Six hundred and ninety-six down, four to go.
Albert Pujols is now tied for fourth on the MLB all-time home run list, after smashing No. 696 in the sixth inning of the Cardinals’ 7-5 win over the Pirates Saturday. That ties him with Alex Rodriguez, who hit the 696th and final home run of his career while with the Yankees on July 18, 2016.
“That was fun to watch. Every time he steps up, you never know what you’re going to see with Albert,” Cardinals starter Jack Flaherty said. “It was a big home run, too. Every one that he hits is important.”
The homer also extended a couple of Pujols records: J.T. Brubaker was the 452nd pitcher he has homered off of, extending his MLB record for most pitchers homered off of – he had passed Barry Bonds’ previous record of 449 last month – and he now has 33 home runs at PNC Park, tied with Houston’s Minute Maid Park for the most he’s hit at any ballpark that was never his home (meaning Busch Stadium, Angel Stadium, or his brief tenure at Dodger Stadium).
Pujols now has 17 homers in 89 games on the season, the same amount he hit in 109 games between the Angels and Dodgers last year, and is four shy of becoming just the fourth man to reach 700 behind Bonds, Aaron, and Ruth.
Reaching that total may have seemed a pipe dream as late as five weeks ago, when Pujols had just seven homers. However, he has hit 10 home runs since August 10, including two multi-homer games.
His next homer will put him in sole possession of fourth, but despite being just four away, Pujols has said he will not consider returning in 2023 if he fails to reach 700 this season.
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
Listen live to WFAN via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker
Follow WFAN on Social Media:
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch