12/03/24
April 22, 2014
Albert Pujols Hits 499th, 500th Homer: Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols homered twice at Nationals Park Tuesday to become the 26th member of baseball's 500-home run club. In the first, Pujols crushed a 1-1 changeup from right-hander Taylor Jordan well over the fence in left field for a three-run homer that gave his team the early lead. In the fifth, he took a 1-2 sinker from Jordan and lined one to left-center field, just to the right of the Angels' bullpen, to give the Angels a 6-2 advantage. Pujols, the first player to hit 400 homers in his first 10 seasons, has now homered off 316 pitchers in 36 different ballparks and against 29 of the 30 teams (St. Louis being the lone exception).
Well, yeah, but... Albert Pujols being a great hitter wasn't exactly a hotly debated topic on this site. :)
posted by hincandenza at 05:28 AM on April 24, 2014
Albert Pujols being a great hitter wasn't exactly a hotly debated topic on this site.
Given his performance the last two seasons (since leaving St. Louis), it was definitely beginning to look like his decline had come early.
posted by grum@work at 09:36 AM on April 24, 2014
I hope Pujols regains some of his lost form and sustains it for a while. His triple slash numbers this year so far (sample size caveats, etc.) are basically in line with his career numbers, minus 40 points of batting average (and thus 40 points of OBP), with slightly elevated slugging.
posted by holden at 10:33 AM on April 24, 2014
DUDE CAN FUCKIN MASH, NUFF SAID.