Albert Pujols hits two home runs and joins the 700 club

Albert Pujols joined the exclusive 700 home run club when he hit two homers at Dodger Stadium.

Pujols, 42, and in what he has said is the final season of his 22-year career, joined Barry Bonds (762 homers), Hank Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714) as the only sluggers in the AL/NL history. hit at least 700 long balls in his career.

Pujols and Aaron are the only two with at least 3,000 hits and 700 home runs.

Friday’s home runs gave Pujols 21 for the season. The veteran slugger joined Aaron (20) and Bonds (19) as the only players with at least 18 seasons of 20 or more home runs.

The historic home run came in the fourth inning off Dodgers right-hander Phil Bickford, the latest in a record 455 different pitchers who have given up at least one back-and-forth HR to Pujols in his 22 MLB seasons.

Pujols joins Bonds (762), Aaron (755) and Ruth (714) in the 700 HR club, just 12 days after passing Alex Rodriguez (696) for fourth place on the all-time home run list.

The historic home run comes at the end of a late-career renaissance for Pujols, who returned to the St. Louis Cardinals this season at age 42 after leaving as a free agent a decade earlier.

It was in St. Louis that Pujols originally rose from a little-known 13th-round pick to superstardom that included three NL MVP awards and a pair of World Series titles in his first 11 seasons.

After signing a 10-year, $254 million free agent deal with the Los Angeles Angels, Pujols hit 222 home runs over the next 10 seasons, plus 12 more in late 2021 after he was released by the Angels and signed by the Los Angeles Angels. Los Angeles Dodgers.

But back in the familiar confines of Busch Stadium and in a Cardinal uniform, Pujols has seemingly found the fountain of youth this year, posting his highest slugging percentage and OPS since his first season with the Angels in 2012.

Pujols homered earlier in Friday’s game off Dodgers starter Andrew Heaney. The home runs give Pujols 21 for the season.