Pujols tops A-Rod on all-time RBI list
Albert Pujols has had an illustrious 20-year career and is now second in RBIs, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, reaching the milestone with an RBI single off the Astros left-hander Framber Valdez in the fifth inning on Monday.
Pujols topped Alex Rodriguez on the all-time RBI list with 2,087 and is now only in second place behind Hall of Famer Hank Aaron, who had 2,297 in 23 seasons. With two outs, Pujols singled to left field on a Valdez 0-1 curveball as part of a three-run inning to lead the Angels to a one-run lead (5-4) over the Astros.
Rodriguez tweeted his congratulations to Pujols, calling him “one of the best hitters in history and an incredible person.”
However, the RBI record book can be a bit confusing for a couple of reasons. For starters, RBIs didn’t become an official statistic until 1920, which means Elias does not consider Babe Ruth and Cap Anson to be members of the 2,000 RBI club, even though they are listed as having reached that milestone in some places that retroactively include all RBIs accumulated prior to 1920. On those lists, Ruth is ahead of Pujols.
Furthermore, due to the uncertain nature of record-keeping in the early part of the 20th century, there are some discrepancies between the statistics provided today by different providers of historical data. For example, some sources list Ruth with 2,214 RBIs, while others have her at 2,213.
Players with 2,000 RBIs
Pujols, 40, is also one home run away from tying Willie Mays for fifth on the all-time home run list with 660. Pujols, a three-time MVP, and 10-time All-Star is the only member. of the 650 home runs, Club of 650 doubles.