Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols made history on Friday night in Los Angeles when he blasted two home runs against the Dodgers to become just the fourth player in MLB history to reach 700 homers.
In the top of the fourth inning with runners on second and third base, Pujols drilled a slider from Dodgers pitcher Phil Bickford deep to left field for a three-run homer to secure the historic milestone. He rounded the bases with a smile on his face, soaking in the once-in-a-lifetime moment.
After he crossed home plate, Pujols pointed toward his dugout but then turned and ran to the backstop where a special fan was waiting: fellow Dominican baseball legend Adrián Beltré.
Pujols and Beltré shared a passionate high five before the Cardinals slugger went back to celebrate with his team.
Beltré, who retired in 2018, came up alongside Pujols and also helped to pave the way as one of the foremost Dominican players in MLB. A four-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove winner, he was the first Dominican player to reach 3,000 hits.
Beltré also notched 477 career home runs, just a couple hundred shy of Pujols’s mark.
With his two homers on Friday, Pujols joins Barry Bonds (762), Henry Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714) in the 700 home run club. He also now sits at 2,208 RBIs for his career, six away from tying Ruth for the second most all-time.
The 42-year-old entered Friday’s game batting .313/.378/.657 with 13 home runs and 33 RBIs in games played in the second half of the season.
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