St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols hit his 700th career home run on Friday, September 23, becoming the fourth player in MLB history with 700 career home runs.
Pujols stepped to the plate in the 4th inning and blasted a 389-foot shot over the left field fence for the 700th home run in his legendary career.
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As the all-time great rounded the bases, Dodger Stadium stadium celebrated the moment witnessing a day in MLB history that many wondered if we would ever see again.
- Albert Pujols stats (2022): .266/.339/.531, 21 HR, 58 RBI
It’s a feat that Pujols seemed unlikely to reach when he signed with St. Louis this offseason. The 42-year-old signed with the organization that selected him with the 402nd pick in the 13th round of the 1999 MLB Draft. He returned to the organization he spent 11 years with wearing a Cardinals’ uniform.
At the start of the season, Pujols sat at 679 home runs, with many expecting him to serve as a platoon hitter. Even for those with the highest of expectations, a 20-homer season seemed unthinkable. Thanks to a phenomenal run at the plate this summer, history was made.
Albert Pujols stats and ranks in MLB history
Already a first-ballot Hall of Famer before he added to his career milestones, Pujols’ final season in baseball will go down in the history books. Not only did he serve as an integral part of the Cardinals’ push to make the MLB playoffs, he also added several historic milestones to his resume.
Pujols passed Barry Bonds in August for the most home runs off different pitchers (450) in MLB history. He is also tied with Bonds for 21 seasons with at least 15 home runs, an MLB record that will likely stand for years to come.
An 11-time All-Star selection and three-time NL MVP, Pujols recently became just the eighth player in MLB history to record a season with 20-plus home runs at age 40 or later.
Entering the day, Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755), and Babe Ruth (714) were the only three members of the 700 home run club. Now, Pujols is the first player born outside of the United States to reach the historic milestone.
- Albert Pujols career stats: .296/.374/.543/.917, 700 HR, 2,208 RBI
Pujols is also just one of five players with at least 2,000 RBIs in their career, more than Lou Gehrig (1,995), Barry Bonds (1,996), and Alex Rodriguez (2,086). Before the 2022 MLB season ends, he will likely pass Babe Ruth (2,214 RBI) for second place among the all-time leaders in RBI.