Steve Webb
PITTSBURGH, PA — He might do it. The guy might just do it. Former Dodger Albert Pujols went yard for 18th time this year on Sunday, giving him a tidy 697 lifetime homers. This puts him in front of notorious juicer and J-Lo ex Alex Rodriguez for sole possession of fourth place on the all-time home run leaderboard. Now, he trails only Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, and Him Who Shall Not Be Named.
On Sunday in Pittsburgh, the Cards trailed 2-0 in the top of the ninth. After an RBI from Corey Dickerson, Tío Albert drove in Dickerson with a two-run monster shot. That blast gave the Cards the lead, and broke the tie with A-rod.
Dramatic as the homer was, what was really special about Number 697 was what happened after the game. Two fans were at the ballgame and happened to track down the Pujols jack in the lightly populated outfield seats at PNC Park. They tried to return the ball to Pujols, but then this happened:
This blast from the one they call the Machine also puts that mystical number of 700 a little more into the realm of the possible. The Cards have 24 more games on their schedule. And as it seems that it is a foregone conclusion that the division is theirs, manager Ollie Marmol might veer from his strategy (which was also Dave Roberts‘ strategy last year) of playing Pujols almost exclusively against lefties, who he can still hit extremely well. Perhaps once the Division is in the bag, Pujols will get a few more whacks at the occasional righty to see if he can cross over that threshold.
Then, there is the tantalizing possibility that he might just do it in his return to Dodger Stadium next weekend. The Cardinals have seven games at home (two with the Brewers and five with the Reds), then three with the Padres in San Diego, and then the three-game series with the Dodgers September 23-25. Could Tío Albert be sitting on 699 when he rolls into town? For LA Sports fans who had him to ourselves for the last decade, it is almost too delicious to consider. If it happens, a ticket in those left field home run seats might end up being a very wise investment indeed.
