Albert Pujols Hit 700 Home Runs, Becomes Fourth MLB Player who hit This Milestone

Cardinals designated hitter Albert Pujols hit a home run in the fourth inning of Friday's game against the Dodgers in LA. This is Pujols' 700th career home run.

LOS ANGELES — St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols hit his 700th home run on Friday night, connecting for his 2d power play of the game against L.K. a Dodgers and becoming the fourth participant to achieve the milestone in major league records.

With the drive in the final days of his final major league season, the 42-year-old vintage Pujols joins Barry Bonds (762 homers), Hank Aaron (755), and Babe Ruth (714) in one of baseball's most exclusive clubs...

At the bottom is Hideo Nomo's No. A man sporting a blue Dodgers blouse with 16 hit the 700th homer ball. He changed to crouched down in the stands as he clutched a black glove to his chest that contained the historic souvenir ball. The conversation continued before the man walked out of Dodger Stadium into the path of 10 security personnel and a waiting SUV.

Showing pop from his younger, dominant days, the 42-12-month-old Pujols hit No. 699 in 0.33 innings, then issued No. 700 in the fourth inning.

A 37-year-old LA man, Cesar Soriano, took the number 699. After advising him to meet with Pujols, he became a ball for protection.

NL West champion Dodgers was beaten by Cardinals 11-0.

It's been a wonderful and resurgent run for Pujols. It was his 14th home run since the start of August for the NL Central man Cardinals, and his 21st of the season.

Right now, many consider him an extended shot to reach seven hundred this season. He hit .235 in August, batting the easiest with just seven home runs.

Pujols' historic homer turned into a three-run shot against Dodgers reliever Phil Beckford. The ball landed in the first two rows of the left field pavilion, the same area his two-run shot hit left-hander Andrew Heaney the previous inning.

He wakes up across the bases smiling all the way. After crossing the plate and pointing his arms skyward, Pujols went to greet fellow Dominican and former Dodgers star Adrian Beltre. They high-five through the safety net.

Then he headed to the Cardinals dugout, getting hugs and congratulations every step of the way.

Pujols got a long-standing ovation from the gang — he ended last season playing for the Dodgers. He named a curtain, acknowledging his hat.

The crowd of 50,041 chanted "Pujols! Pujols!" He sat on his feet hoping to see history sooner or later.

His 700th homer also gave him several different first-class, round numbers - he hit 500 home runs off right-handers and two hundred off lefties.

Pujols connected twice on the same night that New York Yankees slugger Aaron Deck was on deck for the home run record. He hit 60 homers, tying Roger Mars' AL mark after a 1961 win at Yankee Stadium.

Pujols' bops gave the Cardinals a 5-0 lead, all of the runs coming thanks to his big bat.

The Cardinals extended their lead to eight-0 in the fifth on an RBI double by Dylan Carlson and a two-run homer by Lars Note bar. They scored two more runs in the top of the seventh on a solo shot by Juan Yepes and an RBI single by Note bar.

Pujols struck out swinging in his first at-bat against Heaney and down-to-earth in the 6th. He was replaced inside the eighth by pinch hitter Alec Burleson, who homered.

José Quintana (6-6) got the win. He scattered 5 hits and struck out six in 6 2/3 innings. Haney (3-3) took the loss.

Pujols broke a tie with Alex Rodriguez for fourth on the career hit list when he hit career homer number 697 on September 11 against Pittsburgh.

The three-time NL MVP turned in a .189 batting on July 4th. But he began to find his stroke in August, hitting seven homers in a 10-game stretch that helped St. Louis fall shy of the division race.

"I recognize at the beginning of the year ... I wanted better results," Pujols said after a 1-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs on August 22. From time to time the game will take you farther than the game is bringing you back.

"So I suppose at the end of the day you need to be productive and just stay centered and agree with your paintings. That's what I've done all the time."

Pujols enjoyed a productive season after returning to St. Louis in March with a $2.5 million, one-year settlement. That's his highest overall since he hit 23 homers for the Angels in 2019.

Pujols plans to retire at the end of the season.