareness. In this game, he hit a 13th-inning walk-off homer against Houston's Dan Miceli, ending a game the Cardinals never led before that moment.

  By the way, we could also have gone with Sept. 3, 2006, when he hit three homers on Buddy Walk day in a needed win against the Pirates.

  Few people have had a better day at the plate than Pujols had on July 20, 2004. Maybe not even Pujols himself. Start with the circumstances: Facing their fiercest rivals, the Cubs, the Cardinals fell behind, 7-1. They roared back for an 11-8 win at the Friendly Confines, thanks in large part to Pujols. He went 5-for-5 with four runs, five RBIs and three homers, capped by a two-run tiebreaker off of LaTroy Hawkins in the ninth. It was the best regular-season game of his career, and it also just about ended the NL Central race, even though the calendar still read late July.

  If there is one signature moment of Pujols' career, this is likely it. Down to their final out of the season in Game 5 of the NL Championship Series and trailing, 4-2, against lights-out closer Brad Lidge, the Cardinals scraped a couple of baserunners to bring Pujols to the plate. The Astros needed just one out to reach their first World Series, and Minute Maid Park was deafening. They did not get that out. Pujols launched a titanic home run to left field, landing on the train tracks well above the Crawford Boxes, to send the series back to St. Louis for one more game at old Busch Stadium. Houston won that game and advanced, but Pujols did all he could.

  Pujols' first trip to the World Series in 2004 was quick and frustrating. There was to be no disappointment the second time around. In a series where the Cards were heavy underdogs (one columnist famously predicted "Tigers in three"), Pujols hit a two-run homer off Detroit superstar Justin Verlander in the third inning. It was an opposite-field laser beam that turned a 2-1 lead into a 4-1 lead, and St. Louis never looked back en route to its first World Series title in 24 years.

  The 2011 World Series is remembered largely for its amazing Game 6, but some of the earlier games were not so competitive. Take Game 3 in Arlington, which may as well be known as the "Pujols Game."

  The slugger went 5-for-6 with four runs, six RBIs and a historic three home runs. With his third long ball in the 16-7 win against the Rangers, Pujols joined Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson as the only players in history to hit three homers in a World Series game. That Pablo Sandoval joined the group a year later hardly diminishes the accomplishment. With a brilliant peak, two rings and three MVP Awards, Pujols' ticket to Cooperstown is likely already punched.

  But baseball loves round numbers, and there aren't many more special than 500 home runs (save for 600 home runs). He reached the milestone on April 22, 2014, with a monster shot to left-center off of the Nationals' Taylor Jordan. He became the 26th player to reach 500 with his two-run homer.

  Five-hundred home runs is special, but 600 is truly rarefied air, as Pujols became only the ninth player in MLB history to reach that milestone. Not only did he accomplish the feat at home at Angel Stadium, but he did so by walloping a grand slam -- what a way to celebrate. He was the first player to gain entry to the 600-homer club by going deep with the sacks packed.

  It wasn't exactly Pujols' most emphatic hit, but he wasn't complaining. When he reached out and poked a pitch from Seattle's Mike Leake to right field for a soft single, it gave him 3,000 career knocks. Not only is that a hallowed mark on its own, but Pujols became only the fourth player in MLB history to combine it with 600 home runs, joining Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Alex Rodriguez.

  Even with Interleague Play, Pujols' Angels did not travel to St. Louis in his first seven seasons with the team. So when the Halos finally made it to Busch Stadium in 2019, it was a long time coming. If there once were some hard feelings on both sides regarding Pujols' departure after the 2011 season, that all went out the window. Not only did the team pay tribute to its former star, but Cardinals fans showered him with ovations at every opportunity. When Pujols stepped to the plate at Busch for the first time in another uniform, and embraced his good friend Yadier Molina, there were chills. Pujols even managed to beat out a rare infield single. The next afternoon, when he ripped a shot into the left field bullpen, it prompted Cardinals fans to demand a curtain call from a visiting player.

  Merely joining the exclusive 600-homer club wasn't enough for Pujols. He hit career homer No. 659 in early August, but had to wait over a month to finally tie the great Willie Mays, considered by some to be the best player in history, with blast No. 660 on a Sunday afternoon at Colorado's Coors Field. Mays hit his final blast in his 22nd big league season, while Pujols reached 660 in his 20th. (Matthew Leach)

•  2020 Season: Even in a shortened season, Albert Pujols still couldn’t really get things going at the plate. Though he appeared in only 39 games, the veteran saw career-lows across the board.

  His average (.224), on-base percentage (.270), OPS (.665) and OPS+ (80) were all the lowest they’ve ever been. He hit only six homers and drove in 25 runs, which would have been on pace to be around the worst of his career as well. In addition to that, his 15.3 strikeout percentage was the highest of his career and his 5.5 walk percentage was the lowest of his career.

  Though he’s getting up there in age, Pujols still spent a solid amount of time at first base. He played 26 games at the position in 2020. With Jared Walsh emerging as a potential star in the making at first base, expect the percentage of games Pujols spends there to drop significantly in 2021.

  Though you would think 20 years into his career, Pujols would have lost some passion for the game he once dominated more than anyone. Nope. Joe Maddon spoke of Pujols during the year, saying he still wants to be great.

  “He and I have talked a lot. He’s constantly working. We have a strong line of communication. We’ll keep working on it. His desire is as great as it was 20 years ago. He hasn’t lost desire to do this. We’ll keep working with him.” For Pujols, his first 15 games were truly rough. He was hitting below the Mendoza Line (.186) and his OPS was below .600. Though it still wasn’t the same production we’ve seen from him in years past, he was pretty decent to finish the season. He hit .247 with an OPS above .700 over his final 24 games of the season.

  There was a three week stretch in which Pujols was heating up and looked to be turning his season around. From Aug. 30 through Sept. 18, he hit .286 with an OPS of just below .900. In just 12 starts, he hit three homers and drove in nine RBI.

   For the future Hall of Famer, 2021 is the final year of his contract and very well could be his final year in an Angels uniform. Although he’s left a bit of a sour taste with this declining production, make sure to appreciate his greatness in 2021.  (BlakeHarris@BlakeHarrisTBLA  - Dec 8, 2020)

• Oct 29, 2021: Pujols has decided not to retire yet and will play at least one more year in 2022.

  “I’ve always said that I’m going to retire when I feel it’s time,” Pujols said in Spanish. “I don’t think my time to retire has come. I don’t want to sit in my house next year, knowing that I can still keep playing,” said Pujols as he was introduced as the newest member of the Leones del Escogido in the Dominican Winter League.

  Pujols made most of his impact against lefties, hitting .303 with 10 homers against southpaws during the 2021 regular season. He continued that success in the postseason, recording multi-hit games against Giants left-hander Alex Wood and Braves ace Max Fried. Pujols also became the Dodgers’ best pinch-hitting option, recording a .378 average in 41 plate appearances.

  Pujols is an impending free agent for the first time since 2011. (J Toribio - MLB.com - Oct 29, 2021)

•  2021 Season: Well, here it is folks: the end of the Albert Pujols era. His almost 10-year career with the Angels was riddled with some cheers, groans and injuries. He ultimately split the 2021 season between the Angels and Dodgers, with the latter being his main ballclub this year.

  Right off the bat, it should be made clear that this review is limited to the 24 games Pujols played with the Angels in 2021. It will not provide an in-depth analysis of his numbers with the Dodgers, including his postseason run with them where he went 3 for 13 with five strikeouts and no RBIs against the Atlanta Braves. Nope, we’re not going to mention that.

  Oops.

  Pettiness aside, Pujols had some nice moments with the Angels over his 10-year career with them and his philanthropy with The Pujols Family Foundation will be continually praised, deservedly so. However, a steep decline led to the Angels never seeing the Hall of Fame caliber player Pujols was during his time in St. Louis. In his final season with the Angels, Pujols was unable to turn it around and the team could not justify playing him every day when future All-Star Jared Walsh was primed to take the position.

   In his 24 games with the Angels this season, Pujols never got hot. He recorded only two multi-hit games, both in Kansas City where he got two hits each game on April 12 and 13. On April 13 in Kansas City, Pujols reached a season-high batting average of .250. He mostly hovered around .230 for the rest of the month, but May saw his average slip below the Mendoza Line. Although still early in the season, all indications pointed towards another disappointing season for Albert.

  Defensively, Pujols wasn’t a standout at first base, as he committed two errors in 20 games and looked lackadaisical at times. Meanwhile, Walsh was an upgraded glove, was hitting upwards of .350 into May and had an OBP of over .400. The Angels could no longer withhold at-bats from him and had to move on from Pujols to make Walsh an everyday first baseman. Add in the fact that when he hit DH, Pujols took at-bats from AL MVP Shohei Ohtani. Albert either had to be demoted to a bench role or released.

   Slashing .198/.250/.372, Pujols, at age 41 and in the final year of his 10-year, $253 million deal, was designated for assignment on May 6. His release was made official on May 13.   (David Goodkind@DGoodkindCSUF - Dec 8, 2021)

•  Feb. 27, 2022: Former 10-year LA Angel Albert Pujols does not yet know if he will be playing Major League Baseball in 2022.

  What he does know, however, is that he is taking a new role in a NASCAR Cup Series race. It was in Fontana at Auto Club Speedway. Pujols was the pace car driver.

•  March 30, 2022: Deidre Pujols, the wife of Albert, announced via Instagram that she would undergo surgery to remove a brain tumor. 

  "I have delayed this procedure for as long as I could out of fear and inconvenience to my busy life," she wrote, in part. "However, I can wait no longer and with the support of people I love and who care about me I am encouraged to take care of this before it takes my life. I felt compelled to share this private situation with you because it's times like these that make you reflect on the fragility of life and the impact that my life has made in the world."  (Tim Rapp)

•  April 4, 2022: Albert Pujols announced that he and wife Deidre are splitting up.

  “I’ve been asked a lot of questions over the past few days regarding what’s been going on at home and sadly, after 22 years of marriage, I have made the decision to file for divorce from my wife, Deidre,” Pujols said in a statement released by his agent, Dan Lozano.  (Darrelle Lincoln)  

• May 15, 2022:  The Cardinals were blowing out the Giants, and they turned to a position player to pitch. A 42-year-old, future Hall-of-Fame position player who has never pitched before in his life.

  It was fun to see everyone explode at the possibility of getting to see Pujols pitch, and it was also fun to see him give up back-to-back homers, because hey, that’s funny (the first batter there, Luis Gonzalez, an outfielder, was also pitching at the time.

  Despite the back-to-back shots, Pujols managed to close it down thereafter, locking up the 13-run save. 

  Players in MLB history who have hit 600 HR and pitched: 1. Babe Ruth 2. Albert Pujols

  On Reddit, /u/Far-Pain5261 posted a fascinating stat about Pujols in relation to Ty Cobb. Pujols' 3,312 hits at the time of his appearance is the most since Ty Cobb pitched against the St. Louis Browns on Oct. 4, 1925. Cobb had 3,821 hits at the time of the appearance. In that inning, the Browns went three up and three down against Cobb's arm.

• May 15, 2022: Joked Pujols, not long after comically pitching the ninth inning of the Cardinals’ 15-6 rout of the Giants: “I’m pretty sure Babe Ruth didn’t give up four runs in his first inning like I did.” (J Denton - MLB.com - May 16, 2022)

• June 4, 2022:  St. Louis Cardinals legend and future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols reached another historic milestone. When he replaced the injured Corey Dickerson in Cardinals' 6-1 matinee loss to the Chicago Cubs, Pujols became only the 10th player in MLB history to appear in 3,000 major league games.

• July 2022: One of the Commissioner’s legacy selections, along with Miguel Cabrera, Pujols appeared in his 11th and final All-Star Game. Pujols, who ranks fifth in home runs, third in RBI, third in extra-base hits and 10th in hits in AL/NL history, pinch-hit in the bottom of the fourth and flew out to deep left field.

• July 20, 2022: Pujols received the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award at the ESPYs in honor of his tireless efforts to serve others in need. He is the second MLB player to win the award in the past three years, with Nelson Cruz winning it in 2020. (M Randhawa - MLB.com - July 20, 2022)

• Home Run Derby 2022: There was uncertainty over whether a 42-year-old Albert Pujols should be participating. Pujols is one of the game’s all-time best power hitters. But this isn’t just a power contest; it’s an endurance event. And endurance is no longer Pujols’ strong suit.

  Pujols took his first timeout after just 56 seconds. He had one home run. It looked bleak. If he was already tired, that was a bad sign. If he had just one homer in one minute, there wasn’t much hope to beat Kyle Schwarber, who leads the National League with 29 bombs.

  It was at that time he switched to a lighter bat. That made a significant difference. Pujols hit nine more homers that round. Before taking his 30 bonus seconds, players from both All-Star teams and all the derby participants encircled him. 

  In the moment, it gave him time to catch his breath. But long after, it will give him a lasting memory. That round appeared to be his swan song for this event. And everyone used it as an excuse to pay respect to one of the best to play the game. It was an impromptu gathering of players who probably did not expect what happened next.

  “We didn’t plan it ahead. I think that was spontaneous,” Cubs All-Star Willson Contreras said. “I can put myself in his shoes, and I can feel the feeling. It was beyond amazing.”

  Pujols hit three more homers in his bonus round. Then, after Schwarber tied his number, Pujols blasted seven in a one-minute runoff. Schwarber floundered in the final two minutes following a hot start. The Phillies slugger had just six in the extra minute. Pujols survived and advanced. He came to this derby to bid his farewell. But it wasn’t quite done with him. He eventually bowed out to Soto in the semifinals.

  “I’m just so happy that he was able to perform the way he did,” Pete Alonso said. “That was awesome.” 

  This derby was about two superstars at completely different points in their careers. Julio Rodríguez was 4 months old when Pujols first played a Major League Baseball game. Pujols is literally twice Rodríguez’s age. Rodríguez finished second to Juan Soto. He still stole the show, even if he lost to the player whose future has become the biggest story in the sport. Rodríguez mashed 81 home runs, which topped Soto’s 53. His 32 home runs in the first round were the second most in an opening round. 

  Hours before both players took their first swings, Pujols gave Rodríguez a quick pep talk at the hotel. It wasn’t anything big; Pujols just encouraged him to enjoy the night. A small but meaningful moment from a player who first competed in this event in 2003.

  On Monday night in Los Angeles, Rodríguez showed what was possible. And in a different way, so too did Pujols.

  One player entering. Another exiting. Simultaneously, in a script fit for the city that served as the backdrop.

  “Albert, man, he’s a legend,” Rodríguez said. “He’s a legend. It’s amazing that I’m here sharing the stage with him.” (Blum-TheAthletic.com-July 19th, 2022)

• Sept 16, 2022: Cooper, a 9-year-old super fan has spent this summer traveling around the country, catching as many baseball games as he can with his parents, Bobby and Kelly. Cooper, like his mom and dad, is a baseball enthusiast and a die-hard Cardinal fan. He brought a sign on a sheet of laminated computer paper in red ink, Cooper, who was wearing a Yadier Molina jersey, typed out, “Albert, can we trade jerseys? Go Cardinals!!!!”

  He hoped Pujols would notice.

  The Davis family ended up without much to cheer for game-wise, as St. Louis lost to the Cubs 7-1. But as various Cardinal players began to file out of the visiting dugout and down the steps into the clubhouse after the final out, Pujols started to walk over toward Cooper, lifting his game-worn jersey over his head. He slid the jersey under the netting and into the kid’s possession.

  No trade necessary. Cooper could have it. Cooper recalls going into shock when Pujols made his way over. His homemade sign wasn’t very big and paled in comparison to the flashy, poster-sized signs that often catch the attention of players on the field. 

  Cooper wore Pujols’ jersey for the rest of the night. It didn’t matter that it nearly reached his ankles and was nearly double his size. (Woo-TheAthletic.com-August 25th, 2022)

• Albert Pujols, age 42, had the highest OPS in August of any Major League hitter who got at least 65 plate appearances. That 1.224 OPS was 85 points higher than anybody else in the sport. Did I really just type that? In the modern era, only one other player that old has ever had a 1.200 OPS or better in any calendar month, according to Baseball-Reference/Stathead. And who’d have thunk it was Barry Bonds (1.349, in April 2007)?

  Can you imagine slugging .803 for a calendar month at 42 years old? Only Bonds (.814, April 2007) would be able to report back on that sensation. No one else their age has even slugged .700 in any month. You know who had the best slugging percentage in the big leagues last month? Yessir. That Pujols guy. He had only two months slugging .800 in his 20s (and none in his 30s). But he just slugged .803 at 42. In real life. Also, he has hit 8 home runs this month. Also, six home runs in eight games … and seven in 10 games. Whoa. … Albert spewed all those bombs from Aug. 10-22. It was quite a show. And finally, you know how many other men Pujols’ age have ever hit seven in 10 games? Correct. That would be zero. Ted Williams used to be the record-holder, at age 41. Heard of him?

  Pujols had a 4-for-4, 2-HR game! C’mon. Stop it. Pujols was the oldest player ever to have one of those 4-for-4, two-homer games (Aug. 20 in Arizona). And only four other men ever had a game like that at any point after turning 40: Stan Musial, Babe Ruth, Rickey Henderson and Stargell. They sound familiar!?

  But hang on. There’s one more:

  He’s out-Judge-ing Judge! 

  • OPS vs. left-handed pitchers in 2022: Pujols 1.194, Aaron Judge 1.022.

  • Slugging percentage vs. LHP in 2022: Pujols .781, Judge .664.

  So wait: Judge is having a season for the history books … and Pujols beats him in OPS against left-handers by 172 points, and in slugging versus lefties by 117 points? How? Sounds like a legend to us. (Stark-TheAthletic.com-September 2, 2022)

• It was the last week of spring training 2001, down in Jupiter, Fla. I was there to do an ESPN Sunday conversation with Mark McGwire, who was then 37, McGwire had finished his morning batting practice and was walking up the right field line, toward the clubhouse, when he turned back toward the batting cage at home plate and pointed to a young, powerfully built right-handed hitter taking batting practice.

   “See that kid hitting right now? He’s the guy you should be interviewing. He’s going to the Hall of Fame,” McGwire said.

  He was pointing, of course, to Albert Pujols.

  McGwire remembers what there was about the 21-year-old Pujols that caused him to carefully study him from the time they reported to Cardinals training camp in 2001.

  “It was easy to see that he was young, he was exceptionally talented, he was patient, both in his preparation and work, and at the plate in games, even though he was only in his second professional season,” says McGwire. “When you’re watching a young player, you try to see how hard they work, how they listen to experienced players and coaches, and try to get a feel for what possesses them. Right away, he asked questions like, ‘What do you think?’ That’s who he is.”  From that first spring training, it was clear Albert was possessed by being the best he could be in every game, every at-bat of his career.” 

  Now McGwire puts Pujols in the company of the greatest ever, and is enjoying watching someone else chase home run history.

  “I’m watching with great joy as Albert closes in on 700 homers, and I keep thinking that I’m watching the second Henry Aaron. Albert’s going to have 700 homers and never hit 50 in a season (his top was 49 in 2006). Henry Aaron hit 755 and his highest single-season total was 47.” “Nothing Albert does surprises me. I feel it’s such an honor to have known him all these years. He plays with such joy, yet with such great quiet confidence, and has always taken responsibility. (Gammons-TheAthletic-Sep 16, 2022)

• Sept 23, 2022:  Albert further solidified his baseball greatness by bashing two long balls into the Southern California night, vaulting him into the exclusive 700 Home Run Club. After, he high-fived close friend Adrian Beltré, celebrated with his Cardinals teammates, then retreated to a tunnel where the superstar allowed his emotions to pour from his every pore.

  In that tunnel, just steps away from the Cardinals dugout, the serious-minded slugger, who spoke often this season about wishing he had been able to enjoy this Hall of Fame-bound journey more, finally dropped his guard and surrendered to his feelings. The calm and cool shown on the field morphed into a calamity of emotions down below the dugout. Pujols, seemingly overwhelmed by the magnitude of the moment, squatted and bawled. 

  “I didn’t control them,” Pujols said of his emotions after the game as he was surrounded by his family. “If you see the video of the homer, I went down into the tunnel and that’s when I let my emotions out.”

  Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol, Pujols’ close friend and someone who pushed for the slugger to be signed with a week left in Spring Training, glanced down the tunnel and saw a squatting Pujols with his head in his hands. Marmol, someone who has known Pujols for more than 15 years and lives in a St. Louis-area house owned by the slugger, said seeing that sort of raw emotion from someone who has accomplished so much will be his lasting memory of the historic night.

  “It was cool when he got away from everything and he went into that tunnel by himself and he was taking it all in; that’s probably the coolest part of it for me,” said Marmol, whose Cardinals cut their magic number to four by beating the Dodgers 11-0.

  “Him, by himself -- with no cameras -- I just sat there and watched him a little bit. I’m not sure what was exactly going through his head, but he was taking it all in. He was crouched down and his hands were in his face. It wasn’t a part of the show and everything that was going on [on the field]. It was him realizing all he had just accomplished, and it was pretty damn cool.”

  The 42-year-old Pujols, who has said this is the final season of his 22-year career, joined Barry Bonds (762 home runs), Hank Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714) as the only sluggers in AL/NL history to hit at least 700 long balls in his career. Pujols and Aaron are the only two with at least 3,000 hits and 700 home runs. Like Aaron, Pujols got to the 700 club without a 50-home run season.

  After circling the bases, Pujols went straight over to Beltré for a high-five through the netting. He was then greeted outside of the dugout by his Cardinals teammates. Not only did the crowd at Dodger Stadium give him a standing ovation, the Cardinals slugger was greeted with chants of “Pu-jols! Pu-jols! Pu-jols” and “Al-bert! Al-bert! Al-bert!”

  Pujols said it was fitting and special for him to hit the home run in Los Angeles -- the spot he spent the previous 11 seasons and where his children now live. Hitting the two home runs in Los Angeles allowed his family to be on hand for the historic night.

  “Why [so much emotion]? Because of this, my beautiful family,” Pujols said. “After the Lord, this is who I play for. They’ve been walking through this journey and through the ups and downs, through the cries, the hurt and the injuries and knowing they have my back. Them being a part of this history means everything to me.” (J Denton & J Toribio - MLB.com - Sept 24, 2022)

• Sept 26, 2022: Pujols and Alonso shared NL Player of the Week honors.

  Pujols’ provided all of baseball with a signature moment, when he mashed career home runs No. 699 and 700 in the Cardinals’ 11-0 win over the Dodgers. Pujols’ monumental performance marked his fourth multi-homer game of the year, and the second time this year he’s had five RBIs in a game. While that was the only game in which Pujols drove a run in last week, he still managed to bat .368 across six contests while scoring three runs. This is his 14th time winning Player of the Week honors, and his second time winning the award this year. (H Palattella - MLB.com - Sept 26, 2022)

• Oct 31, 2022: It's official: Albert Pujols' legendary MLB playing career is over after the 42-year-old signed retirement papers with the Cardinals.

  Pujols, nicknamed "The Machine," was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to the United States as a teenager. He was drafted by St. Louis in the 13th round of the 1999 MLB Draft and played 22 big league seasons from 2001-22.

  The first 11 seasons of Pujols' career were spent with the Cards, before the slugging first baseman signed a 10-year, $240 million contract with the Angels prior to the 2012 campaign. Upon being released by the Halos in May of '21, he played the rest of that year with the Dodgers before re-signing with the Cardinals for his final season in '22.

  What an epic farewell tour it was. Pujols eclipsed the 700-homer milestone with an incredible power resurgence -- he hit 24 home runs with an .895 OPS in 351 plate appearances, ending his career on a high note by helping St. Louis reach the postseason with his best year since he had last played for the Cards in 2011. (M Randhawa - MLB.com - Oct 31, 2022)

• 2022 Season: The late Spring signing of Pujols was seen as much as a move to impact the turnstiles at Busch Stadium as it was an impact on the field, but the future Hall of Famer quickly quieted the naysayers. He showed flashes of his old self, hitting .270-24-68 in only 351 plate appearances and emerging as the Cardinals' regular DH in the second half. He improbably reached 700 career home runs with his 21st homer of the season after reaching that total only twice since 2017.  (Seth Trachtman - Nov. 10, 2022) 

•  Nov. 22, 2022: A pair of future Hall of Famers were honored Tuesday for their remarkable turnaround seasons in 2022.

  St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Albert Pujols added one more trophy on his way to retirement after being named National League Comeback Player of the Year, while Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander - this year's unanimous AL Cy Young winner - took home the American League honor, the league announced.

  TRANSACTIONS

• August 17, 1999: Albert was drafted by the Cardinals in the 13th round, out of Maple Woods Community College in Missouri.

• February 19, 2004: Pujols signed a seven-year, $100 million contract with the Cardinals, which keeps him in St. Louis through 2010 and pays him through 2029. The Cardinals carried a $16 million option for 2011, or they may exercise a $5 million buyout accounting for the final piece of Pujols's guaranteed $100 million. And on October 5, 2010, St. Louis picked up Albert's 2011 option for $16 million.

  "I'm pretty sure people think, 'What can I do with that money?'" Pujols said. "But it's not my money. It's money that I have borrowed from God. And He has let me use it. Whatever He wants me to do with it, that's what I'm going to do. Right now, it's not about the money. It's about myself, getting ready for the 2004 season and about the team. If you play this game and don't win a championship, it doesn't matter how much money you make."

• December 8, 2011: Pujols and the Angels agreed on a 10-year deal worth at least $250 million. The contract includes a full no-trade clause. Albert has a full no-trade clause and will be paid a base salary of $240 million through the 10 years of what is a heavily backloaded player contract. As previously reported, that contract will pay him $12 million in 2012, $16 million in 2013, and $23 million in 2014, then increase by $1 million each season until reaching $30 million in 2021.

  He can also reach up to $875,000 in incentives each season. As BizOfBaseball.com details, he'll earn $500,000 for winning the American League's Most Valuable Player award, $75,000 for finishing second or third in MVP voting, $75,000 for a Gold Glove award, $75,000 for a Silver Slugger, $50,000 for making the All-Star team, $100,000 for being World Series MVP, and $75,000 for a League Championship Series MVP.

  The marketing deal: Pujols, 31, will be paid $3 million for accumulating 3,000 hits (he's currently at 2,073) and $7 million for a record 763 home runs (he has 445).

  Since it's bonus money to account for the marketability of those milestones, that money will not go against the luxury tax ceiling, according to reports.

  The post-retirement deal: As previously outlined, Pujols' contract also includes a 10-year personal service agreement that kicks in either after the contract expires or after Pujols retires.

  In it, Pujols will be paid $10 million ($1 million a year) and will serve, among other things, as a consultant to owner Arte Moreno. Details of what that role will entail are still pretty foggy, but according to The Los Angeles Times, Pujols can back out of that agreement at any time.

  Because it comes as post-retirement work, the $10 million of that deal also will not count towards the luxury tax. The Major League Baseball Players Association values the contract at exactly $246,841,111, according to the LA Times, making it the third largest in history.

  Other perks: Pujols will have four season tickets to Angels home games over the next decade and can purchase the same seats after he retires—though, according to The Associated Press, the location of those seats has not been determined. In addition, he'll have a hotel suite on road trips and the Angels will provide the Pujols Foundation with a luxury suite at Angel Stadium for 10 home games a year. Pujols also has the right to buy a luxury suite between first and third base for all home games.

  A "charitable provision" in the deal will have Pujols contributing at least $100,000 annually to the Angels Baseball Foundation, with half being distributed at the direction of Pujols and half at the direction of the team, according to BizOfBaseball.com.

• May 6, 2021:  Pujols was placed on waivers where he went unclaimed becoming a free agent.

• May 16, 2021: The Dodgers singed a deal with the Pujols for the remainder of the season.

• July 26, 2021: When Albert Pujols started at first in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ win over the Colorado Rockies, it marked the 2,934th game of his his illustrious career. And with that appearance, Pujols set the MLB record for most games played by a player born in the Dominican Republic.

  Pujols passed future Hall of Famer and former Dodger Adrian Beltre en route to the record.

• Nov 3, 2021: Albert chose free agency.

• March 27, 2022: Pujpls rejoined the Cardinals on a one-year deal in hopes of helping it win another title. The deal is worth $2.5 million.

  Pujols, who won two World Series titles and three MVP Awards with the Cardinals from 2001-11, announced that 2022 will be his final season.

• Oct 31, 2022: Albert announced his retirement.

   

• Albert's righthanded swing does not vary and has no flaws. It is simple and has had all the nonessentials removed. The great cut has been embedded in his muscle memory, enabling him to take this superb stroke over and over again. He can take that same approach for nearly 700 at-bats in a season.

• In September 2005, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa told Buzz Bissinger, author of Three Nights in August, his opinion on what makes Albert Pujols so great: "It's a combination," La Russa said. "His physical skills are exceptional. His technical skills are outstanding. He is as intelligent as you can be about eating, about working out, about understanding his swing. He remembers at-bats going back years. He has terrific courage at the plate, and this relentless desire to be part of a winning team."

• La Russa added this about Pujols's calm under pressure: "I think a lot of it is strength of mind and character."

• Albert knows exactly what type of approach he is going to take against the pitcher before going to the plate. If a pitcher makes a pitch Albert is not looking for, he'll lay off of it.

• Pujols makes the pitcher throw strikes. He doesn't give away any at-bats. He's an excellent two-strike hitter.

• Albert hits a lot of home runs because he can drive the ball the other way. He has excellent plate discipline, knowing the strike zone. It is that power combined with discipline that impresses scouts.

  Pujols does not like the description "power hitter."

  "I'm a line-drive hitter with power," Pujols corrects. "I can drive the ball into the gap, and I'm strong enough to hit it out of the park if I elevate it. No matter how people describe me, it's about staying focused. Don't worry about what people write or say. I don't play for those people. I play to try to get better."

• Pujols's head never jumps or moves. His feet are well-balanced. He thinks at the plate; he is not a wild swinger.

  Albert distributes about 60 percent of his weight onto his back foot. He brings his hands level with his right ear and flaps his right elbow three or four times, keeping his bat upright.

  Pujols does those flaps to relax both his body and his hands. "I don't want to be too stiff, because then my hands won't be as quick," Albert said.

  He does not stride when he swings. His front foot curls inward so that he stands pigeon-toed at the point of impact, driving himself instead with his hips. "I'm trying to slow my body down and slow my swing down, use my hands and trust my hands," he says. "I just trust my hands and leave it nice and quiet." (2006)

• With his fine bat speed, you can't get a fastball by him. That great bat speed allows Pujols to wait on a pitch longer before he has to identify it.

• Albert is an intelligent hitter. He doesn't try to hit home runs, because he knows they will come if he hits the ball well.

• When a pitcher makes a mistake, Albert takes advantage of it. There is no one way to pitch him. You pitch him away, and he hits it out to right field. If they pitch him in, he pulls the ball with power. He's a good hitter. You can't get him out the same way twice.

  TREMENDOUS ROOKIE YEAR

• In 2001, Pujols hit righthanded pitchers for a .342 average and lefties at a .279 pace.

• In April 2001, his eight home runs in the month tied the Major League rookie record, also held by Kent Hrbek (1982) and Carlos Delgado (1994).

• In 2001, Pujols had one of the best offensive seasons ever by a rookie. He set the all-time record for most RBI by a rookie, with 130. (Wally Berger of the Reds held the old mark of 119, set in 1930). A strong case can be made that Pujols had the best offensive season of any rookie in Major League history.

• In 2001, Albert's home run total (37) was one short of the all-time rookie record set by Wally Berger of the Boston Braves in 1930 and matched by Cincinnati's Frank Robinson in 1956.

• He was the unanimous choice for 2001 NL Rookie of the Year.

  NOT A BAD SECOND YEAR

• In 2002, he was runner-up to San Francisco's Barry Bonds for NL MVP and the only other player besides Bonds named on every ballot. 

• Here is how Pujols's first two years compare with the first two full seasons of 10 Hall of Famers:   

  Player        Avg.  HR  RBIs   

• A. Pujols      .321  71    257              

• J. DiMaggio  .335  78    302                  

• S. Musial      .352  36    175            

• F. Robinson  .307  67    158         

• J. Foxx         .348  70    274              

• H. Aaron      .321  53    198          

• W. Mays      .332  92    237         

• L. Gehrig      .343  53    287            

• M. Ott          .339  67    270            

•  T. Williams   .336  54    258               

•  A. Kaline       .315  54    230  

• On September 20, 2003, when Pujols hit his 114th career home run, it tied him for the most by any player in history in his first three seasons. 

• In 2003, Albert won the National League batting title, by .00022, over the Rockies' Todd Helton. At .35871, Pujols became the first Cardinal since Willie McGee in 1990 to win the batting crown, and the first righthanded hitter to lead the NL in batting average since Andres Galarraga in 1993.

  "Could you imagine, all season long, you get 590 at-bats and it comes down to one at-bat on the last day?" Pujols said.

• Pujols is the only player in Major League history to bat .300, drive in 100 runs, score 100 runs and hit 30 home runs in each of his first two seasons.

• Pujols is astute enough to dissect opposing pitchers in hitters' meetings. He consistently recites a pitcher's pattern and how to attack him.

• Albert is not a guess hitter. He is a contact hitter who rarely strikes out. He puts the ball in play. He sees what the pitcher is trying to do and works his game accordingly. Pujols can take a 95-mph fastball and turn it around, or take a down-and-away slider and hit it out of the ballpark the other way. He takes the art of hitting very seriously, using the entire field as part of his offensive plan.

  Hours before a game he puts himself through a series of tee drills handed him by Alex Rodriguez. The Rangers shortstop is recognized as one of the game's best at hitting with equal authority to all fields. It has likewise become Pujols's signature. Asked to disclose the exercises, Pujols waves off the question, offended his practice has leaked. "I can't give away my secrets, man," he says politely but firmly.

• Against lefthanders, Pujols hits with a 33-oz. bat, an ounce heavier than the one he uses against righthanders, to keep him from always trying to pull the ball.

• The most impressive thing about Pujols may be his awareness of where his bat head is. He gets it on almost every pitch he hits.

• Albert works hard in the cage and stretching, so that his muscles work harmoniously to bring an explosion into his strong wrists on contact. The wrists absorb all his body's energy, becoming the punctuation on his swing.

• It is the reality of life (and baseball), that your mind tends to best understand the puzzle at an age when your body is least equipped to put it together. But Albert understands the puzzle at a very young age. That is why, when he makes contact, the sound is different than any other in baseball.

• "Every pitch, I make an adjustment if I have to," Albert said. "This game is about being ready physically and mentally and at the same time you need to be sure to make your adjustment because if you don't, the league is going to get you. I am ready to make an adjustment every at-bat, and you have to. If they throw a pitch inside and get you out believe me, they are going to go again and you want to make sure that you are ready to hit that pitch.

  "I don't do too much with my body or my hands. When I struggle, I get a little slowness because my shoulders fly open. One of the things that I look at as a hitter is to make sure that my shoulder is not flying open, like Tony Gwynn used to say, 'chicken wing.' I want to make sure I stay inside the ball. Then my hands and my lower body are going to take care [of themselves] because I don't have too much movement in my upper body and my lower body."  (ESPN's Peter Gammons-Baseball America-4/04)

• In 2004, Albert had 99 extra-base hits, just four shy of Stan Musial's Cardinal franchise record (103) set in 1948. And Pujols led the Major Leagues in runs (133) and was second to Barry Bonds in slugging percentage (.657).

• Albert is not a happy lad when he strikes out. It makes no difference if it is a called third strike or a swing-and-miss, he has a nearly pathological distaste for striking out.

  "I get pissed when I strike out," Pujols said. "I get mad. At least if you put the ball in play, a guy can make an error and you give your teammates a chance to drive you in."

• Albert has a weakness at the plate: down and in. But almost every pitcher in the game is afraid to throw it down and in because if you miss, the ball will be leaving the park.

  BATTING RECORDS

• On April 29, 2006, Albert set the Major League record with his 14th home run in April. Ken Griffey, Jr. (1997) and Luis Gonzalez (2001) held the old mark of 13.

• As of the start of the 2013 season: In each of Albert's first twelve straight seasons in the Major Leagues, Pujols has hit at least 30 homers. He is the first player to do that in his first 12 seasons. And he is the fourth to hit 30-plus homers in a run of 12 straight seasons at any point in his career, joining Barry Bonds (13 straight, from 1992 to 2004), Alex Rodriguez (13 straight from 1998 to 2010) and Jimmie Foxx (12 straight, from 1929-40).

• Pujols entered the 2012 season with a career slash line of .328/.420/.617. The numbers—quite gaudy when viewed from just about any angle—made the righthanded slugger one of six players in baseball history to have at least 3,000 plate appearances and a .300/.400/.600 slash line through his first 11 seasons.

  The other five are Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Hank Greenberg, and Ted Williams.

• May 18, 2014: Pujols added two home runs to his assault on baseball history. Nos. 503 and 504 in his career moved him into a tie with Hall of Fame first baseman Eddie Murray for 25th on the Major League all-time list. Pujols' seventh-inning home run on July 9th lifted the Angels to an 8-7 win but also moved him up the all-time home run list. The two-run smash to center was Pujols' 512th career homer, tying him for 21st all-time with Ernie Banks and Eddie Mathews, and his 20th of the season.

  "You start to hear the guys that are really the all-time greats in the game that he's right there with," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "I think Albert's playing this game for the right reasons. He's not playing it to catch the next guy on the home run list, he's not playing it for anything but helping us win and that's why he's so much fun to be around and has so much respect, not only in this clubhouse but in the whole game of baseball."

  It is the first time since 2010 that Pujols has reached 20 home runs before the All-Star break. The home run was Pujols' 31st career go-ahead homer in the seventh inning or later. It was his third with the Angels.

  "At the end of my career, that's when I'm going to look back and see what I've done," Pujols said. "It's hard for me to get caught up because I'm not a guy that gets caught up with numbers. I respect this game too much and I believe if you try to get caught up too much with that, you forget what you're supposed to do and that's to help this organization to win a championship." (DeFranks - mlb.com - 7/9/14)

• September 6, 2014: Pujols reached 2,500 career hits and 1,500 career runs in the Angels' 8-5 win over the Twins at Target Field. Pujols' third-inning solo homer, his 25th on the year, made him the 70th member of the 1,500-runs club. His ninth-inning two-run double, giving him 87 RBIs on the season, made him the 98th member of the 2,500-hits club.

• June 11, 2015: Pujols hit his 537th homer to move past Mickey Mantle into sole possession of 16th place on the career list. As of the start of 2015, the number one Dominican Republic home run hitter is Sammy Sosa who hit 609, making him the career leader in homers among players born outside the United States. Albert Pujols (526) may surpass his countryman eventually.

• June 30, 2015: Pujols tied the Angels' record for most home runs in a month with his 13th long ball in June. Pujols' shot tied the Angels' slugger with Mo Vaughn, who hit 13 in May 2000, and Tim Salmon, who did it in June 1996.

• Pujols uses two different sized bats. "I swing a 34.5-inch, 32-ounce bat against lefthanded pitchers, and a 34-inch, 32-ounce bat against righthanders. I like a little more length against lefties because they like to go outside and throw me more off-speed pitches," Albert said. (2010)

• Albert explained: "Once I get two strikes on me in a count, I make my stance a little wider. It's all about balance, all the time. You want to have 60 percent of your weight on your back leg and 40 percent on your front leg.

  "Like a boxer in fighting, you need to get your power from your legs," Pujols continued. "As I finish a swing, the bat head starts to come through the hitting zone. Now my front leg is bent just a little bit, and very importantly, my back leg is dug in and shaped like an 'L.'" (Mike McCormick-MLB Properties-May 2010)

• Backspin is a huge key for Pujols: "How do I create backspin? Everything comes from the bottom hand. Everybody thinks, Top hand, top hand. If it's top hand, look at this...."

  He swings down on the ball, hitting it above its equator, and the ball quickly bites into the ground and bounces away. Others may have hit for a higher average or more power, but no one has been more accomplished at this age at the entire discipline of hitting.

  "Pulling the bottom hand through the baseball. Every time you see a perfect swing, the top hand almost looks like it's underneath your bat [at contact]. It's the bottom hand. All the time. That's where backspin comes from. Get your hands inside the ball and let your hands work."

  Pujols's swing is a technical wonder, a kinetic event that causes the most mayhem with the least effort. But if you had to reduce it to its most astonishing element, it would be this: He brings his hands to the baseball faster and more directly than perhaps any other man who has ever lived.  (Tom Verducci-Sports Illustrated-3/26/12)

• June 25, 2015: Pujols was the first to spring off his perch on the Angels' dugout steps, just ahead of Trout, who was just ahead of the rest of his teammates. It was in the 13th inning of their series finale against the Astros, and the Angels thought they'd won. With the winning run on third base, Houston reliever Qualls had clearly balked, his front knee breaking during his stretch.

  The balk wasn't called, but that didn't matter; the Angels won on Featherstone's walk-off single in their next at-bat. What was interesting was the Angels' reaction to Qualls' flinch.

  All the Angels saw it, but Pujols and Trout reacted a split-second before everyone else, jumping up and pointing at Qualls. Maybe that's random. Or maybe two of the game's elite hitters, defining players of consecutive generations, notice some things just a little bit quicker.

  "Albert is fixated on pitchers and watches the game probably more closely than anybody I've seen as far as a player," manager Mike Scioscia said. "I think that influence is important for Mike, because he's understanding the importance of details, looking at little things—whether it's the pitcher's delivery, noticing a balk, whatever. So no, it doesn't surprise me."

  So when Pujols and Trout are standing together at the Angels' dugout entrance, they're not only watching intently, ready to react; they're often in discussion.

  "Yeah, for sure, we talk about our at-bats, what the pitcher's trying to do in that game," Trout said. "What pitches he's got, what he throws the most of, what the pitch is doing. Other than that, nothing too crazy. Pujols has a pretty good idea of what the pitcher's trying to do to him in his at-bats. I just ask him a lot of questions, and he usually gives me the right answers. I don't try to think about it too much, but every little piece of information helps." (D Adler - MLB.com - June 27, 2015)

• April 24, 2016: Pujols tied Reggie Jackson on the all-time home run list with his 563rd career.

• April 25, 2016: Albert hit two more home runs to reach 565 home runs. Pujols now has 52 multi-homer games. Only 11 players had more throughout their careers. Babe Ruth, the all-time leader, had 72.

• June 25, 2016: Pujols passed Hall of Fame slugger Harmon Killebrew for 11th on the all-time home run list at Angel Stadium, knocking career home run No. 574 off of Oakland lefthander Dillon Overton.

• August 3, 2016:  Albert knocked his 12th career walk-off home run—the most of any active player in the Majors—giving his club an 8-6 win over Oakland, further notching his reputation as one of the best clutch players of all-time.

  It was Pujols' 20th career walk-off hit, tying him with Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz for the most since 2000 and third most in the Majors since 1969. The all-time leader for walk-off homers is Jim Thome with 13, while Pujols is tied with Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial, Frank Robinson and Jimmie Foxx for second.  (Ardaya - MLB.com)

• August 18, 2016: Albert drove in two runs in a win over the Mariners to give him 95 RBIs for the season. It's the 15th season that Pujols has driven in at least 95 runs, tying Hank Aaron's MLB record for the most such seasons. (RBI became an official statistic in 1920.) Others on the list—Alex Rodriguez (14), Babe Ruth (13), Jimmie Foxx (13), Lou Gehrig (13), Al Simmons (13).

• September 17, 2016: Pujols registered his 14th season of at least 30 homers with a solo shot in a game against the Blue Jays. Pujols' 30th homer put him in elite company. Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez are the only other players to accomplish the feat. 

• September 24, 2016: Pujols passed Barry Bonds on the all-time doubles list with 602 for 15th-most in Major League history.   

• April 24, 2017:  Albert Pujols achieved several statistical milestones in a 6-2 loss to the Blue Jays, climbing MLB's all-time lists for RBIs and doubles.

  Pujols' 1,832nd RBI moved him past Manny Ramirez for sole possession of 18th place all-time and put him ahead of Ramirez for first among Dominican-born Major Leaguers. He also clubbed the 605th double of his career, tying Paul Molitor for 12th in MLB history.

• April 27, 2017: Pujols collected his 1,834th career RBI, moving into sole possession of 17th place on the all-time MLB list. Pujols surpassed Dave Winfield.

  May 16, 2017: In the bottom of the third, Pujols slapped a first-pitch sinker off Derek Holland down the third-base line to push the Angels ahead, 2-0. With the hit, his career RBI total increased to 1,846, breaking his tie with Carl Yastrzemski and giving him sole possession of 11th on the all-time list, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

• June 3, 2017: Pujols reached career home run No. 600 in style, becoming the first player to reach the milestone on a grand slam, to help carry the Angels to a 7-2 win over the Twins at Angel Stadium. Pujols lifted a 1-2 slider from Twins righthander and former teammate Ervin Santana down the left-field line for a grand slam to give the Angels a six-run lead in the fourth and bring the crowd of 40,236 to its feet. It was skied, as the 42-degree launch angle was his second-highest in the Statcast era, dating back to 2015. The homer, Pujols' ninth of the year, left the bat at 100.5 mph and traveled a projected 363 feet, which was the 37-year-old's fourth-shortest projected homer since '15.

  The slugger said he felt relieved to have finally achieved the milestone.

  "I was trying to get a pitch to hit," Pujols said. "Sometimes, as player, we are human; you try to do too much, but really in that at-bat I was really calm. I didn't know I was going to hit it out, but I knew I was going to have a good at-bat, because it was a different feeling than the first two at-bats that I had, and I was able to put a good swing on that slider."

  Pujols, a 10-time All-Star and three-time MVP, joined an exclusive list that includes Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755), Babe Ruth (714), Alex Rodriguez (696), Willie Mays (660), Ken Griffey Jr. (630), Jim Thome (612) and Sammy Sosa (609). Pujols, Aaron and Bonds are the only players with 600 homers and 600 doubles, while Pujols and Sosa—both from the Dominican Republic—are the only two who were not born in the United States.

  "I think we can all appreciate that," said Twins manager Paul Molitor, who reached 3,000 hits. "It's just tough to applaud when it's a grand slam that put us down six. But give him credit because he got down in the count, but Ervin left a slider he could handle it. I think everyone kind of salutes him on that accomplishment. There's no denying it's incredible and who knows how much he has left in some of these categories." (R Bollinger - MLB.com - June 3, 2017)

• June 17, 2017: With his 1,864th and 1,865th RBIs, Albert surpassed Mel Ott for 10th on MLB's all-time RBI list. It marks the most RBIs ever hit by a player born outside the U.S.

• August 18, 2017: Pujols kicked things off for the Angels in dramatic fashion cranking a two-RBI home run off of the Orioles’ Jeremy Hellickson to give the club an early lead. The 350-footer was his 18th home run of the year and No. 609 in his 17-season career, tying Sammy Sosa on the all-time home run list for eighth overall and most home runs hit by a player born outside of the United States.

• August 26, 2017: Pujols collected the 2,934th and 2,935th hits of his career during the Angels' 7-6 comeback win over the Astros on Saturday night, tying Barry Bonds for 36th place on the all-time list.

• August 30, 2017: Albert continued his historic climb up the home run leaderboard in the Angels' series finale against the A's, collecting the 611th and 612th homers of his career to tie Jim Thome for seventh on the all-time list.

  Pujols' first homer of the night came in the third inning, when he launched a two-run shot off A's right-hander Kendall Graveman to give the Angels a 3-0 lead. In his next at-bat in the fifth, Pujols took Graveman deep for another two-run homer, which cut the A's lead to 8-5.

  Pujols' four RBIs through the first five innings against the A's gave him 1,900 for his career, making him one of 10 players in Major League history to reach the mark.  (Pujols is the third player to ever tally at least 20 homers in 16 of his first 17 seasons, joining Hank Aaron and Willie Mays.)   (Guardado - mlb.com)

• Sept 1, 2017:  Pujols continued his climb up the leaderboards, tallying four RBIs in the first five innings in the Angels' 10-9 loss to the Rangers to pass Willie Mays for 10th place on the all-time list.

  Sept. 3, 2017: Pujols passed Willie Mays on the all-time RBI list.

• May 2, 2018:  Pujols moved into sole possession of 11th place on MLB's all-time doubles list with 625, surpassing Hank Aaron. Next up on that list is countryman David Ortiz, with 632.

• May 4, 2018:  Albert moved into increasingly rarefied territory over his decorated 18-year career in the Majors.  He reached another prestigious summit when he lined a single to right field in the fifth inning against Mariners right-hander Mike Leake for his 3,000th hit. The Angels slugger added a two-run single in the ninth for No. 3,001, driving in two runs to help the Halos to a 5-0 win.

  "It was going to happen, it was just a matter of when," Pujols said. "I just thank the Lord that it happened tonight in front of my family, my friends. Now we just stay focused on the things that I want to do, which is help this ballclub to win. We don't have to talk too much about 3,000 now." 

  Pujols, 38, became the 32nd player to reach 3,000 and the second from the Dominican Republic, after Adrian Beltre. With 620 homers, he is only the fourth player to collect 3,000 hits and 600 home runs, joining Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Alex Rodriguez.  

  "Albert's nickname 'The Machine' was not just for his hitting proficiency," manager Mike Scioscia said. "It's like his will to play. He comes out here every day, wants to help the team win a game. You have to have an incredible makeup to be that good for that long. He's obviously an exceptional talent. Combined with all the intangibles, you see why he's in rarefied air. Four guys, in all the careers in baseball of great, great players. To do what he's doing, I think it says it all." (Guardado - mlb.com - 5/4/18)

• June 10, 2018: Pujols collected his 1,952nd career RBI in the first inning of the Angels' 7-5 loss to the Twins at Target Field, passing fellow Cardinals great Stan Musial for sole possession of sixth place on the all-time list.

• July 25, 2018:  Albert Pujols couldn't help but admire this one.  With his solo shot off righthander James Shields in the second inning of the Angels' 11-3 win over the White Sox, Pujols collected his 631st career home run, passing Ken Griffey Jr. for sole possession of sixth place on the all-time list.

• August 10, 2018: After singling for his 1,000th career hit with the Angels in the sixth inning of a 4-3 victory over the A's, Albert became the ninth player to collect 1,000 hits in each league. The first 2,073 hits of his career came in the National League with the Cardinals. 

  Pujols joins Dave Winfield, Frank Robinson, Vladimir Guerrero, Fred McGriff, Carlos Lee, Orlando Cabrera, Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Beltran as the only players to accomplish the feat.

  "Albert, anytime he does anything—a base hit, a double, a home run—once again, you're talking about some of the all-time greats he's mentioned with," manager Mike Scioscia said. "It's a great feat. We're happy for him. He's swinging the bat well, and we need him. As far as putting everything into perspective that he's done up until this point, we're seeing a living legend. We're seeing a guy do things that not many people in this game have ever done. It's fun to be part of it."  (Guardado - mlb.com)

• In 2019, Albert will split time at first base and designated hitter with Justin Bour and Ohtani. Pujols figures to be the club's primary designated hitter until Ohtani is ready to return.

  Pujols, who is heading into his 19th season in the Majors, leads all active players in games played (2,692), home runs (633), runs (1,773), doubles (639) and RBIs (1,982). He remains under contract through the 2021.

• April 7, 2019: Pujols passed Ichiro on the career hits list with his 3,090th hit, which ranks 22nd all time.

• April 20, 2019: Pujols passed Babe Ruth for career RBI with 1,993, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Pujols tied Ruth’s total with an RBI double to left field off lefty Yusei Kikuchi that scored Andrelton Simmons from first base in the third inning. The Angels paid tribute to Pujols by recognizing the feat on the scoreboard, and Pujols tipped his cap to the fans in response. Pujols passed Ruth with a solo homer with one out in the ninth against Seattle reliever Anthony Swarzak.

  "It's pretty special," Pujols said. "You're talking about, if not the best, one of the best hitters that ever played this game. At the end of the night, for me, it's going out and trying to do whatever it takes to help this ballclub win. You can't accomplish things in this game by yourself. There's a lot of pieces and a lot of people that helped me along the way, including my teammates, and coaches and family, everything. It's pretty special." (B Bollinger - MLB.com - April 21, 2019)

• April 26, 2019:  Albert continues to ascend the all-time RBI list.  Pujols hit a two-run homer off Kansas City's Danny Duffy in the first inning that got the Angels off and running toward a 5-1 victory. That two-RBI blast moved Pujols past Lou Gehrig for fourth place on the all-time RBI list with 1,995.  Next up is Barry Bonds, who had 1,996 RBI.  (Falkoff - mlb.com)

• April 28, 2019: Pujols now has 1,997 RBIs and passed Barry Bonds (1,996) with a hot shot that got past Royals third baseman Kelvin Gutierrez with the bases loaded. Pujols trails only Hank Aaron (2,297) and Alex Rodriguez (2,086) on the RBI leaderboard.

  All-time RBI leaders, per the Elias Sports Bureau:

  1) Hank Aaron: 2,297

  2) Alex Rodriguez: 2,086

  3) Albert Pujols: 1,997

  4) Barry Bonds: 1,996

  5) Lou Gehrig: 1,994

• May 9, 2019: Pujols joined Hank Aaron and Alex Rodriguez as the only members of the 2,000-RBI club, and he could be the only one to join it for some time.

• May 11, 2019: This day marked Pujols' 59th career multi-homer game and his first since July 12, 2018, against Seattle. The two homers and a single gave Pujols 3,110 career hits, tying him with Dave Winfield for 21st on the all-time list.

• July 28, 2019: Pujols reached yet another incredible milestone, as he became the first player to hit at least 650 homers and 650 doubles in a career.

• August 14, 2019:  The milestones keep coming for Albert, who set another record, as he became the all-time hits leader among players born outside the United States, passing Adrian Beltre with career hit No. 3,167 on an RBI single to right field in the fourth inning of Wednesday's 7-4 win over the Pirates.

• Aug 4, 2020: Pujols is now just one home run away from catching Willie Mays’ career total of 660 blasts, as Pujols crushed a two-run shot off Mariners right-hander Justin Dunn in the first inning at T-Mobile Park.

• August 24, 2020:  Albert has had an illustrious 20-year career and is now second all-time in RBI,  reaching the milestone on an RBI single off Astros left-hander Framber Valdez in the fifth inning.  Pujols passed Alex Rodriguez on the all-time RBI list with 2,087 and now stands alone at second to Hank Aaron, who had 2,297 in 23 seasons.

• Sept. 13, 2020: Albert Pujols tied Willie Mays with home run No. 660. 

  In the history of Major League Baseball, now only four players have hit more homers than Angels slugger Albert Pujols. Pujols’ milestone came in a key moment—a two-run blast off reliever Carlos Estévez in the eighth inning to give the Angels a one-run lead in an eventual 5-3 win at Coors Field. It came on a 1-1 fastball and traveled a projected 402 feet, per Statcast. Only Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755), Babe Ruth (714) and Alex Rodriguez (696) went deep more times than Pujols has.  

• Sept. 18, 2020: Albert hit two homers (no's 661 and 662) and moved into sole possession of fifth place on the major league career home run list.

• June 20, 2021:  Albert hit a three-run homer and passed Mel Ott for 14th on the career runs list.

• July 11, 2021:  Albert led off the bottom of the ninth by ripping a single up the middle of the field.  It marked his 3,283rd hit of his storied career, tying him with Giants legend Willie Mays for 11th on the all-time AL/NL hits list.

• July 17, 2021: Pujols notches hit No. 3,284 of his illustrious career to eclipsing Willie Mays on the all-time hit list.

• May 18, 2022: Albert Pujols continues to work his way up the MLB record books.

  In the second inning against the Mets, Pujols hit a two-run single that was the 3,313th hit of his career, tying Eddie Collins for 10th in MLB history.

• July 10, 2022: Pujols made a little history. He was one extra-base hit away from tying Stan Musial, another Cardinals great, for third all-time.

  With a solo shot in the bottom of the sixth, he did just that and led the way as the Cards rallied for a 4-3 win over the Phillies.

  The Cardinals tweeted a graphic featuring Pujols and Musial, celebrating Pujols’ accomplishment.

• July 11, 2022: Pujols’ memories of Musial were at the forefront in his mind again when he doubled down the right-field line to pass the most accomplished player in Cardinals history with the 1,378th extra-base hit of his career. Pujols' double allowed him to move into third place on the all-time list for extra-base hits—one spot ahead of Musial, who Pujols had tied a day earlier with a home run.

• July 27, 2022: Albert Pujols had a three-run homer and made Cardinals history as St. Louis beat the Blue Jays 6-1 to snap Toronto’s seven-game win streak. The 42-year-old first baseman singled in the second inning, doubled in the fourth, and homered in the fifth to surpass Rogers Hornsby for fourth on the Cardinals’ all-time hits list. Pujols now has 2,112 hits for St. Louis.

• Aug. 10, 2022: At 42, Pujols became the oldest player in nearly 90 years to record four hits with a home run in the same game.

• Aug. 14, 2022: A 63rd multi-homer game for Pujols tied Willie Mays for 5th all-time in MLB history. 

• Aug. 20, 2022: With a home run that moved him within nine swings of 700, Albert Pujols surpassed a record closer to home, one originally set by Stan "The Man" Musial, a man Pujols called a friend and a Hall of Famer who defined what it meant to be a Cardinal.

  In the second inning of the Cardinals' game at Chase Field, Pujols connected for a solo homer against Arizona lefty Madison Bumgarner. Pujols' 691st career home run traveled to the nook of seats in deep center field — and with it trailed significant, personal and Cardinals history.

  When Pujols reached home, he had the four total bases to vault him ahead of Musial and into second place all-time for career total bases. Pujols, with 6,137 total bases, trails only Hank Aaron, who has 6,856.

• Sept. 11, 2022: Albert now has sole possession of fourth all-time on the career home run list. Pujols hit his 697th home run, surpassing Álex Rodríguez, who is now fifth in home runs.

• Sept. 15, 2022: Pujols became the third player to hit for 2,200 RBI, with the other two being Hank Aaron (2,297) and Babe Ruth (2,213).

• Sept. 24, 2022: Pujols became just the fourth player in MLB history to hit 700 HR.

• Oct. 2, 2022: Pujols hit his 702nd career home run and tied Babe Ruth for second on the all-time RBI list.
  
  
• Albert entered the 2022 season with a career batting average of .297, with 3,301 hits, 679 home runs, and 2,150 RBI in 11,114 at bats in the Majors.

• Albert played pretty solid defense at third base but is much better at first base.

• Pujols's best asset on defense was his arm. But when he injured his elbow, the Cardinals moved him to first base. He still does a great job making strong, accurate throws at first base.
• At third base, he has a strong arm and good hands.
• He shows good agility at first base, even though his legs are big and thick. He can go in the hole and backhand the ball. He scoops balls out of the dirt better than most any first baseman in the National League.
• Pujols has a real awareness of the game; he is very knowledgeable about situations.
• In 2000, Albert was named the best defensive third baseman in the Midwest League.
• In 2001, Pujols played 20 or more games at four different positions for the Cardinals—first base, third base, left field, and right field. He is adequate or better at all four spots. St. Louis manager Tony La Russa used him at the four spots to keep Albert's excellent bat in the lineup.

• In 2002, Albert played all over the field again for the Cardinals. He even played two innings at shortstop. That inspired Tony La Russa to recall, "Kevin Mitchell played short in 1986 when the Mets won. I bet you (talking to Pujols) play it a lot better than Kevin Mitchell did."

• At first base in 2004, Pujols was impressive on defense. He is very adept at the 3-6-3 double play. He plays the position aggressively, getting to a lot of balls other first baseman watch go by.

  "He's got everything you need," said Cards Manager Tony La Russa of Albert's glove at first base. "He's got really good hands. He's got a real quick first step or two. He's got a desire to work. He's got good guts late in the game. I think very, very soon he'll be a contender for a Gold Glove. And I think he'll win one before long."  (Matthew Leach-MLB.com-7/7/04)

• According to John Dewan, the author of the recent book The Fielding Bible, no Major League first baseman was better at digging out throws in 2005 than Albert Pujols. Dewan wrote that Pujols saved 42 bad throws by his infielders. Derrek Lee was a distant second with 23.

  MANY GOLD GLOVES 

• In 2006, Pujols won his first Rawlings Gold Glove. He tied for the NL lead among regulars with a .996 fielding percentage, finished second in assists, first in range factor, and second in total chances.

  Albert is the first Cardinals first baseman since Keith Hernandez in 1982 to win a Gold Glove. Pujols attributes his becoming an excellent first baseman to instruction from Cardinals infield coach Jose Oquendo.

• In 2010, Pujols received his second Gold Glove. He led National League first basemen in nearly every conventional defensive category, including fielding percentage (.998), total chances (1,619), assists (157), putouts (1,458), and double plays (146). And he committed a career-low four errors.

• Albert has become excellent at the short-hop pick and loves ranging to his right to make a great play as a first baseman.

• On May 17, 2011, Pujols played third base for the first time in nearly nine years. And no rust was apparent. Albert had five chances and handled them smoothly. He made one slick play on a Ben Francisco grounder in the seventh and started a double play.

• Spend enough time around Albert Pujols and you'll probably hear the name Jose Oquendo a lot. Oquendo is a former Major League middle infielder who, in the spring of 2016, had spent the past 16 years as the Cardinals' third-base coach.

  More to the point, he is the man who taught Pujols to value defense. To work on it, to take pride in it, to separate it from bad at-bats and to use it as a means to impact games, his first-base mitt every bit as valuable as his maple bat.  (Gonzalez - MLB.com - 3/21/16)

• Albert doesn't have much speed. He is heavy in the legs, so he doesn't run real fast. Still, he steals a base occasionally.

• July 26, 2015: Pujols' 100th stolen base helped put him in some elite company. He became just the fourth player in Major League history with a career .300 batting average, 500 home runs, and 100 steals. The others are Hall of Famers Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, and Hank Aaron. 

• April 19, 2019:  Albert stole third base as part of a double-steal against the Rangers, giving him his first stolen base since Aug. 19, 2019.  Pujols has stolen 13 straight bases without being caught, dating back to Sept. 19, 2015.

  POST-PLAYING CAREER 

• Feb 22, 2023: Fresh off a Hall of Fame-worthy 22-year career that saw him become the fourth player in AL/NL history to reach 700 career homers, Albert Pujols has rejoined the Angels’ organization as a special assistant to the club.

  Pujols arrived at camp on Tuesday and met with the media to discuss his role with the Angels. He said he always planned to honor his 10-year personal services contract he signed as part of his original 10-year, $254 million deal with the Angels, even after he was released by the club during the 2021 season.

  “It was just part of the business, that’s how it is, and there’s nothing holding me back from anything,” Pujols said. “I’m really happy to be back here. What happened two years ago, I don’t hold any grudges on anything. That’s part of the business.”

  Pujols, who played with the Angels from 2012-21, said he plans to serve as a special instructor at Spring Training this week and will also head to his native Dominican Republic during the season to help with the club’s prospects there. He said he’s open to whatever general manager Perry Minasian wants and is excited to help the organization, but envisions himself acting more as a mentor to the players than a front office executive. (R Bollinger - MLB.com - Feb 22, 2023)

• June 5, 2023: Commissioner Rob Manfred announced Monday that Major League Baseball has named Albert Pujols as special assistant to the Commissioner. Pujols will consult with MLB on a range of topics, including player relations and issues regarding his home country, the Dominican Republic. As part of his role, Pujols will also serve as an MLB Network on-air analyst, appearing across the network’s programming.

  Commissioner Manfred said: “Beyond his long list of accomplishments on the field, Albert is a highly respected figure who represents the game extraordinarily well. He cares greatly about making a difference in our communities. We are excited for Albert to join other former players who are doing important work for our sport, and we will welcome his perspective across our efforts.”  Pujols said: “I couldn't be more excited for this next chapter of my career. Commissioner Manfred and I share the same passion for growing the game in the Dominican Republic and I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish together. I'm also grateful for the opportunity to join the MLB Network family. I've been a huge fan since the very beginning and can't wait to get started.” (MLB.com - June 5, 2023)

• March 2025: Pujols confirmed reports that he will manage the Dominican Republic, his home country, in the World Baseball Classic next year. The move comes after Pujols won a Dominican Winter League championship this year, leading Escogido to a title over Licey.

• August 10, 2004: Pujols was diagnosed with a case of plantar fasciitis, commonly known as "heel spurs" in his right foot. But he played through them.

• December 2004: Albert underwent a non-invasive, non-surgical treatment for the plantar fasciitis problem. "It's a high-frequency, non-invasive treatment, soundwaves, it's similar to a lithotripsy, that they break up kidney stones with. It's similar to something like that," Cardinals trainer Barry Weinberg said.

  The procedure, "OssaTron," is similar to the process used to demolish kidney stones. It bombards the irritated tissue in the foot with sound waves to encourage healing. Pujols ran pain-free for 10 days, then it crept back into the heel.

• February 2005: Shortly after admitting to recurring discomfort in his foot, Pujols received another treatment of OssaTron. Pujols actually suffers plantar fasciitis in both feet, but the condition is most acute in his left one. His worst pain emanates from near his left heel.

• June 4–22, 2006: Albert was on the D.L. with a strained right oblique.

• 2007: Pujols spent the season playing with ligament problems in his right elbow. But he chose not to have the area cleaned out.

  During the offseason before 2008 spring training, Albert rested the elbow.

• June 10–26, 2008: Pujols injured his left calf while running out a ground ball versus the Reds. Initially feared as torn, tests confirmed a strained left calf. Albert went on the 15-day D.L.

• October 14, 2008: Albert had elbow surgery—a 25-minute outpatient procedure to relieve nerve irritation in his right elbow, which had led to numbness, tingling in his ring finger and pinkie, weakness in his grip and pain along the inside of the forearm.

  Dr. George Paletta, the team physician who performed the surgery, said Pujols experienced those symptoms over the last month of the season. The surgery Pujols had was not the reconstructive procedure that has long been discussed.

  It was "a relatively minor procedure" to relieve compression on the nerve and irritation of the nerve.

• October 21, 2009: For the second offseason in a row, Albert underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow. It was a debridement (cleanup) procedure, shaving bone spurs. It was done in Birmingham, Alabama under the direction of Dr. James Andrews.

  It was determined during the operation that Pujols does not currently require Tommy John reconstructive surgery in his elbow. He has a significant injury to the ulnar collateral ligament in the joint, but he has dealt with it since 2003 without undergoing the much more extensive procedure.

• 2010: Albert played with a jammed left elbow during the last six weeks of the season. He wore a compression sleeve on it and would ice it after games.

• June 19-July 5, 2011: Pujols suffered a non-displaced fracture of his left radius forearm in a game against the Royals when he collided with Kansas City's Wilson Betemit on a play at first base. When Pujols lurched for the ball, he made contact with the charging Betemit.

  Pujols underwent an MRI exam and a CT scan, which revealed the injury. He was placed in a splint.

• October 9, 2012: Albert underwent a minor arthroscopic procedure to clean up his right knee, performed in St. Louis.

• July 27-end of 2013 season: Pujols dealt with plantar fasciitis all season, but it worsened, causing him to finally go on the D.L.

  Plantar fasciitis manifests when the ligament that supports the arch of the foot is strained, causing pain when walking or standing. Pujols has dealt with spurts of the ailment for most of his career, but it's been prolonged and severely worse in 2013.

  A common occurrence among athletes dealing with plantar fasciitis is that the inflamed ligament snaps, which eases the tension and eliminates the need for surgery. Albert's did not snap, it partially tore.

• November 10, 2015: Pujols had surgery on his right foot. He is expected to be ready for 2016 spring training.

• August 31, 2016: Pujols has been playing through plantar fasciitis in his right foot for a couple of weeks, but there are no plans to shut down the slugger, Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.  Pujols has battled with plantar fasciitis in his left foot for much of his career, but now he's dealing with the same issue in his right foot.

  And on Dec 2, 2016, Pujols underwent foot surgery to release his right plantar fascia. The Angels said the estimated recovery time is four months. That timetable would put Pujols on track to return just before Opening Day. However, Pujols has been known as a quick healer during his career. (A Laymance - MLB.com - Dec 2, 2016), 

• July 13-23, 2018: Albert was on the DL with left knee inflammation.

• August 29-Nov 2, 2018: Pujols will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing arthroscopic debridement of his left knee in Los Angeles. The surgery, performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, carries a recovery period of six to eight weeks. GM Billy Eppler said Pujols is expected to be ready by Spring Training.

  Feb 1, 2019: Albert is making progress after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in August 2018, and the Angels believe he'll be ready for the start of Spring Training, GM Billy Eppler said. Pujols, who turned 39 on Jan. 16, has been working out and hitting without any issues in recent weeks.

  "Albert is progressing well," Eppler said. "He's been hitting and increasing his weight training. He's been hitting for a while now. Based on that, we're very optimistic that the next stage for him is when we get out on the field and start moving around a little bit more, and then incorporating at-bats in games and how he responds."

• March 21, 2021: Pujols was hit on his left arm by a pitch from Cubs right-hander Ryan Tepera in the third inning of the game and immediately exited for pinch-runner Livan Soto. Pujols was diagnosed with a left wrist contusion. X-rays were negative and he is considered day to day, according to the Angels.

• Sept 28-29, 2021: Albert was on the IL after experiencing side effects from the Covid-19 vaccine.