[155][156][157], Pujols did not perform very well to begin the 2012 season, batting .217 with no home runs and four RBI in the month of April. He appeared in 161 games, posted a .329 batting average with 37 home runs and 130 runs batted in (RBIs), and was the unanimous choice for 2001 National League (NL) Rookie of the Year. [244], On August 20, he passed Musial for second place all-time in total bases, trailing only Hank Aaron. According to La Russa, he and the rest of Cardinals management were impressed enough by Pujols that they decided to promote him to the big league club even before Bonilla's injury. Albert earned $14.5 million during his time with the Cardinals. He became an evangelical Christian on November 13, 1998, influenced in part by Deidre and his grandmother. Albert, however, expressed his intention to marry . Pujols let the paramedics wheel Tepas out on a stretcher through the right field fence. [253] Pujols finished his regular-season career first in double plays grounded into (426), third in sacrifice flies (123), fifth in games played (3,080) and doubles (686), and sixth in at bats (11,421). [218] He was tied for the 7th-highest salary in the league, at $29 million. He denounced Clark's allegations as "irresponsible and reckless," and threatened to sue Clark and WGNU over the allegations. He is sitting at 698 career home runs, on the doorstep of becoming the fourth playerwith Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, and Babe Ruthto hit 700. [327][328] During his first tenure with the Cardinals, Pujols and his family attended West County Community Church, a Southern Baptist church in Wildwood, Missouri. The next month, Pujols' offensive production had started to come around. Pujols on hitting his 700th home run in Los Angeles. [39] Pujols finished the year batting .314 (seventh in the NL) with 185 hits (tied for fourth in the NL), 40 doubles (eighth in the NL), 34 home runs (10th in the NL), 118 runs scored (second in the NL to Sosa's 122), and 127 RBI's (second in the NL). Albert's first child was born in 2002. Albert got married to his stunning wife Deidre Pujols on January 1, 2000. In 2008 Pujols was named NL MVP after finishing the season with a .357 batting average and 116 RBIs. Among active MLB players, he trailed only Alex Rodriguez, with eight. Growing up, Pujols practiced baseball using limes for balls and a milk carton for a glove. "[271] Larry Walker called him "a great hitter,"[69] and Brendan Ryan said, "He's the best there is. [97] Pujols finished the season with 185 hits, 38 doubles and 103 RBI (a career-low). [113] On July 3, he hit his 10th career grand slam against Weathers in a 74 victory over the Reds, breaking Musial's record for most grand slams by a Cardinal. [205] A Tigers fan caught the 2,000 RBI ball but refused to turn it over to MLB officials, saying that he wanted to sleep on it before making a decision. [146], In Game 2 of the NLDS against the Phillies on October 2, Pujols had a game-winning RBI single against Cliff Lee in the 54 victory. Pujols signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 2021 season. I don't get locked in on numbers. [106] Pujols won his second NL MVP Award, and he won the Silver Slugger Award for the fourth time in his career. [198] He hit a single on August 10 for his 1,000th hit as an Angel, becoming the ninth player to record 1,000 hits in both the American League and National League. [248] On September 14, he became the second player in MLB history to officially compile 2,200 RBIs. [230] For the second season in a row, he had the slowest baserunning sprint speed of all major league players, at 22.4 feet/second. "I realize this is not the most opportune time with Opening Day approaching and other family events that have recently . [43] On October 22, in Game 3 of the World Series, Pujols had five hits, three home runs, four runs scored and six RBI in a 167 victory over the Rangers. [82] On June 4, he was placed on the disabled list (DL) for the first time in his career with a strained right oblique that kept him out for three weeks. [11] Pujols hit a grand slam and turned an unassisted triple play in the first game of his only college season. Moreover, Pujol's height is about 1.91 m and his weight is about 109 kg. "[81] Pujols had three hits and four RBI, including his 1,000th career hit (a home run against Jerome Williams), as the Cardinals defeated the Cubs 93 on April 21, 2006. [11][34], After playing several positions in 2001, Pujols spent most of 2002 in left field. . Albert and Deidre have five children together. Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals hits his 700th career home run against the Dodgers on Sept. 23, 2022, at Dodger Stadium. [208], In 2019, he batted .244/.305/.430. [a] Only two other players (Stan Musial and Willie Mays) have surpassed 6,000 total bases. Louis. [11] He grounded into a major-league-leading 27 double plays. [269] La Russa has called him "the best player I've ever managed. Braulio Perez 3/28/2022. [204], On May 9, 2019, Pujols became the fourth player in major league history to record 2,000 RBIs, hitting a solo home run against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. [101][102] Pujols hit his 300th home run against Bob Howry on July 4 in a 21 loss to the Cubs. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Albert-Pujols, St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame - Biography of Albert Pujols, Albert Pujols - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Albert Pujols - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). 1:49. Albert Pujols watches his 697th career home run. Everyone's stats fall off sooner or later, but Pujols' skills have decayed in a way that is unique in baseball history -- and that shows . Clark served as the Cardinals' hitting coach during the early part of Pujols' tenure in St. Louis. You need to enable JavaScript to run this app. [116] In 160 games, Pujols batted .327 (third, behind Ramrez's .342 and Pablo Sandoval's .330) with 186 hits (sixth), 45 doubles (second to Miguel Tejada's 46), 47 home runs (first), 135 RBI (third behind Fielder and Howard's 141) and 124 runs scored (first). [11][29] He was unanimously named the NL Rookie of the Year after setting an NL rookie record with 130 RBI's (fifth in the league) and becoming the fourth MLB rookie to hit .300 with 30 home runs, 100 runs, and 100 RBI's. [252] On October 3, he hit No. One of the reasons Pujols hit into so many double plays in his career is that he was one of the best hitters ever at making contact. ", "Celebration time: Cards lock up Central", "Three-run Pujols blast helps Cards snap 7-game skid", "Cards power past Brewers, extend narrow division lead", "Cards roll past Tigers for first Series win since '82", "Pujols' slam notches several milestones", "Grand finale: Pujols caps Cardinals' rally", "Sporting News names Albert Pujols 2009 Major League Baseball Player of the Year", "Holliday proves a perfect fit with Cards", "Pujols voted Clutch Performer for April", "Pujols records 37th career multihomer game as Cards blank D-backs", "Pujols reaches 100 RBIs for 10th straight year", "Pujols' two homers, Cards' D back Lohse", "Molina, Pujols honored with Gold Glove Awards", "Pujols, Holliday rewarded with Silver Sluggers", "Votto wins NL MVP by overwhelming margin", "Mozeliak: Spring training is deadline for Pujols' deal", "Pujols-Cards contract talks end without deal", "La Russa confident in Pujols turning it around", "Pujols again strikes in extras to lift Cardinals", "Pujols expected to miss about six weeks", "Pujols activated, set to play Wednesday", "Pujols adds to illustrious career with 2,000th hit", "Go Wild, folks: Cards headed to the postseason", "Great From Day 1, Pujols Draws Superlatives on and Off the Field", "Ryan Braun wins NL MVP award; Matt Kemp second", "Comeback Cards strike in Philly to tie NLDS", "2011 World Series Game 3: Albert Pujols hits three home runs to push Cardinals past Rangers", "Mr. Octo'bert: Pujols' 3 HRs answer critics", "Pujols puts on historic display of power", "Bernie: Pujols' performance is one for the ages", "Pujols officially playing the field for first time", "Marlins lose out on free agents Pujols, Wilson", "Pujols, Angels agree to $254million, 10-year deal", "Halos' Saturday news conference to air live", "Trout recalled as Angels release veteran Abreu", "Not surprisingly, Trout center of attention in KC", "Stars align as Pujols, Trout light up sky for Weaver", "Pujols, Greinke lead Halos to much-needed win", "Pujols to miss remainder of 2013 season", "Pujols denies steroid allegations, threatens legal action: Defiant slugger rebuffs St. Louis radio host's claim that trainer used to 'shoot him up', "Jack Clark fired after Pujols says he'll sue", "Ex-MLBer Clark says Albert Pujols used PEDs; trainer says not so", "Pujols, Verlander Respond To Clark's Claims - ESPN Video - ESPN", "Clark challenges Pujols to dueling polygraphs over steroids claims", "Jack Clark apologizes; Pujols will drop lawsuit", "Albert Pujols hits career home run No. I get locked in on seeing the ball and helping my team out to win and hopefully doing some damage out there. In Game 2 on October 8, he singled in his last two at-bats. Pujols hit home runs off of a record 458 different pitchers over the course of his career,[263] and is fourth in career home runs and fifth in doubles. "[41], Pujols' contributions helped the Cardinals finish third in home runs and second in batting average and RBI; the Cardinals' pitching staff also finished fourth in ERA. [223], In an August 7, 2018, article entitled "How the shift has ruined Albert Pujols," ESPN sportswriter Alden Gonzalez wrote: .mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}, "The recent proliferation of defensive shifts has made it exceedingly difficult for power hitters to turn batted balls into hits, prompting an infatuation with launch angles and breeding a widespread acceptance of strikeouts. I don't get locked in on anything like that. 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