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

For eleven seasons, Albert Pujols provided memories and moments that hadn't been seen in St. Louis for years and wouldn't be repeated for many more years after. The future Hall of Fame first baseman was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the thirteenth round of the 1999 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. He wasn't a known commodity then, but he would become a national sensation just three years later.

During his first stint in St. Louis from 2001-2011, Pujols would receive three National League Most Valuable Player awards, six Silver Slugger awards, and two Gold Gloves. He was voted to attend nine All-Star Games, and he held the batting title in 2003 with a .359 batting average. He was already mentioned with Cardinal greats like Rogers Hornsby, Stan Musial, and Bob Gibson as some of the best players to play in St. Louis.

After some time in Los Angeles with both the Dodgers and Angels, Pujols made his long-awaited return to St. Louis as a player in 2022. The jubilation surrounding one of the franchise's most beloved players returning was palpable. "We are pleased and excited to have Albert return to the Cardinals for the upcoming season. This reunion with Albert is a wonderful opportunity for not only him and the Cardinals, but also for our great fans, the St. Louis community, our players and staff, and everyone connected to the St. Louis Cardinals organization," said Cardinals Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. at the time of the signing.

The Offseason

There weren't any concrete plans to bring Albert Pujols back in the 2022 offseason. They had Paul Goldschmidt, someone who would go on to win the National League Most Valuable Player that year, at first base, and the designated hitter, a position new to the National League as of 2022, was going to be a spot occupied by a revolving door of young players with oodles of offensive potential plus veterans who would need a day off here and there. To put it simply, there was neither room nor a need for Pujols's services.

Despite the need not being present, Pujols was signed on March 27th, 2022 to a one-year $2.5 million deal to finish his career with the same team he started with. Prior to the announcement of his signing, however, was a series of events that led to one of the greatest returns in baseball history.

El Hombre's return began with Yadier Molina, his longtime friend and teammate. The two played in St. Louis together from 2004 until 2011, and their bond was as strong as it could be between any two teammates. Molina reached out to Pujols on March 26th from the organization's spring training clubhouse in Jupiter, Florida to catch up. According to Katie Woo of The Athletic, Molina's goal in the conversation was to find out not just why Albert hadn't signed anywhere yet, but more specifically why he wasn't a Cardinal.

By March 26th, there was barely more than a week left of the spring circuit, and time was running out for Albert to sign with a team and get acquainted with his new teammates. While at least one team had extended a formal offer to Pujols by this point, he was still on the fence about where to spend his twenty-second and final season of professional baseball.

Molina's call sparked an interest in Pujols. "When Yadi reached out and we talked, I thought, 'Okay, there's a chance for me to be reunited here,'" Pujols said.

After speaking with Yadier Molina, Pujols would have a conversation with manager Oliver Marmol who would pass one simple message on to his boss, President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak: "Five wants back."

Mozeliak spoke personally to Pujols within the next 24 hours, and Pujols made it quite clear that he wanted to come back to St. Louis for one final season. "He made it very clear to me that he had options, but it would mean a lot to him to return to St. Louis," Mozeliak stated. Mozeliak's intention was to use Pujols primarily against left-handed pitchers, a group he had a career 150 wRC+ against.

After what probably felt like days but was only a few hours, the St. Louis Cardinals and Albert Pujols were in agreement on a deal. Pujols's agent, Dan Lozano of MVP Sports Group, handled the bulk of negotiating for his client. Both Pujols and Lozano had a plan regarding his playing time desires and his financial preferences. If John Mozeliak could meet both, Pujols's preference was clearly to come back to St. Louis. The two sides came to an agreement, and Albert Pujols officially rejoined the Cardinals on Monday, March 27th.

Initial fan reactions concluded that the signing of Albert Pujols was mostly for nostalgic purposes. Pujols was intent on playing one more season in 2022, and the Cardinals could use one more legacy player to pair with Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright. It seemed like the perfect fit. This narrative, however, was disputed by management and the coaching staff.

"This is more than just a story of Albert coming back to St. Louis. We made the move because we thought Albert was our best play to win," said manager Oliver Mamol. "We needed him as a player. We know that he can bring good things to the table for our team and help us go to the World Series, and I think that's why Mo signed him," teammate and friend Yadier Molina said. John Mozeliak echoed these sentiments. "I love the nostalgia part of the story; it's great. But he didn't sign here and we didn't sign him to say, 'You should finish your career as a Cardinal.’ We want him to be impactful and we want him to be contributing, and he can do that in more than just getting hits and home runs.”

Five is Back

Albert's first appearance in Cardinal Red in more than 11 years came at the team's spring training facility in Jupiter, Florida. After agreeing to a deal late in spring training, Albert needed to get caught up to speed rather quickly, so he shipped out to Florida the same day his contract became public.

While spring training games are often sparsely attended by families on vacation, scouts, organizational executives, and locals, the game on March 28th in Jupiter had a fairly sizable crowd in attendance. Adam Wainwright was getting the start on this sunny March day with Yadier Molina behind the plate. It was only serendipitous that their best friend would decide to walk out of the right field gate during Wainwright's warmup.

Albert entered Roger Dean Stadium to a rousing ovation that day, and the veteran battery of Wainwright and Molina recognized him in a similar manner.

Pujols's first spring appearance came on Wednesday, March 30th against the Washington Nationals. He was the team's starting designated hitter, and he went 1-3 with a single on the day. Altogether, Pujols would go 3-7 with an RBI during his tune-up at Jupiter.

Albert was in the Opening Day lineup against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and his return to the city that made him famous featured a sellout crowd of 46,256 rabid fans. In his first at-bat in the bottom of the first inning, Pujols came to bat to a standing ovation. With a tip of his cap and teary eyes, he entered the batter's box in a stadium all too familiar to him. He flew out to left field, but his storied return officially started on this day.

Josh Jacobs, now the site editor at Redbird Rants, went to Opening Day in 2022, and he wrote about the emotions surrounding the surreal moments. "Although Pujols was unable to record a hit on the day, the ovation that he and Molina received in their first at-bats is something that I will never forget. For Molina, he has represented the Cardinals in now three different decades and will go down as one of the most beloved in franchise history. For Pujols, it feels a bit like the return of the prodigal son coming back to St. Louis, the city where he belongs."

Pujols would finish Opening Day going 0-5 against the Pirates, but his return had officially started. Five was back. He would finish April with a .267/.333/.500 slash line with two home runs and five runs batted in for a 135 wRC+. His first month was quite strong. However, things would soon take a turn for the worst for the 42-year-old first baseman and designated hitter.

A Rocky Start

Albert Pujols's initial month of 2022 presented a bit of a mirage of what was to come for the right-handed hitter. After finishing April with a .267 average, he would go into quite the slump in May and June. He hit .188 in May and .158 in June with just two home runs total between the two months. He recorded only 13 RBIs despite playing in 30 games.

Pujols was 42 after all, so expecting him to turn the clock back to 2011 in his former stomping grounds was a bit ambitious; however, his on-field impact was slowly fading after just three months of baseball. Meanwhile, young guys like top prospect Nolan Gorman and infielder Juan Yepez were seeing great success at Triple-A Memphis.

Gorman's .915 OPS through 43 games and 16 home runs in that span were making it hard to keep him down. He could play second base, but designated hitter would be where he would see the bulk of his time should he be called up, especially against right-handed pitchers. Yepez, a first baseman, had a .921 OPS in his first 50 games. He, too, had hit 16 home runs in Memphis.

Watching Albert struggle while these two players of the future were doing everything they needed to do to get promoted was challenging. His cumulative .173 batting average in the months of May and June forced him to consider an early retirement. John Denton of MLB.com conducted an interview with Pujols at the time, and this fact came to light.

When asked if he questioned his decision to return for one more season following his rough start to 2022, Pujols said, "No, I did. I swear I did. There were some times when I [asked] myself that, many times.” After experiencing nearly a decade of underperformance with the Los Angeles Angels, it was reasonable to assume that Albert would be willing to hang up his cleats with more struggles.

The All-Star Break and Home Run Derby

The grueling 162-game season can be separated at multiple moments; it's sometimes divided at the All-Star Game, MLB's midsummer classic that features the game's best and brightest stars in a variety of themed events. This break that typically falls in the middle of July presents players with an opportunity to hit reset on the season and rest for the remainder of the year.

For a select few, however, the break is full of festivities. For Albert, the month of July and the All-Star Break was a rollercoaster of emotions.

After admitting that he considered retiring early following the months of May and June, Pujols sat down with manager Oliver Marmol during a series in Atlanta in early July. Pujols told his manager, someone with whom he was quite familiar, that he had a desire to retire early. Pujols believed that his departure from the team would open up opportunities for other players and allow the team to make a push for the playoffs.

Marmol had other plans for the future Hall of Famer.

When reflecting on this experience recently, Pujols spoke glowingly about Marmol's effect on his final season. "I think a lot about our relationship ... This is a guy who knows the game really well ... I respect the way (Marmol) treated me. I respect the way that we went about my last season. There was a time before the All-Star Break that I went into the office in Atlanta, and I was like 'Hey, man, I'm done. I just want to go home. I don't think I'm doing any good for the team.' He really was the guy that kind of like talked me into finishing the season," said Pujols in an interview with Tom Ackerman of KMOX recently.

Without Marmol's sage advice, fans would have never seen Albert reach the 700-home run milestone or put on a show in the Home Run Derby in 2022.

Following his conversation with Marmol, Pujols agreed to be featured in the Home Run Derby, a display of the game's biggest boppers in one location. On July 17th, the first day of the All-Star Break, Albert agreed to be a part of the Derby. “It’s pretty awesome and I’m pretty blessed to be able to do it,” Pujols said of the event. “Hopefully I can put on a good show for the fans.” In an interview with Tom Ackerman, Pujols said, "I'm just really excited to be back here, and to have the opportunity to be in the Derby once again."

He would go on to do just that.

Pujols had a tough draw in the first round against Kyle Schwarber. Schwarber, fresh off a massive contract deal with the Philadelphia Phillies that offseason, would go on to lead the National League in home runs in 2022 with 46. It would take a one-minute tiebreaker, but Pujols's 20 home runs would be enough to edge out Schwarber's 19. Prior to the tiebreaker, Pujols was recognized by dozens of current players for his performance; this collection of stars was a sight to see.

Albert lost to the eventual winner, Juan Soto, in the next round, but he sure put on a show at the Derby. He would use this experience to launch him into a second-half run that mirrored some of his best years in the 2000s.

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.

"Just One Step"

Albert wasn't done with home runs 699 and 700. He hit two home runs, numbers 701 and 702, at Busch Stadium against the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 30th and October 2nd, respectively. Cynthia Smith, a longtime fan of over 45 years, attended the game in which Albert hit home run #702 at Busch Stadium. She said that she bought her tickets in January once it was clear that Yadier Molina and possibly Adam Wainwright would be in their final game that day. Hearing that Albert would also finish his career in St. Louis then was icing on the cake for her.

"The scene at the game was filled with excitement and emotions with what I believe was a sold-out crowd. There was the pregame celebration in which Pujols and Yadi were honored, so emotions were already all over the place. When Albert approached the plate, it was almost like a quiet hush would come over the crowd as everyone would have out their phones taking pictures and videos in anticipation of Albert hitting his next historical home run and they would have it captured," said Cynthia. "When he crushed that ball, the crowd went crazy wild, celebrating with Albert. Of course, there was a wild and crazy curtain call from Albert as the fans cheered and roared for him. With teary eyes, I had chills and was so grateful that I was able to be in attendance to witness one of the greatest of all-time players."

Jeff Perryman, another longtime fan of the Cardinals, was also present for Albert's 702nd career home run. "To see the last home run at home, (I) still get goosebumps remembering the crowd," recalled Perryman. "702 was awesome and electric. Something about that second half, he just embodied those 2006-2011 years where he was almost impossible to get out! (It was) almost like he was feeding off the crowd and the atmosphere."

The St. Louis Cardinals clinched the National League Central on September 27th that year. Thanks to a strong second-half push, the Cardinals were able to leapfrog the Milwaukee Brewers and capture the division crown, but this was just the beginning in Albert's eyes.

Manager Oliver Marmol allowed Albert to speak before the bottles were popped in the clubhouse that night. Pujols made it clear that the team should celebrate that night, but that the work wasn't done yet. "What an honor. This is just one step, guys. Remember this moment. This is what we want to do. Hopefully win a championship, bring it to the city of St. Louis."

Clearly, Albert wasn't satisfied just yet with his final season in baseball. Despite achieving personal milestones, winning the division as a team, and making the postseason one last time, Pujols wanted more. A championship was in his sights, and with the playoffs right around the corner, it was time to kick it into another gear.

The Postseason

The St. Louis Cardinals making the postseason in 2022 represented Albert's tenth appearance. For the 42-year-old veteran, the postseason presented him an opportunity to play for something more than himself. Back in March when Pujols and Mozeliak were in discussions about him returning to St. Louis, Pujols made it clear that the playoffs were his goal.

“It’s been awesome,’’ Pujols says. “I always talked about wanting the opportunity to come back to St. Louis where everything started for me 21 years ago. It’s pretty special, helping this organization win every which way I can. I'm just so glad I could do it for these people because I'm telling you, they mean so much to me."

He and his teammates earned that opportunity, and the club drew a first-round matchup against the sixth-seed Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Wild Card series. The Phillies finished the season with an 87-75 record that was good enough to finish third in the National League East. They had one of baseball's largest payrolls, and their roster was headlined by superstars like J.T. Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, Aaron Nola, and Zack Wheeler. They were not a team to be trifled with.

This series was filled with storylines from the Phillies' dynamic duo of Nola and Wheeler to a potential final postseason run for the big three of Adam Wainwright, Yadier Molina, and Albert Pujols. The Cardinals were underdogs simply due to the imbalance in starting pitching.

In Game 1, Zack Wheeler shut down the Cardinals' offense for 6.1 innings, as he allowed just two hits and one walk. Jose Quintana matched Wheeler for 5.1 innings, and the game was in the hands of both bullpens from that point on. Rookie Juan Yepez, a player known for shadowing Pujols all year, gave the Cardinals the lead in the seventh with a two-run home run, but the wheels would eventually fall off for the team in the ninth inning.

Ryan Helsley was back out in the ninth after finishing the eighth, and he would allow four straight batters to reach base. Andre Pallante relieved Helsley, and he gave up a single to Jean Segura. The Phillies would score six runs that inning and the Cardinals' hopes for a victory in game one were quickly washed away.

Game two was all about Aaron Nola. He threw 6.2 scoreless innings, and Jose Alvarado, Seranthony Dominguez, and Zach Eflin continued that shutout. The Cardinals would rack up seven hits, but they went 0-7 with runners in scoring position. The pitching group of Miles Mikolas, Jordan Montgomery, Giovanny Gallegos, and Jordan Hicks did their part, but the offense couldn't cash in on run-scoring opportunities.

Rather than getting to see Albert continue his final season, fans had to watch their Redbirds get swept by the Phillies. Pitching was the key in this series, as Nola and Wheeler put the kibosh on the Cardinals. Pujols would go 2-8 in the series with two singles and a strikeout, and his storybook 2022 season ended on a sour note.

Just like that, a Cardinal great was departing St. Louis for the second time and baseball for the first.