Albert Pujols hits 700 home runs: Cardinals legend reaches rare milestone with two man-on night against Dodgers

St. Louis Cardinals Legend Albert Pujols became the fourth player in Major League Baseball history to hit 700 career home runs Friday night with a two-homer effort against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Pujols joins unique company in the form of some of the greatest sluggers the game has ever seen: Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth.

Pujols first club career home run 699 in third inning:

Then, in the fourth, Pujols tied for No. 700.

That was a five-RBI night before the fifth inning.

Pujols entered the season with the Cardinals knowing it would be his last before retirement. He’s never wavered since he announced he’ll play in 2022 and not even play another year, even though it’s possible he’ll come very close to 700 and fall even lower. It’s really surprising that he got to this point. It picked up steam in the second half.

Pujols had only 6 home runs in the first half. He’s now 15 after the All-Star break. In the process, he surpassed Alex Rodriguez’s 696 career home runs to move into fourth place on the all-time list. Getting a 700 doesn’t move Pujols up the career leaderboard; This is a nice round number. We celebrate 500 home runs, 3,000 hits, 3,000 strikeouts and more, so being the fourth person to hit 700 home runs is a pretty significant accomplishment.

Pujols, like Aaron, never had a 50-homer season. He hit at least 40 seven times. Only Aaron, Ruth, A-Rod, Bonds, Harmon and Killebrew did more often. He finished 30th in 14 of his 22 years, behind Aaron and A-Rod. Making 18 of his 22 with at least 20 longballs this season, moving to 20-plus runs. He surpassed Frank Robinson and Willie Mays, who each had 17 20-homer seasons, and trails only Aaron and Bonds.

It’s not just a home run, obviously. Pujols is 10th in hits (over 3,000, obviously), fifth in doubles, third in RBI (behind Aaron and Ruth), 12th in runs scored and second in total bases (Aaron).

However, the home run is the most celebrated point in baseball because it is the most impactful outcome that can occur in a baseball game. Pujols is one of the best in history for maximums on this front.