St. Louis Cardinals silver slugger Albert Pujols gets closer to breaking record set by Barry Bonds
Albert Pujols has signed back with the St. Louis Cardinals and has fit in nicely as the DH for the team. In his first five games played, Pujols is currently hitting .389 with two home runs and four RBIs.
Albert Pujols currently has 681 home runs in his career and is hoping to get to the 700 mark by the end of the season. While Pujols will certainly not reach Barry Bonds' record of 762 home runs, there is one other Bonds stat that the future Hall of Famer could pass: hitting home runs off the most pitchers in history.
Pujols homered on Easter Sunday against the Milwaukee Brewers, making him just 19 away from the 700 mark.
Albert Pujols game-tying home run! https://t.co/K9haSWbv0X
"Albert Pujols game-tying home run!" - @ Talkin' Baseball
Pujols tied the game up at the time, and it will be interesting to see how much attention he will get as he gets closer and closer to 700 home runs.
For #STLCards DH Albert Pujols, it was the 189th HR in his career that he's hit off a LH pitcher. Also, Aaron Ashby is the 442nd different pitcher he has homered off. Barry Bonds has the record (449 pitchers) and could be caught if Pujols keeps up this torrid pace vs. LHP.
"For #STLCards DH Albert Pujols, it was the 189th HR in his career that he's hit off a LH pitcher. Also, Aaron Ashby is the 442nd different pitcher he has homered off. Barry Bonds has the record (449 pitchers) and could be caught if Pujols keeps up this torrid pace vs. LHP." - @ John Denton
Pujols could potentially pass Barry Bonds at some point this season for homering off the most pitchers.This would only add to a for sure first ballot Hall of Famer.
Albert Pujols bio
Albert Pujols was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 13th round of the 1999 MLB draft. He made his Major League debut on April 2, 2001, for the Cardinals against the Colorado Rockies.
Pujols' stats are up there with some of the greatest ever to play the game. Over the course of his 21-year career, Pujols has compiled 3,308 hits, 681 home runs, 2,154 RBIs, and a .297 batting average.
Pujols' best years came while with the St. Louis Cardinals from 2001-2011. During this time, he had 2,073 hits, 445 home runs, 1,329 RBIs, and a .328 batting average. This goes along with 10 All-Star appearances, three MVPs, the Rookie of the Year award, six Silver Sluggers, and two Gold Glove awards.
One of his greatest single-game performances came in the 2011 World Series, where he belted out three home runs in one game! Pujols played a critical role in both of the St. Louis Cardinals World Series titles in 2006 and 2011.
Pujols needs just 19 home runs to reach the 700 mark. It will be a story to watch this season. The Cardinals play the Miami Marlins today at 6:40 p.m. EDT.