Albert Pujols is a Dominican-American professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Nicknamed “The Machine”, he played his first 11 seasons in MLB for the Cardinals, then played with the Los Angeles Angels for more than nine seasons before joining the Los Angeles Dodgers for half a season.
A three-time National League (NL) Most Valuable Player (MVP), Pujols was also an All-Star for the St. Louis Cardinals from 2001 to 2010. He appeared in one All-Star game after joining the Angels in 2012, and that was in 2015.
He was re-elected as an all-star in 2022 after returning to the St. Louis Cardinals. Dominican-born Pujols made the trip to the United States with his parents and siblings in 1996. The Cardinals drafted him in the 13th round of the 1999 MLB draft after just one season of college baseball.
He was named the National League Rookie of the Year as a rookie for the Cardinals in 2001. During his time with the Cardinals, Pujols was an important part of the team’s two World Series victories, in 2006 and 2011. As a free agent in 2011, Pujols signed a 10-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels.
As of the start of the 2021 season, the Angels had designated Pujols for assignment. Shortly later, the Dodgers agreed to a deal with him. Pujols signed a one-year contract with the Cardinals on March 28, 2022, marking the end of his big league career.
How did Albert Pujols do in the Home Run Derby?
The Nationals’ Juan Soto, the ultimate winner of the 2022 T-Mobile Home Run Derby, defeated Albert Pujols in the quarterfinals on Monday night, 16-15, but Pujols still supplied the night’s most memorable moments.
In his seventh Home Run Derby appearance and first, since 2014, Pujols hit a home run. In 2018, Schwarber took part in the Home Run Derby, however, he was eliminated in the semifinals.
One step closer: Pujols has never won the Home Run Derby, but he made it to the semifinals this time around.
