Albert Pujols hit his 700th major league homer on Friday with his second homer in the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers, becoming just the fourth slugger in history with that number.
The 42-year-old Dominican hit 699 home runs in the third inning, one before reaching the magic number at Dodger Stadium, in a game in which the Cardinals thrashed the National League West champion 11-0 .
With the home run, in the final days of a season that the star has said will be his last in the majors, Pujols joined Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714) at one of the most Exclusive to baseball.
“Don’t get me wrong, I know my place in this sport, but from day one, when I debuted, I never looked for numbers,” Pujols said. “I’ve always tried to win championships and try to get better at those games.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was full of praise for Pujols’ milestone: “It’s like Mount Rushmore for hitters, so to hit that 700-home run mark, it’s remarkable.”
A man dressed in a blue Dodgers shirt with Hideo Nomo’s number 16 on his back caught the 700th home run ball. Cesar Soriano, a 37-year-old Angeleno, had caught the previous one.
“Memories are for the fans,” Pujols said. “I have no problem if they want to keep them. That’s what fans come for, to have a special moment in history.”
Pujols has been amazing off the bat recently, his 14th homer since early August with NL Central-leading St. Louis, and he has 21 on the season.
The historic garrotazo of the quisqueyano produced three runs against reliever Phil Bickford. The ball landed in the front rows of the left-field bleacher, the same spot where his two-run homer hit the previous inning off left-hander Andrew Heaney.
He walked around the bases smiling and, after crossing the plate and pointing his fingers to the sky, he went to greet his compatriot and former Dodgers star, Adrián Beltré, who he high-fived through the net. He then walked to the Cardinals bench amid hugs and congratulations at every turn.
Pujols received a long standing ovation from the crowd of the Dodgers, the team where he finished last season.
His two homers gave the Cardinals a 5-0 lead, which they extended by three more runs in the fifth on Dylan Carlson’s RBI double and Lars Nootbaar’s two-run homer.
Colombian José Quintana (6-6) scored the victory after allowing five hits in six and two-thirds innings, with six strikeouts.
The loss went to Heaney’s record (3-3).
For the Cardinals, the Dominican Albert Pujols 4-2, with two runs scored and five RBIs. Venezuelan Juan Yepez 5-2, with two runs scored and one produced.
For the Dodgers, Cuban Miguel Vargas 3-1. The Dominican Hanser Alberto 3-1.