ALBERT PUJOLS

It’s only a matter of time before Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera joins him in Cooperstown. If Cabrera, who turns 39 in April, plays out the final two seasons of his contract, he could be there as soon as 2029. Pujols, the player whose career path Cabrera has followed most closely, didn’t make it to the finish line with the Los Angeles Angels. So if Cabrera keeps following Pujols’ path, the question isn’t whether the Tigers slugger will play in 2023, but whether he’ll play in 2024 and 2025, as well. That may be unlikely, but it also seems unlikely that the Tigers and Cabrera will undergo a contentious divorce before the expiration of his contract.

The New York Mets have hired Billy Eppler as their general manager, giving him a four-year contract.

Eddie Rosario's hot bat led the Atlanta Braves to a World Series matchup with the Houston Astros and earned him the NL Championship Series MVP award.

Astros rookie Luis García will start against the Red Sox in Game 6 of the AL Championship Series with a trip to the World Series on the line.

Chris Taylor hit three homers and drove in six runs to help the Los Angeles Dodgers beat Atlanta 11-2, cutting the Braves' lead to 3-2 in the best-of-seven NL Championship Series.

Austin Riley homered and drove in the winning run with a single in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Atlanta Braves a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the NL Championship Series.

Frigid wind gusts roared in from center field well before sundown and continued through the late innings Monday night. “It’s just part of the game, Mother Nature,” said Los Angeles slugger Albert Pujols, who had two hits. The Dodgers were at home, but they were out of their element — and they played accordingly in a loss that sent the defending World Series champions to the brink of elimination.

Every year, the day after the regular season can be dicey for managers whose teams didn’t do so well.

Corey Seager hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the eighth inning, when the Los Angeles Dodgers went deep four times to rally past the San Diego Padres 11-9.

Yankees ace Gerrit Cole makes what might be his final start of the regular season in a critical showdown against Toronto.

Yankees ace Gerrit Cole makes what might be his final start of the regular season in a critical showdown against Toronto.

Albert Pujols went on the Los Angeles Dodgers' COVID-19 injured list Tuesday, when Cody Bellinger was activated from the IL after missing eight games with a broken left rib. Pujols received his second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and “just didn't feel good,” manager Dave Roberts said. Roberts said Pujols will be re-evaluated Wednesday.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have clinched a postseason berth by beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-4 for their fifth straight win.

Albert Pujols rewarded an adoring crowd by hitting a home run in his return to Busch Stadium, sending the Los Angeles Dodgers toward a 7-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Steven Duggar hit a tiebreaking two-run triple after being called up earlier in the day, Brandon Belt homered, and the San Francisco Giants wrapped up their key weekend series against the rival Los Angeles Dodgers with a 6-4 win to take the NL West lead.

Albert Pujols is sure to get a big ovation at Busch Stadium when the Los Angeles Dodgers slugger returns to face the Cardinals.

Trea Turner and Corey Seager homered, Julio Urías won his seventh straight decision, and the Los Angeles Dodgers moved into a tie for first place with San Francisco atop the NL West Division with a 6-1 victory over the Giants.

Albert Pujols hit his first home run against the Los Angeles Angels since they released him in May, sending Walker Buehler and the Dodgers to an 8-2 win.

Albert Pujols doubled home three runs to cap a five-run second inning, Mookie Betts homered in his return from the injured list and the Los Angeles Dodgers hammered the Arizona Diamondbacks 13-0 on Sunday.

The Los Angeles Dodgers waited 32 years to win the World Series again.

Justin Turner and Mookie Betts hit grand slams, Albert Pujols and AJ Pollock each homered twice and the Los Angeles Dodgers matched a franchise record by connecting eight times in all, routing the Arizona Diamondbacks 22-1.

Shohei Ohtani became the sixth player to reach the upper deck of T-Mobile Park with a majestic blast for his 33rd homer, but Mitch Haniger’s two-out grand slam in the eighth inning lifted the Seattle Mariners over the Los Angeles Angels 7-3.

Shohei Ohtani hit his major league-leading 32nd homer and broke the single-season major league record for homers by a Japanese player during the Los Angeles Angels’ 5-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

Shohei Ohtani went deep twice to reach 30 home runs on the season and then scored the winning run on Jared Walsh’s two-out single in the ninth inning, giving the Los Angeles Angels an 8-7 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

Mookie Betts hit a go-ahead single during a nine-run in the seventh inning after Washington ace Max Scherzer departed, and the Los Angeles Dodgers surged past the Nationals 10-5 for their seventh straight win.

Zach Davies and three Cubs relievers combined for the seventh no-hitter in the majors this year — matching the most in a season since 1900 — as Chicago blanked the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0.

The Chicago Cubs are working on a combined no-hitter through eight innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Trent Grisham drew a go-ahead, bases-loaded walk with one out in the eighth and the San Diego Padres hit three solo homers off Trevor Bauer and beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-3 for their first three-game sweep of the NL West rivals in eight seasons.

Wander Franco, a 20-year-old infielder considered the best prospect in the minor leagues, homered for the Tampa Bay Rays in his major league debut, connecting for a three-run drive against Boston.

Albert Pujols hit a three-run homer and passed Mel Ott for 14th on the career runs list, and the Los Angeles Dodgers extended the Arizona Diamondbacks’ losing streak to 17 games with a 9-8 victory.

Kevin Gausman pitched six shutout innings and Mauricio Dubón hit one of two homers off Clayton Kershaw, helping the San Francisco Giants beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-4.

Giants left fielder Mike Tauchman remarkably reached over the wall to rob Albert Pujols of a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning and San Francisco broke through in the 10th to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-5 in a thriller.

Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa and Aledmys Díaz homered, and the Houston Astros stopped a four-game slide by topping Trevor Bauer and the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-2.

White Sox manager Tony La Russa wound up a winner in his first game against the team that ensured his Hall of Fame induction as Chicago beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-1 behind Lance Lynn’s arm and Andrew Vaughn’s bat.

The birds-on-the-bat uniforms, the players in the other dugout, the opposing manager, it all looked familiar to Tony La Russa.

Will Smith hit a tiebreaking, solo home run in the seventh inning, Albert Pujols slugged a two-run shot, his first for the Dodgers, and Los Angeles defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-2.

Off to a solid start in Dodger blue, 10-time All-Star Albert Pujols crushes an opposite-field homer to give LA an early lead over Arizona.

Albert Pujols hit a two-run homer, his first for the Los Angeles Dodgers, in the second inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Albert Pujols delivered an RBI single in his Dodgers debut, and Walker Buehler pitched seven scoreless innings of one-hit ball in Los Angeles’ 3-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Shohei Ohtani hit his major league-leading 13th home run and the Los Angeles Angels defeated the slumping Cleveland Indians 7-4 after star outfielder Mike Trout was injured early.

Albert Pujols has signed a major league deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

This week's Baseball Report looks at the Chicago White Sox's early-season success, the New York Yankees' COVID outbreak and Albert Pujols' return with the Dodgers.

World Series MVP Corey Seager will miss at least a few weeks for the Los Angeles Dodgers after breaking a bone in his right hand.

Albert Pujols didn’t have to travel far to find a new opportunity.

A person with knowledge of the deal says the Los Angeles Dodgers are signing veteran first baseman Albert Pujols to a major league deal.

Pujols was batting .198 with five home runs in 24 games and is fifth all-time with 667 career homers.

This week's Baseball Report looks at Jacob DeGrom's injury, what might be the end of Albert Pujol's MLB career and the surge of no-hitters.

A decade ago, Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander were on top of the baseball world.

The season is still young, and although Cabrera’s overall numbers are ugly, there’s plenty of time to get on track. However, unlike Pujols, who was in the final year of his contract with the Angels, Cabrera is signed through 2023. But if the Pujols deal was bad, the extension Cabrera signed with the Tigers prior to the 2014 season is likely to end up being far worse. But it’s blindingly obvious by now that his career trajectory is following a different path, and the most apt comparison is -- you guessed it -- Albert Pujols. And if not, will be the Tigers be forced to make the same uncomfortable decision the Angels made this week?

Star players rarely go out gracefully, but the future Hall of Famer's departure from Anaheim was especially uncomfortable.

White Sox manager Tony La Russa nixed the idea of a potential reunion with Albert Pujols, whom he managed for 11 seasons with the Cardinals.

Miguel Cabrera, a 19-year MLB veteran, entered the game with 2,872 hits, one shy of Babe Ruth for 45th on the all-time leaderboard.

Mike Zunino homered, Brett Phillips had two hits during a seven-run eighth inning and the Tampa Bay Rays rallied for an 8-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

Albert Pujols wants to hook on with a new team and play first base.

Albert Pujols didn't want to stay with the Angels if he wasn't playing, but now that he's about to be a free agent, will another team sign him?

The Angels plan to release Albert Pujols hardly a month into the final year of his contract. Pujols was designated for assignment on Thursday.

Albert Pujols has been cut by the Los Angeles Angels, abruptly ending the 41-year-old superstar slugger’s decade with his second major league team.

Willy Adames and Manuel Margot homered, Mike Brosseau had a two-run single and the Tampa Bay Rays opened a seven-game California road trip with a 7-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

Angels two-way player Shohei Ohtani had a start like none since Babe Ruth 100 years earlier.

Shohei Ohtani’s tiebreaking solo home run in the eighth inning helped the Los Angeles Angels to a 4-2 win over the Houston Astros to snap a four-game skid.

Kent Emanuel worked 8 2/3 innings in relief in his major league debut, saving Houston’s bullpen after Jake Odorizzi left early with an injury, and the Astros pounded the Los Angeles Angels 16-2.

In the first few games of the season, hot streaks are magnified — although this performance by Yermín Mercedes would have probably stood out any time.

Yermín Mercedes got his first five major league hits and drove in four runs, and José Abreu hit a grand slam for the Chicago White Sox in their 12-8 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

Will Miguel Cabrera reached 3,000 hits and 500 home runs in 2021? And any projection of exactly when the Detroit Tigers star will reach those hallowed numbers is fraught with uncertainty. In 2020, Cabrera played in a team-high 57 games in the shortened season and actually looked like a much younger, healthier version of himself. Cabrera hit some mammoth homers in 2020, but it also appeared that some of his doubles turned into homers. He is only 12 hits away from surpassing Omar Vizquel (2,877) for most hits by a Venezuela-born player.