103 Facts About Albert Pujols

1.

Albert Pujols returned to the Cardinals in 2022 for his final season.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,743
2.

Albert Pujols is a six-time Silver Slugger who has twice led the NL in home runs, and he has led the NL once each in batting average, doubles, and runs batted in.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,744
3.

In 2018, Albert Pujols collected his 3,000th career hit, becoming the 32nd MLB player to reach that milestone.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,745
4.

Albert Pujols was raised in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, mostly by his grandmother, America Albert Pujols, and 10 of his uncles and aunts.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,746
5.

Albert Pujols's father, Bienvenido Pujols, was a softball pitcher who struggled with alcoholism.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,747
6.

Albert Pujols often had to take his father home when his father got drunk following games.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,748
7.

Albert Pujols played baseball at Fort Osage High School in Independence and was named an All-State athlete twice.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,749
8.

Albert Pujols hit a grand slam and turned an unassisted triple play in the first game of his only college season.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,750
9.

Albert Pujols was not drafted until the 13th round of the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft, when the St Louis Cardinals selected him with the 402nd overall pick.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,751
10.

Albert Pujols initially turned down a $10,000 bonus and spent the summer playing for the Hays Larks of the Jayhawk Collegiate League.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,752
11.

Albert Pujols began his minor league career in 2000 playing third base with the Peoria Chiefs of the single-A Midwest League.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,753
12.

Albert Pujols was voted the league's Most Valuable Player and named to the All-Star team.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,754
13.

Albert Pujols played 21 games with the Potomac Cannons in the high-A Carolina League that year, batting.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,755
14.

On Opening Day against the Colorado Rockies on April 2, Albert Pujols became the first major league player born in the 1980s.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,756
15.

At midseason, Albert Pujols became the first Cardinals rookie since Luis Arroyo in 1955 to make the All-Star Game.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,757
16.

Albert Pujols was named the National League Silver Slugger Award winner for the third base position, and he finished fourth in NL Most Valuable Player voting, behind Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Luis Gonzalez.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,758
17.

Albert Pujols was unanimously named the NL Rookie of the Year after setting an NL rookie record with 130 RBI's and becoming the fourth MLB rookie to hit.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,759
18.

Albert Pujols became the first player in major league history to hit over.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,760
19.

Albert Pujols finished second in MVP voting to Bonds, becoming the first Cardinal since Stan Musial to finish in the top four in MVP voting for consecutive seasons.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,761
20.

Albert Pujols's contributions helped the Cardinals finish third in home runs and second in batting average and RBI; the Cardinals' pitching staff finished fourth in ERA.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,762
21.

The Cardinals again reached the playoffs, and Albert Pujols had three hits and three RBI in a three-game sweep of the Diamondbacks in the 2002 NLDS.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,763
22.

Albert Pujols had five hits, one home run and two RBI in the series.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,764
23.

Albert Pujols became the fourth major leaguer to hit his 100th home run in his third season, along with Ralph Kiner, Eddie Mathews, and Joe DiMaggio.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,765
24.

Albert Pujols became the youngest player since Tommy Davis in 1962 to win the NL batting title after batting.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,766
25.

Albert Pujols joined Rogers Hornsby as the only players in the Cardinals' history to record more than 40 homers and 200 hits in the same season.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,767
26.

Albert Pujols won his second Silver Slugger Award and first Sporting News Player of the Year Award.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,768
27.

Albert Pujols' contributions helped the Cardinals rank second in batting average and third in home runs in the NL; however, the pitching staff posted a 4.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,769
28.

Albert Pujols was moved to first base in 2004 after the Cardinals traded Tino Martinez in the offseason.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,770
29.

Albert Pujols finished third in MVP voting, joining Musial as the only Cardinals to finish in the top five in voting for at least four years in a row.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,771
30.

Albert Pujols won the Silver Slugger Award at first base, the third position he won the award at.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,772
31.

Albert Pujols returned to the playoffs as the Cardinals won the NL Central for the second year in a row.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,773
32.

Albert Pujols had five hits in nine at-bats with four runs scored and two RBI in the NLDS as the Cardinals swept the Padres.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,774
33.

In Game 5 of the NLCS against the Astros, with the Cardinals trailing by two runs and only one out from elimination in the ninth inning, Albert Pujols hit a game-winning three-run home run against Brad Lidge that landed on the train tracks in the back of Minute Maid Park.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,775
34.

Over two games in April 2006, Albert Pujols hit home runs in four consecutive plate appearances, making him the 20th player to accomplish the feat.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,776
35.

Albert Pujols maintained after the game that he was more concerned with winning than the numbers: "I don't look at numbers, " he said.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,777
36.

Albert Pujols finished second to Howard in MVP voting and won the NL Gold Glove Award for first base.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,778
37.

Albert Pujols won his first of four consecutive Fielding Bible Awards for the first base position.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,779
38.

Albert Pujols finished the season with 185 hits, 38 doubles and 103 RBI.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,780
39.

Albert Pujols finished ninth in MVP voting, the first year he had finished outside the top five.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,781
40.

Albert Pujols began 2008 by reaching base in 42 straight games, the longest streak to open a season since 1999.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,782
41.

Albert Pujols grounded into a National League-leading 27 double plays.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,783
42.

Albert Pujols won his second NL MVP Award, and he won the Silver Slugger Award for the fourth time in his career.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,784
43.

Albert Pujols was named The Sporting News Player of the Year for the second time in his career.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,785
44.

Albert Pujols considered having Tommy John surgery after the season but underwent nerve transposition surgery on his right elbow instead to ease discomfort.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,786
45.

Albert Pujols received the highest number of votes in NL history for the All-Star Game that year.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,787
46.

Albert Pujols was unanimously named the NL MVP for the third time, tying Musial as the Cardinals' leader in that category.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,788
47.

Albert Pujols won the Sporting News MLB Player of the Year award for the second consecutive year, joining Williams and Joe Morgan as the only players to win it in back-to-back years.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,789
48.

April 2010, Albert Pujols earned his first Pepsi Clutch Performer of the Month Award.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,790
49.

Albert Pujols joined Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig, and Rodriguez in having 10 consecutive seasons of 100 or more RBI at any time in their career.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,791
50.

Foxx and Rodriguez are the only two players besides Albert Pujols to have 10 consecutive years of 30 home runs and 100 RBI.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,792
51.

Albert Pujols won his second Gold Glove Award for first base, and he won the NL First Base Silver Slugger Award for the sixth time.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,793
52.

Albert Pujols finished second in the NL MVP voting to Joey Votto, who said he was "shocked" that Pujols only got one first-place vote.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,794
53.

Albert Pujols finished the season with 173 hits, 29 doubles, and 105 runs scored.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,795
54.

Albert Pujols joined Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson as the only players in baseball history to hit three home runs in a World Series game, set a series record with 14 total bases, became the first player in series history to have hits in four consecutive innings, and tied records for most hits and most RBI in a World Series game.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,796
55.

Albert Pujols had one hit and no RBI the other six games of the series but became a World Series champion for the second time as the Cardinals defeated the Rangers in seven games.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,797
56.

Albert Pujols did not perform very well to begin the 2012 season, batting.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,798
57.

In 2013, Albert Pujols had by far the worst season of his career to date, failing to play at least 100 games in a season for the first time.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,799
58.

Albert Pujols posted career worsts in hits, runs scored, doubles, home runs, RBI, walks, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,800
59.

Albert Pujols denounced Clark's allegations as "irresponsible and reckless, " and threatened to sue Clark and WGNU over the allegations.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,801
60.

However, on February 10,2014, Clark apologized and retracted his accusations against Albert Pujols, saying he had "no knowledge whatsoever" that Albert Pujols ever used PEDs.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,802
61.

Albert Pujols became the 26th player ever to reach the 500-home-run mark, the third-youngest to reach it, and the only player to hit Nos.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,803
62.

Albert Pujols was tied for the 3rd-highest salary in the AL, at $23 million.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,804
63.

Albert Pujols's home run total led the major leagues and 73 total bases tied Manny Machado for first in the AL.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,805
64.

On September 22,2015, Albert Pujols hit his 556th career home run to pass Ramirez for sole possession of 14th place on the all-time career home run leaderboard.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,806
65.

Albert Pujols was tied for the 3rd-highest salary in the AL, at $24 million.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,807
66.

Albert Pujols tied for 2nd in the AL in double plays grounded into, with 24.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,808
67.

Albert Pujols had the 6th-highest salary in the league, at $25 million.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,809
68.

On June 3,2017, Albert Pujols became the ninth player in Major League history to hit at least 600 home runs, when he hit a grand slam off of Ervin Santana of the Minnesota Twins.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,810
69.

Albert Pujols was the fourth-youngest player to achieve the feat, and the first to hit a grand slam for his 600th home run.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,811
70.

Albert Pujols had the slowest baserunning sprint speed of all major league players, at 21.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,812
71.

On May 4,2018, Albert Pujols recorded his 3,000th major league hit, against Mike Leake of the Seattle Mariners.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,813
72.

The next day, Albert Pujols was placed on the 10-day disabled list due to left knee inflammation.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,814
73.

Albert Pujols had the slowest baserunning sprint speed of all major league players for the second consecutive year, at 22.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,815
74.

On May 9,2019, Albert Pujols became the fourth player in major league history to record 2,000 RBIs, hitting a solo home run against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,816
75.

Albert Pujols had the second-slowest sprint speed of all major league players, at 22.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,817
76.

Albert Pujols was the third-oldest player in the American League, behind Ichiro Suzuki and Fernando Rodney.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,818
77.

Albert Pujols was tied for the 4th-highest salary in the AL, at $28 million.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,819
78.

Albert Pujols had the slowest sprint speed of all major league players, at 22.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,820
79.

Albert Pujols was tied for the 7th-highest salary in the league, at $29 million.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,821
80.

On May 17,2021, Albert Pujols agreed to a one-year major league deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,822
81.

Albert Pujols made his Dodgers debut that night as the starting first baseman against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,823
82.

Albert Pujols was the oldest player in the league for the second season in a row, and had the fifth-highest salary at $30 million.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,824
83.

Albert Pujols subsequently announced that he would play in the Dominican Professional Baseball League in the offseason, for Leones del Escogido.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,825
84.

On March 28,2022, Albert Pujols signed a one-year contract to return to the St Louis Cardinals and announced that 2022 would be his final season.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,826
85.

On May 15, Albert Pujols made his pitching debut, the oldest player to do so since 1929.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,827
86.

Albert Pujols was chosen to be on the National League team for the 2022 Major League Baseball All-Star Game by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred as a "legacy" selection to honor his career achievements.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,828
87.

Albert Pujols was selected to participate in the 2022 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby, where he advanced to the second round and fell one home run short of eventual winner Juan Soto.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,829
88.

Albert Pujols hit No 699 off Andrew Heaney, his 200th home run off a left-handed pitcher; and his 700th off Phil Bickford, his 500th home run off a right-handed pitcher.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,830
89.

Albert Pujols went 2-for-8 in the National League Wild Card Series with the Philadelphia Phillies.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,831
90.

Albert Pujols has credited his hitting ability partly to learning what pitchers will do in certain counts and situations:.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,832
91.

Albert Pujols is second in major league history in runs batted in and total bases behind only Henry Aaron.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,833
92.

Albert Pujols is fourth in career home runs and fifth in doubles.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,834
93.

In 2009, Albert Pujols set the major league single-season record for assists by a first baseman with 185.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,835
94.

Albert Pujols has earned praise from many of his fellow players and coaches.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,836
95.

In 2008, Albert Pujols teamed up with St Louis Soccer United, a group looking to bring a Major League Soccer franchise to the St Louis area.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,837
96.

Albert Pujols has taken several trips to the Dominican Republic, by taking supplies as well as a team of doctors and dentists to the poor who need medical care.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,838
97.

In 2009, Albert Pujols donated money to the Mike Coolbaugh Memorial Tournament, allowing the event to occur after a sponsor backed out.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,839
98.

Albert Pujols became an evangelical Christian on November 13,1998, influenced in part by Deidre and his grandmother.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,840
99.

Albert Pujols owned a home in Irvine, California, but put it up for sale in 2016.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,841
100.

Albert Pujols is a supporter of people with Down syndrome, a condition Isabella was born with.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,842
101.

In 2007, Albert Pujols became a US citizen, scoring a perfect 100 on his citizenship test.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,843
102.

Albert Pujols is close friends with third baseman Placido Polanco, a former teammate with the Cardinals.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,844
103.

Albert Pujols is friends with Robinson Cano, who selected Mark Trumbo for the 2012 Home Run Derby after Albert Pujols asked him to.

FactSnippet No. 1,706,845