St. Louis Cardinals facing off against Albert Pujols, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

It is the series that every St. Louis Cardinals fan has awaited since December 2011 when it was announced that Albert Pujols was signing a multi-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
June 27, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Albert Pujols (5) in the dugout against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Image Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Going into the start of the series tonight, the Cardinals have done well at first base according to ESPN Stats and Info: .294/.347/.479. Pujols, on the other hand, has hit .273/.336/.486.

Rick Hummel, the long time award-winning writer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, caught up with the Angels first baseman. Pujols opened up with Hummel about how he felt when the Cardinals lost to the San Francisco Giants in the NLCS last fall.

"“Just because you’re wearing a different uniform, you can’t take away the 11 years that I was there,” said Pujols in Houston last weekend. “Those are my boys. They’re still my boys.“I felt that when they got beat last year by the Giants in the playoffs that I got beat, I was rooting so much for them.“Not to pull for them, when you’re not playing for them, is being selfish when you’ve played 11 years in one organization. I don’t have any bitter taste against anybody there.”"

Pujols told Hummel that aside from the three-game series this week, he will pull for the Cardinals.

Pujols told Hummel that he isn’t shocked that Yadier Molina is really hitting the ball this season “because when people doubted him, I knew he had the ability to hit.”

With 13 home runs this season, Pujols sits at 488 home runs for his career. He only needs 12 more home runs to become a member of the 500 home run club. He currently has 2,325 career hits and a while to go before he reaches 3,000 hits for his career.