Albert Pujols joins 700-HR club: The best stories from those who played with and against him

ESPN ^ | 23 Sep 2022 | ESPN

[Rummyfan]

Twenty-two years. Seven hundred home runs.

Albert Pujols achieved a level of greatness only three other players in the history of the game have matched when he hit No. 700 on Friday night -- his second homer of the evening at Dodger Stadium. He joins Barry Bonds, Henry Aaron and Babe Ruth as the only players in the exclusive 700-home run club.

As the St. Louis Cardinals slugger made his march for history, ESPN's Jesse Rogers, Buster Olney and Alden Gonzalez asked current and former teammates, opposing pitchers and other greats in the game to describe their favorite moments and what it has been like playing with, pitching to and simply witnessing an all-time great home run hitter during Pujols' two decades in the majors.

[Rummyfan]

Odd that back in the day when life was more slowly paced that the games were a lot shorter in time. Now?! My big complaint about the postseason is that often the games run till 1 AM EDT.

[Rummyfan]

[Alberta's Child]

Some of these milestones are just a function of guys hanging around long enough to read them. In Aaron’s case, he was never a classic slugger and his 755 career home runs are heavily influenced by the fact that he had a 23-year career with teams that played in some of the smallest ballparks in the major leagues.

As time goes on, I think Aaron’s 3,771 career hits are going to end up looking more impressive than his 755 home runs. When you look at it in context the number is remarkable. Aaron would still be a member of the 3,000-hit club even if you eliminated his 755 home runs, and he’s got a higher career batting average than Pete Rose.

[dfwgator]

I think Aaron’s 3,771 career hits are going to end up looking more impressive than his 755 home runs.

It's shameful he isn't remembered for his career hits. Most people probably don't even think of him in terms of being a member of the 3000+ Hit Club.

[Rummyfan]

Yeah, good memories. Always felt sad for Gibson. Man he really gave it all he had. Don’t forget Lou Brock.

The 1960s Cardinals went to three Series - 1964, 1967, and 1968 - in five years and won two of them. Then Gussie Busch proceeded to dismantle the team and they wouldn't win again until 1982.

[dfwgator]

Yep, Mays was the whole package.

[hanamizu]

Wish they could have had a roster spot for him in 2022

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The fact that the Dodgers’ crowd and team show so much affection for him after a brief time with the team says a lot about the Dodger team, its fans and Pujols himself.

But finishing his career in St. Louis—it’s almost as if the baseball gods wanted it to happen. I have no doubt that there will be a Pujols statue outside of Busch stadium and one for Yadi too.

[ifinnegan]

Mays missed almost two years in military service.

He would have hit 700 otherwise.

[Bratch]

Many of Bob Gibson’s games took considerably less than 2 hours.

Of course, back in the day baseball didn’t have 5 minute commercial breaks.

[Alberta's Child]

It’s impossible to compare MLB players from different eras. Mays had an impressive career by any measure, but when you compare him to his peers in his own era his numbers don’t jump out as much as others.

I’d be hard pressed to make the case that anyone other than George Herman “Babe” Ruth was the greatest ball player who ever lived. He put up numbers that are borderline clownish compared to the other players of his era — hitting 50-60 home runs when nobody else was hitting 30 or when entire teams were hitting 30-40 in a season, for example. That would be like an NFL quarterback going out there and passing for 10,000 yards in one season.

And on top of all that … Ruth almost certainly would have been a Hall of Fame PITCHER if he hadn’t moved to the outfield full time.

[ifinnegan]

Cards trading Carleton was a huge mistake.

[Rummyfan]

Story from one of Gibson’s games. It was being broadcast on the old Saturday Game of the Week. NBC complained to the Cardinals that Gibson was starting his innings so quickly that hey couldn’t get all their commercials in and asked the Cards to ask Gibson to slow down. The Cards said - You ask him!

[Rummyfan]

Ted Williams served in both WWII and Korea. It cost him too.

[hanamizu]

Ruth almost certainly would have been a Hall of Fame PITCHER if he hadn’t moved to the outfield full time.

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Fun bit of trivia: Ruth as a pitcher was involved in a perfect game. The first batter he faced walked. Ruth protested the call so much that he was thrown out of the game. His replacement picked off the runner and then retired the next 26 batters in a row.

[Hot Tabasco]

suggests

You sound like Adam Schiff...LOL!

[Hot Tabasco]

That will show you how far MLB has chased its fans away.

If it chased you so far away, then why didn't you stay away from this thread?

Sheesh, you lonely looking for conversation?

Idiot

[Hot Tabasco]

My goal will be to forget this guy's name by the middle of next week.

Your goal would have been met by tomorrow if you would simply have ignored this thread. But noooooo.......Idiot

[Hot Tabasco]

There are advantages to not having a TeeVee.

There's really no excuse for being a thread idiot........

[Night Hides Not]

Ted Williams will always be unrivaled as a hitter. He lost 5 years of his career to flying fighter nets in WWII and Korea.

[Alberta's Child]

I believe that was Ernie Shore who took over for Ruth in that game. He was originally credited with pitching a perfect game, but I’m pretty sure it was removed from the record books decades later when MLB changed the official definitions of a no-hitter and a perfect game.