Albert Pujols officially signs his retirement papers
It’s official: Albert Pujols’ legendary major league career has come to an end after the 42-year-old slugger signed retirement papers with the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday, a source told MLB’s Mark Feinsand. com.
Pujols, also known as “The Machine,” was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to the United States as a teenager. He was taken by St. Louis in the 13th round of the 1999 Amateur Draft and saw action in 22 major league seasons (2001-2022).
Pujols surpassed the 700 home run mark this year after hitting 24 homers and posting an .895 OPS in 351 plate appearances for the Cardinals, who advanced to the postseason and were eliminated by the Phillies in the Wild Card Round.
Pujols puts an end to his career as one of the best hitters baseball has ever produced. The Santo Domingo native finished with 703 home runs and a batting line of .296/.374/.544. He ranks fourth all-time in home runs behind only Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714). Pujols has the second most RBIs in history (2,218) and total bases (6,211), he is fifth in doubles (686) and 10th in hits (3,384).
With his player retirement now official, the countdown to Cooperstown begins for Pujols, who will likely see his plaque hung in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2028.