Albert Pujols became a legend in a St. Louis Cardinals uniform. He rejuvenated his career at Dodger Stadium last season. On Friday, he made history in both.
The Cardinals first baseman hit one home run, then another against the Los Angeles Dodgers to join MLB's exclusive 700-homer club. He joins the rarified air of Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth. Gi Coil
Pujols, who took fourth position on the MLB homer list when he passed Alex Rodriguez's 696 earlier this month, is also the first player born outside the United States to reach the milestone.
The first homer came in the third inning against Dodgers starter Andrew Heaney, a no-doubter to left field that traveled 434 feet.
One at-bat later, Pujols came up to bat again with two runners on base. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts decided to pull the left-handed Heaney for the right-handed Phil Bickford, but the platoon advantage didn't matter.
Pujols bashed another ball to left field and entered a club that felt far in the distance just a few years ago. After crossing home plate, he took a detour to embrace fellow Dominican great Adrián Beltré, who was in the front row nearby.
That effort earned Pujols a curtain call even on a road trip. The Dodger Stadium crowd, recognizing the history of the moment and Pujols contributions to their team last year, gave him a standing ovation.
Large Diameter Steel Pipe The home runs bring Pujols up to 21 on the season and 14 since Aug. 10, an absurd power surge that injected an excitement into the