Despite a successful final season with the St. Louis Cardinals, baseball legend Albert Pujols has officially filed his retirement papers.
Albert Pujols surprised even Cardinals fans by slashing .270/.345/.550 with 24 home runs in his final season, taking on an everyday role in the St. Louis lineup by the end of the year. This led some fans and pundits to wonder if he might consider a return, rather than sticking to his previous retirement plans.
Yet, Pujols has remained consistent, and will return home to spend time with his family and adjust to life after baseball.
“The Lord allows those doors to be open and to have a great relationship,” Pujols said, per FanSided’s Kevin Henry. “I can say that, for 23 years, I have felt some great relationships in this game and I am thankful to God for giving me this opportunity.”
Cardinals: Will Albert Pujols come back? Not so fast
Albert Pujols filed his retirement papers with the league office on Monday, officially putting to bed any hope of one more season in St. Louis.
From Pujols perspective, it makes sense. He reached the 700-home run milestone and played a big role in the Cardinals making the postseason. A World Series would’ve been the cherry on top, but it wasn’t necessary — Pujols already has two of those. He also got to retire with longtime teammate and friend Yadier Molina.
“I think it’s something that it won’t even be this week. I think it may take a couple of months to realize what a great team we had this year,” Pujols said. “My main goal was always to help this team win every day, whether I was in the lineup or on the bench.”
Molina expressed much of the same viewpoint after the Cards were knocked out of the Wild Card round — appreciate of his career, and what’s to come.