Cardinals: Albert Pujols’ Best Moments During The 2022 Season

Cardinals fans roar at Busch Stadium

On April 7, 2022, fans gathered for the most beloved and cherished spectacle in the city of St. Louis: Opening Day. This one, however, was remarkably even more special than the usual home opener. The Machine had finally returned home for one last ride with long time teammate and close friend, Yadier Molina.

Despite the thunderous applause for his pre-game introduction, it paled in comparison to that magical first at bat.

As the crowd cheered, overcome with emotion, Pujols fought back tears as he took his first plate appearance as a Cardinal in over 10 years.

Despite the at bat concluding with a fly out to left, Pujols wouldn’t have wait for long to start seeing success at the plate.

“It’s Like You Never Left”

April 12 saw the renewal of the I-70 rivalry as the Cardinals took on the Kansas City Royals for their second series of the homestand. Third baseman Nolan Arenado quickly brought the Cardinals into the lead with a two-run blast, bringing Albert Pujols to the dish for his second game of the year.

Seeing the perfect pitch to feast upon, The Machine hammered the ball to left for his first dinger of 2022. All it took was one pitch. It was his first home run as a Cardinal since the 2011 World Series and it drove the crowd absolutely wild. A curtain call was in order and Albert graciously delivered. With 680 homers, Pujols was just 20 shy of one of the rarest and more incredible feats in sports: 700 home runs.

The moment was summarized perfectly by Dan McLaughlin’s legendary call: “Welcome back, Albert! It’s like you never left!”

“That Ball Was Absolutely Murdered”

Pujols wasted next to no time in putting up his 2nd home run of the year. On April 17, in a critical divisional matchup versus the rival Milwaukee Brewers, Pujols came up big, hitting a towering, 3-run missile over the left field wall to tie the game.

Absolutely crushed at nearly 110 miles per hour, the ball soared a projected distance of 426 feet onto the second deck. The statement was clear: The Machine’s still got it.

The condition of the ball, however, speaks for itself.

Baseball’s Next Two-Way Player

The warm summer night of May 15 was witness to what posed to be an exciting rubber match between the Cardinals and the visiting San Francisco Giants. This illusion was quickly shattered however as the game quickly devolved into a full-blown rout. The Cardinals pulled ahead 9-0 in just the fourth inning, with another six runs of support well on their way.

Safe to say, starting pitcher Adam Wainwright had his run support. So much so, that manager Oli Marmol was ready to have some fun.

42-year-old Albert Pujols, someone who, in over 21 years of service time, had never thrown an inning in the majors let alone a pitch, had taken the mound. For the entire ninth inning, Pujols was met by a full-blown standing ovation, and any strikes thrown were met with thunderous cheering and applause.

After walking the first batter, Pujols recorded the very first out of his career, much to the delight of the home crowd. This set him up against fellow established veteran Evan Longoria, who on an 0-2 count smacked a ball to left field for a single.

Longoria was so pleased with the whole ordeal that he asked to keep the ball from his at bat.

The fun was far from over, however. With runners at the corners, left fielder Luiz Gonzalez drilled a ball deep to right field to cut the lead down to 10. Another batter came to the plate, this time Joey Bart, and Albert gave up another home run. This time though, facing the top of the order, Pujols was able to clutch up, secured a ground out, and with that the game.

The Machine finished his outing with a 36.00 ERA, sadly taking him out of Cy Young contention. Maybe pitching wasn’t for him. He’d simply have to settle for being the greatest hitter of his generation.

Pujols Walks It Off

Like many Cardinals games this year, for better or worse, the evening matchup versus the San Diego Padres once again came down to the wire. Overall, pitching on both sides performed masterfully, and with neither offense able to get anything going in the ninth, the game proceeded into extra innings.

Thanks to the efforts of relief pitcher Drew VerHagen and an incredible outfield assist by Lars Nootbaar, the Padres offense went dormant in the top of the 10th, providing the Cardinals an excellent opportunity to walk it off.

With one out, Paul Goldschmidt on first and Tommy Edman at second, Albert Pujols stepped to the plate to make magic happen. While Albert took the first pitch, Edman made a mad dash for third, making it in the nick of time to set up a sacrifice fly. All the Cardinals needed now was for Albert to deliver.

And deliver he did. On a 1-2 pitch from Taylor Rodgers, Pujols ripped a ball into left, far enough for Edman to tag up and race home uncontested.

A celebratory shower from Yadi was, of course, obligatory.

A Grand Spectacle

As the season ground on, so did Albert’s quest for the elusive 700 home run mark. Posting a somewhat unproductive June, the feat appeared to be increasingly unattainable by the day. Three home runs in July helped restore some hope, and another three in the opening days of the August campaign, including two in the rubber match against the Brewers furthered his cause even more.

It appeared that any further home runs would have to wait however as Albert was not named as a starter for the game against the Rockies on the 18th. Despite this, next to perfect circumstances would present themselves in just the third inning.

Antonio Senzatela, the starting pitcher for Colorado, sadly found himself severely injured on a tight play at first, bringing in reliever Austin Gomber. Cardinals hitters this year have been very good against Austin Gomber, and Albert Pujols is no exception.

Gomber, who had already surrendered a run in the third, had loaded the bases on a walk to Lars Nootbaar. Whoever had the luxury of hitting next had a prime opportunity to do some serious damage. Oliver Marmol decided that that next hitter would be Albert Pujols.

Seeing his pitch, Pujols once again proved that he was still The Machine with a 105-mph rocket over the left field wall. It was the 16th grand slam of his career, tying him with legends Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron, and the first he ever hit as a pinch hitter.

With that home run, Pujols sat just 10 long balls shy of 700. To achieve that feat is something that only three players in the history of baseball have done. Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron, once again, and Barry Bonds.

Incredibly, something equally as special would follow just two days later.

“Is This Real?!”

On August 20, facing the Diamondbacks in the second game of their road campaign, the Cardinals squared off against an old, formidable foe in Madison Bumgarner. Albert Pujols, however, was playing in his final season, and he wasn’t going to permit anyone to get in the way of him going out with a bang. Showcasing the best baseball seen of him in nearly 10 years, age appeared to be but a number for the 42-year-old slugger as he appeared to get even better with every passing day. He was an unstoppable force with no immovable object to counteract him, as if anything had the capacity to stop him.

Once again, all it took was one pitch. The moment it left the bat, he knew exactly where the ball was headed. The home run was more than just another step closer to 700, however. With his deep blast to left center, Pujols passed fellow Cardinal Stan Musial for the second most total bases in major league history, trailing just “Hammerin’ Hank” Aaron. Despite recording yet another incredible achievement, Albert decided his night’s work wasn’t over just yet.

Two matchups against Bumgarner produced two dingers over the left field wall. Pujols’ sixth home run of the month brought him just eight away from the 700 mark.

And again, his night still wasn’t over! Far from it, in fact. Hitting a pair of singles in his next two at bats, Pujols became the oldest player in the history of baseball to record such a prestigious stat line.

It was truly a night full of history and memories for the ages. As he rides into the sunset in the final month of his regular season career, The Machine is looking to make a lot more.

Thank You, Albert

Whether Albert reaches 700 or not, and the prospect is looking more plausible by the day, his season can only be summarized by one word: Special. Incredible. Remarkable. Magical.

Okay, maybe a few words. Either way, thank you Albert. Thank you for giving us 12 years of incredible and unforgettable baseball. Thank you for epitomizing what it truly means to be a Cardinal: drive, class, and being the best. Cardinals nation will miss you. Best of luck in your future endeavors.