Skip to main content

5 Thoughts on Pujols Hitting 700

It almost feels like the negative vitriol that surrounded Major League Baseball and its labor issues have dissipated into an air of forgetfulness and forgiveness. A season that has brought us old-school lore with the chasing of historical numbers by way of Aaron Judge and Albert Pujols, and the likes of a modern-day Babe Ruth, in another dominant season by Shohei Ohtani, would ultimately do that. Sprinkle in some amazing rookies on the rise, and all of sudden it's, what did I say about baseball's treatment of fans?

It's been some season...

In this post, I want to focus on Albert Pujols...the "King", the "Machine", one of the greatest ever. After hitting a historic 700th Home Run (by the way, I definitely predicted that back in March - just humble-bragging a bit), I wanted to drop five (fitting, yeah?) thoughts on Albert Pujols: 

  1. GREATEST EVER?! - Pujols' career often feels like the Angels' years were some sort of nightmare or a bad edition in a franchise film series that we've all agreed to acknowledge comprehensively, but, ignore individual contribution. It's the weirdest kind of dichotomy I've ever experienced in sports. The thought of Pujols, the Angel, still feels, well, weird, even after 10 years of it. But I think those years cloud our heightening of Pujols in the GOAT argument. After all, with 700 home runs, 3000+ hits, and 2000+ RBIs among other super nerdy analytical arguments, it's only he and Hank Aaron that sit in this extremely rarified air of the game's history. And even at 42, just from the eye test on homerun 699 and 700, there is a HIGH-level of hitting mastery on display. Soooo, for reals, for reals - is Pujols the greatest hitter of all time? I honestly haven't been able to completely dismiss that thought reasonably. 
  2. CARDINAL GLORY - This thought touches on those weird 10 years in Anahe...Los Angeles with the Angels. Even that one year in Dodger Blue which has all sorts of sacrilegious imagery - Pujols in...blue?! Pujols in Cardinal Red, with that bat and birds going across his chest...there's just magic there. Just, magic. It's the only time where, as a fan, things just felt right for Pujols. 
  3. LONGEVITY - This adds to thought #1, however, I also think we've lost sight of the longevity of Pujol's career - he's playing at 42! In an analytically driven world, post-thirty is scoffed at, and post-forty is a bigger red flag than a PED suspension. Pujols has found ways to stay in the league with productivity well into an age forty-two season done by only a handful of athletes in their sport and with the kind of grace known by other athletic legends and marvels such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. If Pujols wanted to return for an age 43 season, I'm confident someone (probably the Cardinals) would take a flyer on him. He's been that productive. 
  4. CLASSY GUY - Unfortunately, there are always going to be skeptics, because that's the world we live in. Due to experience, and yes, the world of "hot takes", skepticism, portrayals, and misdirections that we see flooding the sports world on a daily basis, the same rings true with PED speculation for Pujols. However, he's never failed a test. And nothing has been tied to him - at least at the time of this writing (gotta cover myself). What he has been, is super generous and the utmost classiest of ambassadors for the game, specifically for Dominicans. And if there is anything that says everything there is about Pujols, here are his comments regarding the 700th ball: "Souvenirs are for the fans. I don't have any problem if they want to keep it. If they want to give it back, that's great. But at the end of the day, I don't focus on material stuff." Just top guy kind of stuff there. This has been the ultimate swan song for his final year. 
  5. MEMORIES - My favorite memories of Pujols are a co-placeholder in my mind starting with that absolute moonshot of a homerun he hit off of Brad Lidge in Game 3 of the 2005 NLCS in Houston. That ball went somewhere over the train tracks, likely exiting the stadium. The other is his three-homerun performance against the Texas Rangers in the 2011 World Series. That was some Reggie Jackson, Mr.October-level performance. 

Labels:

Recently Read

Would You Rather: Questions 121-130

This edition of "Would You Rather" is credited to the NBA Would You Rather NBA Account on Instagram ( See Here ). Adding to the fun, this edition (and possibly future ones) are all NBA basketball questions.  121. Who would you rather have on your favorite NBA team - Giannis Antetokounpo or James Harden?  Seeing how I'm a lifelong suffering Knicks fan, the thought of any of these guys in blue and orange is hard to believe. With that said, I'm taking the Greek Freak for this reason - I enjoy watching him play a bit more. Nothing against Harden who is amazing as well, but at times, the ball sticks and that isn't always fun. Plus, I feel like we haven't yet seen a finished Giannis. 122. Would you rather have Giannis Antetokounpo with no driving ability or James Harden with no Three-Point shooting ability?  This is definitely a weird and unique one, but I'll take Harden. Giannis without his strength doesn't offer much. However, if Harden's d...
Read more

Yankees Postseason 2026, ALDS vs. Rays

This is easily the most anticipated series (and most expected?) for the New York Yankees. The two best teams during the regular season were expected to clash to determine American League prominence.  And yes, I agree that this upcoming series says a lot about the broken playoff structure in MLB. Allow me to step onto my soapbox for a mere moment... Up we go... I've never been a fan of the expansion to six teams per league. I understand that it keeps more markets in the playoff picture come September, and it is more revenue for all (likely, the biggest reason for the expansion). Still, all it did was create a scenario where division winners were at a disadvantage, and what we're getting here is the two best teams in the league facing off in a five-game series.  Ultimately, the Tampa Bay Rays, the top seed in the American League, are given the second-best record in their first-round, in a best-of-five?  None of this makes sense.  Stepping off now... Nonetheless, fellow...
Read more

Yankees Postseason 2026, Wild Card vs. Boston Red Sox

And we're back with another one of these read-along series. It wasn't too long ago that I found myself writing every other night as my Knicks marched their way to an NBA Championship.  Man, that still feels so good to indulge in.  But here we are on a similar journey for the Yankees.  Call me crazy, but I'm just not buying that the World Series is confirmed for anyone. Baseball has been weird all year, and part of said weirdness has been the parity, or dreadfulness - however you want to look at it - around MLB. In my opinion, the Yankees' pitching depth gives them a legit chance.  And with a lockout looming, 2027 might not present another chance. Why you gotta go there, man? I'm just saying... --- Game 1 Yankees d. Red Sox, 9-0 (Yankees lead Series, 1-0) Cam Schlittler is amazing. I sat on my sofa last year in Game 3 of the Wild Card between these two very rivaled teams and it felt like that dude was the best pitcher in the world. For the moment and game, it just fe...
Read more