Albert Pujols Just Made History Yesterday and Is Officially a Baseball Legend

Summary

Albert Pujols has solidified his legendary status in baseball by hitting his 700th home run, joining an exclusive group of players with such a milestone.

Abstract

Albert Pujols, at 42, has achieved a remarkable feat in baseball history by hitting his 700th home run during a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, his former team. This accomplishment places him in elite company, with only three other players having reached this milestone. Pujols' career is characterized by consistent performance, with over 20 home runs in both his first and last seasons, and a total of 3,377 hits. His nickname "The Machine" reflects his methodical approach and machine-like production on the field. Despite a decline in his later years with the Los Angeles Angels, Pujols has remained a formidable player, and his recent achievement further cements his Hall of Fame status. His career highlights include being a Rookie of the Year, a 3-time MVP, an 11-time All-Star, and a 2-time World Series champion, among other accolades. Pujols' career is admired not only for his athletic prowess but also for his character as a good teammate and his absence from performance-enhancing drug (PED) controversies.

Opinions

The author regards Pujols as a baseball legend and a legend in the making from his early career days.
Pujols is admired for his work ethic, consistency, and methodical approach to the game.
The author is impressed with Pujols' achievements, especially considering his age and the fact that he has not been implicated in PED use.
Pujols' 700th home run and his overall career statistics are seen as a testament to his greatness and place in baseball history.
The author believes that Pujols' achievements, including his home runs and RBIs, surpass those of other greats like Barry Bonds, especially given Pujols' membership in the 3,000-hit club.
The author reflects on Pujols' career with nostalgia, highlighting his impact on the game and the joy of watching him play over two decades.

It was amazing to watch him hit his historic home run in a win against a former team

If you haven’t heard the news by now, Albert Pujols joined some pretty exclusive company in Major League Baseball. He hit his 700th home run at Dodger Stadium in an 11–0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, a team he had just played for last season.

He currently has 21 home runs this season at the age of 42. He’s already made it clear that his 22nd season this year will be his last. That means that once he retires, he’ll be only the second player after Ted Williams to hit more than 20 home runs in his first and last season in the Majors. In the game, he hit two home runs to get to his current total.

He’s hit 200 home runs off of left-hand pitching and 500 home runs off of right-hand pitching. In the game, he fittingly hit a home run off of one left-hander and one right-hander to reach those respective totals.

He was very emotional and grateful in his post-game interview after reaching the milestone. He was happy to have his family there with him and just relishing the moment even though he never really purposely reached for it. For him, it was never about the numbers.

He’s always been known as a methodical and consistent player. He’s always been about putting in the work and grinding away. His nickname throughout his career has been “The Machine.” It’s quite fitting for this legendary player because of his machine-like production on the diamond.

Watching him when I was younger in my early 20s, I knew even then that I was watching a legend in the making. I remember his Cardinals days the most when he would consistently put up over 30 home runs and 100 RBIs while consistently hitting above .300 year after year. His early career suggested a pace that would’ve tracked towards a Hall of Fame selection after he retires.

He’s definitely a lock for the Hall of Fame with the numbers he’s put up despite his down years with the Los Angeles Angels as he was going into his 30s. His Angels numbers at times were bad but you could still see that the player that had put up the prolific numbers was still there at the core. You could just look at his career in two halves.

The first half made it seem like he was going to become a power all-time great that would threaten and potentially pass all of the all-time greats in home runs. The second half slowed him down and made him seem more mortal but still tracked him towards where he got to in the present day. We all knew that he would get to 700 plus home runs after playing for long enough.

Now, as a 42-year-old, he’s a legend. And the 21 home runs he hit this year are right on par with what Barry Bonds did in his final season and this is Pujols who never was linked with PEDs. Honestly, if I were to look at the two careers side-by-side, I’m more impressed with what Pujols did over what Bonds did despite the latter’s higher skill in stealing bases when he was just a speedy, lanky outfielder.

Pujols is a beast physically. He’s got 3,377 hits. Bonds finished shy of 3,000, hitting 2,935, and with an average of .298. Sure, Pujols hit .296 in his career so they’re about even there but it’s hard to argue against someone in the 3,000-hit club, along with over 700 home runs. Only Pujols and Hank Aaron are in that exclusive club.

His current RBI total is just 5 shy of Babe Ruth at 2,208, which places him third all-time. There are still enough games at this point for Pujols to become second all-time in that number as well. Pujols is in many exclusive clubs at this point in his career. He’s going to be retired with history and with all of the other accomplishments and accolades he’s received over the years.

He’s been a Rookie of the Year, 3-time MVP, 11-time All-Star, he’s won a batting title, two Gold Gloves, 3-time MLB POY, won two World Series titles, six Silver Sluggers, and was the MVP of the NLCS. Along with being an automatic lock even before his 700th home run for the Hall of Fame, he’s just known to be a good guy and a great teammate.

Thinking back on his career and achievements, I just think about how much I’ve always admired and marveled at his talent. He is certainly not done hitting more home runs this season and he’s been a delight to watch now for a little over two decades. Baseball won’t be the same without this legend.