Cardinals’ Albert Pujols hits 700th home run, joining Bonds, Aaron and Ruth

LOS ANGELES (AP) – St. Louis Cardinals hitter Albert Pujols hit his 700th home run on Friday night, connecting for his second drive of the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers and becoming the fourth player to set the milestone in history reached the major leagues.

A man wearing a blue Dodgers shirt with Hideo Nomo’s #16 on the back grabbed the 700th homer ball. He was escorted out of Dodger Stadium into a waiting SUV, flanked by 10 security guards.

Showing the pop from his younger, dominant days, Pujols, 42, hit in the third inning at number 699 and started the fourth inning at number 700.

Driving into the closing days of his final big league season, Pujols joined Barry Bonds (762 home runs), Hank Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714) in one of baseball’s most exclusive clubs.

It was a remarkable and resurgent run for Pujols. This was his 14th home game since early August for the NL Central-leading Cardinals and his 21st this season.

Pujols’ historic homer was a three-run shot against Dodgers relief Phil Bickford. The ball landed in left field in the first few rows of the pavilion, the same spot where his two-barrel shot touched left-hander Andrew Heaney’s previous inning.

He jogged around the bases and smiled the whole way. After crossing the plate and pointing his fingers to the sky, Pujols walked over to greet fellow countryman and former Dodgers star Adrian Beltre. They clapped through the safety net.

He then walked to the Cardinals’ dugout, getting hugs and congratulations at every turn.

Pujols received a long standing ovation from the crowd – he ended last season playing for the Dodgers. He picked up a curtain and lifted his cap in confirmation.

The fans chanted “Pujols! Pujols!” They finally sat on their feet, expecting to see history.

His 700th homer also gave him some other nice round numbers – he’s hit 500 homers from righties and 200 from lefties.

Pujols connected twice on the same night that New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge stayed on deck for the home run story. He stayed on 60 homers, close to tying Roger Maris’ AL mark of 61 in 1961 in a win at Yankee Stadium.

Pujols’ two bops gave the Cardinals a 5-0 lead, all runs coming thanks to his big stick.

He swung at Heaney in his first at-bat and came up short in the sixth.

Pujols snapped a tie with Alex Rodriguez in fourth on the list when he hit the career No. 697 homer against Pittsburgh on Sept. 11.

Hitting 700 home runs seemed like a long way off for Pujols as he batted .189 on July 4. But the three-time NL MVP started finding his punch in August, hitting seven home runs in a 10-game streak, which helped St. Louis pull away in the division race.

“I know that early in the year… I obviously wanted better results,” Pujols said after scoring in the 1-0 win over the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 22. “But I felt like I hit the ball hard. Sometimes this game takes away more than it gives back.

“So I think at the end of the day you have to be positive and just stay focused and trust your work. It’s something I’ve been doing all along.”

Pujols has had a productive season after returning to St. Louis in March on a one-year, $2.5 million contract. It’s his highest total since hitting 23 home runs for the Angels in 2019.

After the end of the season he wants to retire.

Pujols also began his career in St. Louis. He was selected by the Cardinals in the 13th round of the 1999 amateur draft and won the 2001 NL Rookie of the Year Award.

The Dominican Republic native hit at least .300 with at least 30 homers and 100 RBIs in each of his first 10 seasons. He helped the Cardinals to World Series titles in 2006 and 2011.

He hit a career high in 2006 with 49 homers — one of seven seasons with at least 40 homers. He led the majors with 47 homers in 2009 and led the NL with 42 in 2010.

Pujols left St. Louis as free agency in December 2011 and signed a 10-year, $240 million contract with the Angels. He was waived by the Angels in May 2021 and then joined the Dodgers, hitting 12 homers and 38 runs in 85 games.