St. Louis Cardinals legend Albert Pujols was moved to tears during a ceremony on Friday night for his 700th home run in MLB.
Pujols acted accordingly, and hit No. 701 on the same night against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
However, the real story happened prior to the start of the contest, when Pujols received a standing ovation and golden bat from the organization. For a man who has kept his cool throughout this final season, Pujols finally let out some emotion in front of the St. Louis faithful after a video tribute.
“It’s pretty awesome,” Pujols said after the game, per ESPN. “I didn’t know it was going to be like this. It’s pretty good just to be embraced like this. I mean this is what I’ve been getting all year long but today was extra special. It was a great night overall.”
Cardinals give Albert Pujols a beautiful sendoff
It wasn’t always this way. Pujols left St. Louis for sunny Los Angeles in the 2011 offseason, leaving many fans feeling betrayed.
However, time heals all wounds, and eventually fans in St. Louis moved on. Winning several World Series without Pujols’ services definitely helped matters. Come the 2021 offseason, when a return was on the table, Cards fans clamored for it. Why not give in to the thought of one more run?
Pujols obliged, and here we are. 22 home runs later, and Pujols has 701 total and can end his career the right way. If Cardinals fans have their way, it’ll end in a World Series — the third of Pujols career.