Watch: St. Louis Cardinals' Albert Pujols hits HR No. 695 as the veteran slugger's race to the historic mark of 700 heats up
With the MLB season drawing to a close, Albert Pujols' chase for home run No. 700 has captivated baseball fans around the world. This is fast becoming the story of the season. Each at-bat is nail-biting, tense, and suspenseful. Fans are on the edge of their seats every time the Dominican slugger steps up, knowing they could witness history.
Yesterday, Albert Pujols continued his riveting march to 700. The three-time National League MVP hit home run No. 695 on Sunday against Chicago Cubs pitcher Brandon Hughes. Pujols has taken a record 451 different pitchers deep in his career. He is now one home run behind Alex Rodriguez and five away from the coveted 700 club.
"UN. BE. LIEVABLE. The Cubs challenge Albert and he makes them pay. Homer No. 695!!!!!" - Bally Sports Widwest
At the age of 42, fans didn't expect much from Albert Pujols when he returned to the St. Louis Cardinals for one last hurrah. His stats dwindled over the past few seasons with the Los Angeles Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers, but Pujols is showing us all that age is just a number.
With the Cardinals battling for a playoff spot in the National League, Pujols has been exemplary over the second half of the season. He has hit nine of his 16 home runs this season since the beginning of August. During that period, the Cards went 25-7 and now hold a comfortable 8.5-game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central.
Albert Pujols is 5 shy of an historic 700 career HRs with only 28 games remaining in the season
This has been a record-setting season for Pujols. The 11-time All-Star recently broke Barry Bonds' record of home runs hit against different pitchers. He is also the only player 42 years old or older to hit seven homers in a 10-game period.
Pujols is now second all-time in career total bases (6,149), trailing only Hank Aaron (6,856). He also surpassed Paul Molitor earlier this season to break into the top 10 all-time hits leaders with 3,364 to date.
"Albert Pujols needs five home runs in the Cardinals’ final 28 games to reach 700 home runs Pujols has hit nine home runs in St. Louis’ last 28 games" - Talkin' Baseball
Only Babe Ruth (714), Hank Aaron (755), and Barry Bonds (762) have reached the 700 milestone in their careers. Albert Pujols has 28 remaining games to hit five more home runs. He will require one every 5.6 games to reach the 700 target in the regular season.
The St. Louis Cardinals now travel to the nation's capital to face the Washington Nationals, followed by a home series versus the Pittsburgh Pirates. For baseball fans around the globe, these last 28 Cardinals games will be must-watch television.