Albert Pujols Hits 500th Home Run of His Career

Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols hit career home run numbers 499 and 500 off Washington’s Taylor Jordan on April 22nd in one of the quietest run ups to this milestone that we can remember.  Pujols became just the 26th player in major league history to hit 500 homers, but the media were very low key in reporting on his closing in on the mark.  During the Steroid Era, several players put up huge home run totals tainted by the use of performance enhancing drugs, so some in the media and casual fans might not pay attention to accomplishments like this.

That’s understandable in these cynical times. The formerly trusted institutions in our society all seem to be turning into crap these days, but Pujols has always played the game cleanly and is the real deal, no artificial ingredients.  Since joining the Angels in 2012, Pujols’ numbers have been down from what they were in his decade with the St. Louis Cardinals.  Last season he struggled with injuries, and put up career lows in most offensive categories, but he’s off to a pretty good start this season with eight homers and 19 RBIs in his first 20 games.  Pujols drove in five of the Angels’ seven runs in their 7-2 victory over the Nationals.  At age 34, he’s one of the youngest players to hit 500 homers, so he has an excellent chance of reaching 600 or more before he’s done.