Albert Pujols makes headlines while leading team to Dominican dream

Albert Pujols spent 11 years as the heart of the St. Louis Cardinals. Now, after showing his fire in Game 6, he's close to hoisting a championship trophy as the manager of a team in the Dominican Winter League.

BASEBALL-DOMINICAN REPUBLIC-LEONES DEL ESCOGIDO-PUJOLS
BASEBALL-DOMINICAN REPUBLIC-LEONES DEL ESCOGIDO-PUJOLS | FELIX LEON/GettyImages

Albert Pujols is no stranger to success. As one of the greatest players of all time, "El Hombre" was a key cog in the St. Louis Cardinals' two championships in 2006 and 2011, and his chase for 700 home runs in 2022 was a historic finish to a one-of-a-kind career.

Now, as a rookie manager under the lights of the Dominican Winter League (LIDOM), Pujols is on the doorstep of another impressive achievement, as he is one game away from guiding the team Leones del Escogido to a national title. The series will come down to a decisive Game 7 against Tigres del Licey. A championship in his first season at the helm of a professional team would be another feather in Pujols' already decorated cap.

A championship in his first season at the helm of a professional team would be another feather in Pujols' already decorated cap, and he nearly had it in his grasp in Game 6. On Jan. 25, Escogido surrendered a game-tying home run to Gustavo Nunez with two outs in the top of the ninth inning, leading to a 13-inning 7-4 loss for Pujols' squad. Pujols, who had a habit of coming up clutch in dramatic situations during his career, wasn't ready to quit, as he ordered the umpiring crew to check whether Nunez's bat was corked.

League officials and the Dominican Republic Commissioner of Baseball inspected Nunez's bat, as did officials from each team, and the bat was declared clean. Pujols was subsequently charged 50,000 Dominican pesos, which is equivalent to $809, for his role in the challenge.

Beyond Pujols, the series holds several other connections to the Cardinals.

With the championship on the line, Pujols is turning to a familiar foe for Cardinals fans. 38-year-old Johnny Cueto will be toeing the rubber for Escogido. Cueto, as many fans remember, was involved in the 2010 melee between the Cardinals and the Cincinnati Reds. Cueto received an extra helping of vitriol from fans, as he kicked Cardinals catcher Jason LaRue in the head, giving LaRue a concussion and forcing him to retire before the season's conclusion.

A few former and current members of the Cardinals organization are also playing under Pujols, including pitchers Connor Thomas and Victor Santos, as well as outfielder Matt Koperniak.

A friendly rivalry looks to have emerged between Pujols and longtime teammate Yadier Molina, who is managing another team, Aguas Cibaenas. Molina's team finished ahead of Pujols' in the standings but was eliminated in the previous round of the playoffs.

The LIDOM championship will kick off at 5:30 Central Time. Cardinals fans should tune in on MLB.tv to see if Pujols can reach the pinnacle in his first season.

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