ESPN News Services
PITTSBURGH — St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols hit his 696th home run Saturday night, tying Alex Rodriguez for fourth place on the career list.
Pujols, 42, connected in the sixth inning of the Cardinals’ 7-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Pujols trails Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714) on the all-time homer chart. Pujols has 22 games left in his 22nd and final season in the big leagues.
“I don’t care who I tied,” Pujols said. “At the end of the day, it’s about tying (the game) for the team and giving them an opportunity to pick up a win. … It’s pretty special. I think I’m aware of where I am in the history of the game. But at the end of the day, 21 years ago when I make the ballclub, that wasn’t something that I was chasing.
“Twenty-two years later, I don’t think I’m going to change my approach. I think I’m going to let things happen and try to enjoy it. If it happens, it happens. If not, at the end of the day, I think everybody, including myself, are pretty blessed with the career that I have.”
With St. Louis down 3-1, Pujols homered on a first-pitch slider from JT Brubaker. Pujols sent a two-run shot 418 feet into the left-field bleachers at PNC Park, launched with an exit velocity of 111.2 mph.
Pujols also doubled and had an RBI single for the NL Central leaders, finishing 3-for-4 on the night.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
