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'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 spkes 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 awninglike 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 rightfield 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.

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 scount wound up taking a job at a WalMart in Hot Springs, Arkansas. (Gordon Edes-Boston Globe)

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)

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

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

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.

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.

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

Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa 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.'' 

LaRussa 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."

"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 LaRussa said in 2004.

MULTIPLE MVPs

In 2004, Pujols was named Most Valuable Player of the National League Championship Series, posting .500 batting average, 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 2nd-highest bid, then passed the jersey along to the 2nd-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 seven 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 early 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)

Angels superstar Albert Pujols 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)

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 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.

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 Pujols 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.

"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 Hall of Famer 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 Albert 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 homer 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)

TRANSACTIONS

August 17, 1999: Albert was drafted by the St. Louis 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.

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."

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)

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. (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.

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

NOT A BAD SECOND AND THIRD 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. 

"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.

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.

"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 distates 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 legth 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 you 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.

"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 (as of April 27, '16). 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 left-hander 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)

On 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. 

Albert entered the 2016 season with a career batting average of .327, with 560 home runs, and 1,698 RBI in 8,545 at bats in the Majors.

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

He can also see action in left field or right field. He takes pride in that part of his game.

In 2002, Albert played all over the field again for the Cardinals. He even played two innings at shorstop. That inspired Tony LaRussa 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.

MULTIPLE 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 Rawlings 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). 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.

December 2004: Albert underwent a non-invasive, non-surgical treatment for the plantar fascitis 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.

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.

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 has dealt with it since 2003 without undergoing the much more extensive procedure.

Albert played with a jammed left elbow during the last six weeks of the 2010 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 hs right knee, performed in St. Louis.

July 27 to end of 2013 season: Pujols dealt with plantar fascitis 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.