This Day in Cardinals History: Albert Pujols Joins Elite Company

Albert Pujols made history on this day four years ago.

Sep 12, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Albert Pujols stands next to his St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame plaque during a ceremony before a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago White Sox at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Just two weeks ago, Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina were enshrined in the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame. The two Cardinals greats won two World Series titles and three National League pennants together in St. Louis and also put on one of the best farewell tours in Major League Baseball history back in 2022.

Four years ago, the baseball world was captivated by Pujols' historic home run chase. In September, he was drawing closer to reaching 700 home runs. Earlier in the year, it would have seemed like a reach, but Pujols was red-hot in the second half.

Finally, on this day in 2022, Pujols etched his name in the history books, becoming the fourth player in MLB history to reach the 700-homer mark.

Albert Pujols made history

Coming into the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Pujols had 698 home runs. He opened the scoring with No. 699, putting the Cardinals ahead 2-0 at Dodger Stadium. But in the top of the fourth inning, he finally got his chance to make history.

The Dodgers had put right-hander Phil Bickford in the game, and Pujols stepped to the plate with two runners on base. Bickford hung a slider, and Pujols let it fly, crushing his 700th career home run to give St. Louis a 5-0 lead.

What followed was a long standing ovation from Cardinals and Dodgers fans alike as they recognized just how important the moment was. Pujols then embraced his teammates, including Molina and Adam Wainwright after tipping his helmet to the crowd, then shared an emotional moment with Molina in the dugout.

Perhaps the only thing that could have made the moment sweeter was if he had done it in St. Louis. However, Pujols had played most of the 2021 season with the Dodgers, and the fans quickly fell in love with him, appreciating everything he had done with his incredible career. He had also helped take them to the NLCS that year.

Still, that didn't take anything away from the moment. Cardinals and Dodgers fans were united in cheering for an icon that had not only played for both organizations, but had a truly legendary career, and it was fitting that Pujols' final season was back with the Cardinals after he spent 10 years with the Los Angeles Angels.

It's a moment Cardinals fans will never forget, and one that lives on in baseball history.

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