The Path to 700: Albert Pujols's Farewell to St. Louis

The Chase of 700 (and Then Some)

Prior to the All-Star Break, Albert made some adjustments to his swing. Former bench coach Skip Schumaker spoke about these changes in an interview with Chris Rose of Jomboy Media. "We're in Atlanta, Albert makes a couple of adjustments, and all of a sudden the ball is coming off the bat kind of like 2011 days," said Schumaker. "Albert now gets to figure out if this thing is working or not in a Home Run Derby. It kind of ignited him. I think that Derby just rejuvenated him. If that week didn't happen, I'm not sure we see Albert the rest of the year."

Those swing adjustments paid dividends both at the Derby and in the second half of the regular season. The adjustment he made was getting to the ball quicker and shortening his swing. Schumaker would go on to say that Albert was a key player in the team's postseason push in the second half. "We couldn't get this guy out of the lineup. Honestly, if he wasn't on our team, I'm not sure we make that run and bypass Milwaukee without Albert in that lineup."

The Machine would take his magical Home Run Derby success and turn it into regular-season success in the second half of the season. Prior to the All-Star Break, Pujols was sitting at 685 home runs. He was 15 shy of the illustrious 700 mark with just 68 games to go. Time was running out for the veteran first baseman to reach that milestone.

It didn't take Pujols long to hit his first home run after the break; he launched a three-run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays on July 27th in Toronto, and his quest continued. As of September 11th, Pujols led the majors in home runs since the All-Star Break with 12. He was inching closer to #700, but he would have to wait just a bit longer.

The Cardinals started a three-game series in Los Angeles on September 23rd against the Dodgers. Pujols was quite familiar with the area, as he had spent the last 10 years in the city, 9.5 years with the Angels, and the last half of 2021 with the Dodgers. The fans of the city knew him quite well, and it would be serendipitous for him to send those fans home with a memory that would last a lifetime.

Very few people, including KMOV's Brenden Schaeffer, expected Albert to reach 700 home runs in one game. He entered the series with two home runs to go, and the hope was that he would leave Los Angeles with a new milestone having been achieved. "I was at a wedding the night of 700, and I remember being shocked he hit two of them in one night to reach the milestone. But then again, that's just how Albert always did things -- with style," said Schaeffer.

Style, indeed, was how Albert reached #700. He didn't wait long; in the first game of the series, a match broadcast nationally on Apple TV+, Albert hit two home runs. His first came against Andrew Heaney in the third inning. He homered to deep left field on a ball that would travel 434 feet. He was at 699 career home runs, and the energy in the stadium was palpable.

Fans didn't have to wait for #700, as Pujols would homer to left field the next inning against Andrew Heaney once again. The ball would go 389 feet, and Pujols would trot happily around the bases knowing he just penned his name into baseball's history books.

Though he wouldn't openly admit it, Pujols's personal journey for 2022 and his career was met. He had reached the 700 home run mark, a feat accomplished by only three other men in Major League Baseball's long and storied history.

However, his goal of winning a World Series in the city where he started his career wasn't accomplished just yet, and he had a plan.