Albert Pujols broke a seventh-inning no-hitter off pitches from left-hander Blake Snell in the St. Louis Cardinals’ 1-0 loss to the San Diego Padres. In his first at-bat, Pujols was struck out by Snell. In his second plate appearance he flied out to second baseman. And in the sixth episode in count, of 3 balls and a strike, Pujols took advantage of the special formation to connect the undisputed by the right center field, breaking the no-hitter of the left-handed pitcher. The Dominican finished 3-1. Sean Manaea was originally scheduled to pitch the game for the San Diego Padres, but was rescheduled for Thursday. Pujols has only had one hit in 22 career at-bats for him. The meeting will be at 4:10 in the afternoon. The Dominican’s last home run was last Friday against Cincinnati, his home run number 698 of his career and the 19th of this season. Pujols needs two homers to join the select group of 700 home runs, where only: Babe Ruth (714), Hank Aaron (755) and Barry Bonds (762). Counting Thursday’s game, the St. Louis Cardinals have 12 games remaining. Is there pressure on Pujols’ bat? We will know that in the next games.
