Last Updated on October 24, 2024 by Matt Musico
While his overall production looked much different during the latter portion of his career, Albert Pujols home runs will always be fun to watch. It helps that he was a generational talent and a surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer. Thanks to 24 dingers in 2022, Pujols finished fourth on the all-time home run list with 703.
With that in mind, it’s not shocking that he’s also second all-time in Cardinals history. The slugger gave us many opportunities to gawk over his performance during his 22-year career, so why not do it more by revisiting some milestone Albert Pujols home runs, shall we?
Related: The Ultimate Guide for Career Home Run Leaders
Milestone Albert Pujols Home Runs Through the Years
April 6, 2001: Home Run #1 vs. Diamondbacks
Through his first nine big-league plate appearances, Pujols collected one single and was slashing .111/.111/.111. Then the calendar flipped to April 6. He went 3-for-5 with the above home run, a double, three RBI, and two runs scored. The rest was history.
Through 676 plate appearances as a rookie, Pujols slashed .329/.403/.610 with 37 home runs, 130 RBI, and 112 runs scored. That led to a 159 wRC+ and a 7.2 fWAR. He took home a Silver Slugger, appeared in the All-Star Game, finished fourth in National League MVP voting, and ran away with NL Rookie of the Year honors. This was also one of the most powerful seasons ever by a rookie.
And so began one of the most ridiculous 11-year stretches by a player in MLB history.
July 20, 2003: Home Run #100 vs. Dodgers
The 2003 season was Pujols’ second of five consecutive top-three finishes in NL MVP voting during his first tour with the Cardinals. He didn’t take home the hardware because of some guy named Barry Bonds. Pujols did take home his first and only batting title after posting a .359 average.
In addition to hitting 43 home runs with 124 RBI, he also led the league in runs scored (137), hits (212), doubles (51), and total bases (394).
September 30, 2005: Home Run #200 vs. Reds
When you hit your 200th career home run within your first five big-league seasons, you know you’re on a historic track. That’s exactly what Pujols did in 2005, and he put the finishing touches on his first MVP campaign, breaking Bonds’ four-year streak. And since Jeff Kent won the award in 2000, Pujols was the first non-Giant to win an NL MVP in the new millennium.
His 129 runs scored led the league for the third consecutive year, and he slashed .330/.430/.609 in 700 plate appearances. It was his fifth straight season of at least 30 homers and 100 RBI. But with another 41 dingers, it was his third straight campaign with at least 40. It was also the fourth time he eclipsed 7.0 fWAR since debuting in 2001. Not bad.
July 4, 2008: Home Run #300 vs. Cubs
Pujols produced a wRC+ of at least 180 three times. The first one came in 2003 when he won the batting title, and the next two came in 2008 and 2009. The 184 wRC+ he put up in 2008 tied his 2003 mark for the highest of his career.
He finished ’08 with 8.7 fWAR, which was the third time he eclipsed 8.0…and he was just in his age-28 season. Unsurprisingly, this was another MVP performance (he’d win it again the following year, too). In this campaign, he slashed .357/.462/.653 with 37 homers and 116 RBI. That slugging percentage and his 1.114 OPS both led the league.
August 26, 2010: Home Run #400 vs. Nationals
Slugging 400 home runs by your age-30 season doesn’t happen often, but it did for Pujols. He finished a distant second in NL MVP voting to Joey Votto, but The Machine had a typically dominant year. He hit .312/.414/.596 with 42 homers, 118 RBI, and 115 runs scored. He led the league in all three of those counting stats.
In addition to taking home his sixth and final Silver Slugger Award, Pujols also nabbed his second career Gold Glove Award at first base. Not too shabby for someone who was only really known for what he did with the bat.
April 22, 2014: Home Run #500 vs. Nationals
Pujols was already viewed as a generational talent by this time in his career, but there’s just something special about entering the 500-homer club, right? He was the 26th member to join as he continued to cement his place within baseball history.
The Machine’s ridiculous yearly pace began to slow during his age-34 season, but there was something to be proud of for his 2014 performance. Between 2001 and 2012, he accumulated at least 30 homers and 99 RBI each time, and possibly more impressive, Pujols never played fewer than 143 games in a single season.
The 2013 season was the first time he didn’t reach that benchmark, appearing in just 99 games for Los Angeles. In 2014, he bounced back by playing 159 games. His production was a far cry from his St. Louis days, but he still put together a 123 wRC+ and 2.7 fWAR with a .272/.324/.466 line, 28 homers, and 105 RBI. He even earned some down-ballot AL MVP votes, finishing 17th.
June 3, 2017: Home Run #600 vs. Twins
By the time 2017 rolled around, Pujols’ decline was in full effect. He was still holding strong in the counting stat categories, though. His .672 OPS through 636 plate appearances was easily the lowest of his career to that point, but he did slug 23 homers with 101 RBI.
In his age-37 campaign, you’d hope the Angels expected this to happen (but who knows with them). However, they were likely wishing they would’ve reached the playoffs more than once before his performance came up this short compared to his paycheck.
But for a split second, none of that matters. That’s the kind of effect reaching the 600-homer club has.
September 13, 2020: Home Run #660 vs. Rockies
The pandemic-shortened 2020 season made Pujols wait that much longer to pass Willie Mays on the all-time home run list. Through 163 plate appearances, he slashed .224/.270/.395 and hit only six dingers, but a couple were monumental in the grand scope of MLB history.
He took full advantage of being in the thin air at Coors Field. It was a meaningful homer as well, giving Los Angeles an eighth-inning lead. It’s a shame the pandemic prevented fans from seeing this moment in person.
September 18, 2020: Home Run #661 vs. Rangers
Again, it’s a shame nobody could be at the stadium to witness history, but it didn’t matter to Pujols at that moment (nor should it have). Any time you see your name get pushed ahead of someone like Willie Mays, it’s hard to not be in awe of the work you put in to reach that point.
Thankfully for The Machine, he only had to wait five days to pass the Say Hey Kid. Imagine if he got stuck on 660 for the entire offseason! That would’ve been low-key excruciating. Before he was released in the middle of the 2021 season, Pujols racked up a total of 222 home runs for the Angels, which is among the most in franchise history.
September 11, 2022: Home Run #697 vs. Pirates
Pujols entered his final year in the big leagues with 679 home runs. That’s more dingers than just about everyone in baseball history, but he still had an uphill battle to pass Alex Rodriguez for fourth all-time. He managed to turn the clock back in the second half to get the job done.
After slugging just six homers with a .676 OPS in 173 plate appearances before the All-Star break, he went off after returning from the midsummer classic. At the date of his 697th home run, Pujols had collected 11 homers with a 1.137 OPS in just 110 plate appearances for the Cardinals.
September 23, 2022: Home Run #700 vs. Dodgers
Pujols certainly knows how to enter an exclusive club in style, right? He came into this game against the Dodgers sitting on 698 home runs. In an 11-0 Cardinals rout, the right-handed slugger launched not one, but two homers to make history.
Every time I watch this, I can’t help but get goosebumps. Who knows when we’ll get to see something like this again? The pure joy on his face while going around the bases was wonderful, too. The best thing he probably said regarding all this was about the baseball (quote via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register):
“Souvenirs are for the fans. I don’t have any problem if they want to keep it…If they want to give it back, that’s great. But at the end of the day, I don’t focus on material stuff.”
October 3, 2022: Home Run #703 vs. Pirates
Talk about finishing your career with a flourish, right? After those six homers before the All-Star break, Pujols slugged 18 dingers with a .323/.388/.715 triple slash in 178 second-half plate appearances. Between April and July, he didn’t hit more than three homers in a month. This included no homers at all in 13 June games.
In August and September, though, Pujols didn’t hit fewer than eight in a month. It’s interesting how much better he was on the road compared to playing at home in 2022, as well. In St. Louis, the right-handed slugger collected 10 homers while slashing .245/.343/.490. As a visiting player, he hit 14 homers with a .293/.346/.604 line. His .950 road OPS was more than 100 points better than it was at home (.833).
Memorable Albert Pujols Postseason Home Runs
October 22, 2011: Three Home Runs in World Series Game 3
Although he didn’t experience much playoff baseball with the Angels, Pujols made several stops in the postseason during his tenure with the Cardinals. His 19 playoff home runs are among the most in MLB history, and while St. Louis beat the Texas Rangers to take home the 2011 World Series title, Pujols didn’t dominate like we were used to seeing.
The first home run in the above video was his first of that specific Fall Classic, and he enjoyed doing it so much that he hit two more before the 27th out was recorded. Those accounted for half of his total hits during this matchup, as he slashed .240/.424/.640 in 33 plate appearances.
October 17, 2005: Taking Brad Lidge’s Soul in NLCS Game 5
Sure, the Houston Astros won the NL pennant, but whenever I think of Albert Pujols home runs, this is what comes to mind. This was part of a two-year stretch where he completely tortured Houston in October. These teams met in the 2004 NLCS, as well. Pujols was named series MVP after hitting .500/.563/1.000 with four homers and nine RBI in 32 plate appearances. His performance was a little more normal in 2005 but still dominant – he slashed .304/.320/.565 with two homers and six RBI. This specific home run briefly took Brad Lidge’s soul out of his body.
Through the hurler’s first four MLB seasons, he owned a 2.71 ERA in 259 innings. In 2006, that jumped up to 5.28 in 75 innings. He recovered a bit in 2007 with a 3.36 ERA before going 41-for-41 in save opportunities with a 1.95 ERA through 69.1 innings for the World Champion Phillies in 2008.
But, still, this home run did something to him. It also probably hasn’t landed yet.
Want to see some homers in person this season? Of course you do. Grab MLB tickets from our friends at Vivid Seats. And before you get to the stadium, make sure you’re decked out in the right gear. Get your favorite team’s official merch from the MLB Shop or a ‘Big Dinger Energy’ shirt from our apparel store.
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