ALBERT PUJOLS

Although Major League Baseball did see improvements in attendance in 2022, fans still have not returned to levels that were seen before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Major League Baseball wasn’t able to coax fans to ballparks at pre-pandemic levels this season, though attendance did jump substantially from the COVID-19 affected campaign in 2021.

The entire Major League Baseball playoff picture is now set.

Munetaka Murakami had gone 13 games without a home run before hitting the one that put him in the record books.

Albert Pujols hit his 703rd home run, breaking a tie with Babe Ruth for second place in career RBIs, but the St. Louis Cardinals lost to Pittsburgh 3-2 when the Pirates drew four consecutive walks in the ninth inning to force home the winning run.

Albert Pujols has hit his 703rd home run, breaking a tie with Babe Ruth for second place in career RBIs.

Albert Pujols slammed his 702nd career home run and drove in three runs in the Cardinals' 7-5 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.

St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols hit his 702nd career homer in the third inning of Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Pujols drove a 0-1 pitch from Roansy Contreras deep to center for a solo shot. The 42-year-old Pujols is fourth on the career home run list behind Babe Ruth (714), Hank Aaron (755) and Barry Bonds (762).

Albert Pujols hit a two-run single and Corey Dickerson had a grand slam in a six-run first inning to help the NL Central champion St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 13-3 on Saturday night. Pujols singled to left with the bases loaded in the first inning driving in Brendan Donovan and Lars Nootbaar to give St. Louis a 2-0 lead. The 42-year-old Pujols, retiring after the season, hit his 701st homer a night earlier.

St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols hit the 701st home run of his career Friday night in from of his hometown fans. It's the last regular season home series for the Cardinals.

Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols has hit his 701st home run, connecting against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols hit his 701st home run, connecting Friday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Pujols launched a slider from former teammate Johan Oviedo over the Big Mac Land sign in left field at Busch Stadium. Pujols faced Oviedo for the first time and made the 24-year-old righty the 456th different pitcher he's homered against.

Aaron Judge's homers almost always impress, and No. 61 on Wednesday night was no exception — a laser-beam shot that landed in the Blue Jays bullpen amidst huge cheers from the crowd in Toronto. Baseball history was made and the joy was palpable. The New York Yankees slugger had just tied Roger Maris for the American League, and what some fans consider the “real,” single-season home run record.

Andrew Knizner hit a two-run homer, Miles Mikolas pitched six strong innings and the St. Louis Cardinals clinched the NL Central title with a 6-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.

Major League Baseball’s postseason has a little more heft this year.

St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols said that he didn't have a problem if the fan who caught his 700th home run wanted to keep it.

St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols hit home runs 699 and 700 of his career Friday, becoming just the fourth player in Major League Baseball history to reach 700.

Playing the final days of his last big league season, the 42-year-old Pujols joined Barry Bonds (762 homers), Hank Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714) in one of baseball's most exclusive clubs.

St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols hit his 700th career home run, becoming the fourth player to reach the milestone in major league history.

Albert Pujols joined Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, and Babe Ruth as the only players in MLB history to hit 700 home runs in their careers on Friday.

Albert Pujols is one home run away from joining Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, and Babe Ruth as the only players in MLB history to hit 700 home runs.

Albert Pujols has hit his 699th career home run, continuing his remarkable run toward history in his final season.

Fans looking to watch Aaron Judge’s pursuit of the AL home run record or Albert Pujols chase 700 homers live Friday night will need to do it via streaming.

Brendan Donovan hit a grand slam in the seventh inning to lead Albert Pujols and the St. Louis Cardinals to a 5-4 victory against the San Diego Padres, snapping a three-game losing streak.

St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols broke up San Diego Padres pitcher Blake Snell's no-hitter bid in the seventh inning. Pujols is still stuck at 698 career home runs.

Blake Snell held St. Louis hitless until Albert Pujols beat the shift for a single with two outs in the seventh inning and the San Diego Padres beat the NL Central-leading Cardinals 1-0.

Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals grounded a single to right field with two outs in the seventh inning to break up a no-hit bid by Blake Snell of the San Diego Padres.

The 42-year-old is in his final Major League season and is hoping to join three baseball legends in reaching 700 home runs. Only Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds have done it. Pujols has 698.

The Yankees' Aaron Judge and the Cardinals' Albert Pujols are each closing in on a major home run record, bringing life to every at-bat as their teams near the end of the regular season.

Aaron Judge is three home runs away from passing the American League record of 61 and Albert Pujols is just two away from hitting the 700-homer mark.

Aaron Judge and Albert Pujols could make this a milestone week for home runs.

Aaron Judge and Albert Pujols could make this a milestone week for home runs. Pujols, meanwhile, is somewhat improbably closing in on the 700-homer mark after hitting 12 since the start of August. Judge's pursuit of Maris has stirred debate over how to put this AL record in context, should he break it.

Yadier Molina hit a two-run drive while Albert Pujols went hitless in his quest for 700 homers, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds 5-1 in the first game of a doubleheader.

Yadier Molina hit a two-run drive while Albert Pujols went hitless in his quest for 700 homers, and the St. Louis Cardinals swept a doubleheader from the Cincinnati Reds 5-1 and 1-0 in 11 innings on Saturday. Pujols started at first base in the opener and hit second for the first time this season. St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said playing Pujols so frequently is a no-brainer despite his age of 42.

Albert Pujols has a flair for the dramatic. Not only did he tie the Cardinals' game with a two-run home run Friday, it was also the 698th of his career.

Albert Pujols hit his 698th home run, a tying two-run drive in the sixth inning that sparked the St. Louis Cardinals over the Cincinnati Reds 6-5.

Albert Pujols hit his 698th home run, a two-run drive that pulled the St Louis Cardinals into a sixth-inning tie with the Cincinnati Reds.

Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina made history with the first pitch of the game, then the record-setting battery helped the St. Louis Cardinals extend their NL Central lead by beating the Milwaukee Brewers 4-1.

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright and catcher Yadier Molina have made their 325th career start together, setting a major league record for most as a battery.

Atlanta finally passed the New York Mets this past week.

Albert Pujols hit his 697th home run, moving past Alex Rodriguez into fourth place on the career list and doing it in dramatic fashion with a ninth-inning drive that rallied the St. Louis Cardinals over the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3.

Albert Pujols hit his 697th home run, moving past Alex Rodriguez into fourth place on the career list and doing it in dramatic fashion with a ninth-inning drive that rallied the St. Louis Cardinals over the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 Sunday. The NL Central-leading Cardinals trailed 2-1 when Pujols connected for a two-run drive. Pujols had tied Rodriguez with a home run Saturday night.

Albert Pujols hit his 696th home run, tying Alex Rodriguez for fourth place on the career list, and the St. Louis Cardinals rallied past the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-5.

Albert Pujols hit his 696th home run, tying Alex Rodriguez for fourth place on the career list, and the St. Louis Cardinals rallied past the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-5 Saturday night. The 42-year-old Pujols has 22 games left in his 22nd and final season in the big leagues. “I don’t care who I tied,” Pujols said.

St. Louis slugger Albert Pujols has hit his 696th home run, tying Alex Rodriguez for fourth place on the career list.

Rodolfo Castro doesn't remember how old he was when he first met Albert Pujols, or even the exact circumstances, whether it was at a major league game or during one of the big slugger's charitable trips back to the Dominican Republic. “I know I was a young kid,” recalled Castro, now the 23-year-old infielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was just last year, after Castro signed with the Pirates and climbed every laborious rung on the minor league ladder, that he learned there was nothing to fear.

Albert Pujols hit his 695th career home run in the eighth inning and Miles Mikolas tossed eight scoreless innings to help the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 2-0.

Albert Pujols collected home run No. 695 in the eighth inning and Miles Mikolas tossed eight shutout innings to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 2-0 win over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday. Pujols drilled the two-run, pinch-hit shot off reliever Brandon Hughes (2-2).

Albert Pujols hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the 13th inning, Lars Nootbaar added a two-run homer and the St. Louis Cardinals twice used five-man infields to stop the Cincinnati Reds and pull out a 5-3 win on Wednesday night. In his final game in Cincinnati, Pujols shook off going hitless in five at-bats to deliver against Chase Anderson (0-2), driving in automatic runner Paul Goldschmidt with one out. “I know he enjoyed it,” St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said of Pujols, who plans to retire after the season.

Paul Goldschmidt slugged his 32nd and 33rd homers and had five RBIs, Corey Dickerson set a franchise record for consecutive hits and the St. Louis Cardinals rolled to an 8-3 win over the Chicago Cubs.

Javier Assad pitched four scoreless innings in his major league debut and combined with four relievers on a five-hitter as the Chicago Cubs cooled off the St. Louis Cardinals 2-0 in the first game of a doubleheader.

Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno says he is exploring the possibility of selling the franchise.

Albert Pujols hit career homer No. 693, Jordan Montgomery pitched a one-hitter and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 1-0 for their season-high eighth straight victory.

Albert Pujols hit career homer No. 693, Jordan Montgomery pitched a one-hitter and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 1-0 on Monday for their season-high eighth straight victory. Pujols led off the seventh with a drive to left-center for his seventh homer in his last 10 games and No. 14 overall in his final big league season. Drew Smyly became the 449th pitcher to surrender a homer to the 42-year-old Pujols, who matched Barry Bonds for the major league record.

The St. Louis Cardinals are one of the few teams with too many options. The jumbo digs were eventually assigned to Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina, and who could really argue? Across the room was 34-year-old Paul Goldschmidt, one of the game's best first basemen who is a seven-time All-Star and in the midst of an MVP-caliber campaign.

Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols blasted two more homers, pushing his career total to 692 and helping St. Louis beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 16-7.

St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol leaned back in his chair postgame, trying to find more superlatives to describe ageless Albert Pujols. “Listen to the names that we're talking about, man,” Marmol said. Pujols blasted two more homers on Saturday night, pushing his career total to 692 and helping St. Louis beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 16-7.

Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols hit two more home runs, boosting his total to 692 and moving him past Stan Musial into second place on the career list for total bases.

Albert Pujols launched a pinch-hit grand slam and drove in five runs, Adam Wainwright pitched seven sharp innings and the St. Louis Cardinals routed the Colorado Rockies 13-0 for a three-game sweep.

Albert Pujols launched a pinch-hit grand slam and drove in five runs, Adam Wainwright pitched seven sharp innings and the St. Louis Cardinals routed the Colorado Rockies 13-0 Thursday for a three-game sweep. “We’re playing right now, I think the way that we were expecting ourselves to play early in the year,” Pujols said. Wainwright called Pujols “incredible.”

Albert Pujols homered twice and Miles Mikolas tossed eight effective innings, helping the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-3 on Sunday. Dylan Carlson and Tyler O’Neill also connected for St. Louis, which pushed its NL Central lead over second-place Milwaukee to 1 1/2 games. Carlson broke a 2-all tie with his eighth homer of the season, a drive to left against Taylor Rogers (1-6) in the eighth.

When Juan Soto turned down a $440 million, 15-year deal to stay with the Washington Nationals, it ensured Tuesday’s trade deadline would have a little juice.

Albert Pujols hit a three-run homer and finished with three hits, passing Rogers Hornsby on St. Louis’ career list, and the Cardinals stopped Toronto’s seven-game win streak with a 6-1 victory over the Blue Jays on Wednesday night. Adam Wainwright pitched seven sparkling innings to help St. Louis earn a split of the two-game set while playing without unvaccinated sluggers Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado.

Angels star Shohei Ohtani called his shot before leading off the Midsummer Classic at Dodger Stadium, telling Fox’s Tom Verducci in the on-deck circle that he was going to jump on Clayton Kershaw quickly.

Washington Nationals star Juan Soto won his first Home Run Derby.

=Washington’s Juan Soto defeated Seattle’s Julio Rodriguez 19-18 in the final to capture the Home Run Derby title at Dodger Stadium.

Pete Alonso, Albert Pujols and Kyle Schwarber tee off in the All-Star Home Run Derby at Dodger Stadium, where fans see how far and fast the sluggers can launch longballs into the Los Angeles twilight.

Cardinals reliever Genesis Cabrera slammed the ball to the ground in frustration when he was removed from the game, prompting a stern response from manager Oliver Marmol moments before St. Louis closed out a 7-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

Hanser Alberto hit a tiebreaking single with two outs in the ninth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers climbed out of a huge hole in a 7-6 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Red Sox lefty Chris Sale is set to make his season debut when he starts against Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field on Tuesday night.

Now that the full Major League Baseball All-Star squads have been announced, look for the rosters to start changing.

Los Angeles Angels sensation Shohei Ohtani repeated as a two-way All-Star when he was picked for the AL pitching staff, two days after he was elected to start at designated hitter.

Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels were elected Friday to start in the July 19 All-Star Game along with Mookie Betts and Trea Turner of the host Dodgers.

Miguel Cabrera and Albert Pujols were added to All-Star Game rosters on Friday by baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred under a provision in the sport's new labor agreement.

Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera were added to All-Star Game rosters by baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred under a provision in the sport’s new labor agreement.

DETROIT -- Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera has been selected to the 2022 American League All-Star Game. “I am delighted that Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera have agreed to participate in the All-Star Game,” Manfred said in a statement. The All-Star Game is July 19 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. This will be Cabrera’s 12th All-Star game selection and first since 2016. (Miguel Cabrera elected as a starter by fans but did not participate due to calf injury).

It took four seasons for Shohei Ohtani to join the biggest major league stars of the last eight decades.

In the AL, most people would immediately think of Miguel Cabrera. Unlike Pujols, Cabrera has a plausible case to be selected as the Tigers’ representative based on performance -- not legendary status. On the other hand, it’s been six years since Cabrera was selected to an All-Star game and his kids might appreciate it now that they’re older. The All-Star Game is scheduled to be played on July 19. (Miguel Cabrera elected as a starter by fans but did not participate due to calf injury).

New York Mets ace Max Scherzer returns to a major league mound for the first time since May 18 when the NL East leaders play at Cincinnati on Tuesday night.

Free falling toward a dreadful bit of team history, the Angels fired manager Joe Maddon on Tuesday and appointed third base coach Phil Nevin to the role on an interim basis.

Injured Mets ace Max Scherzer has confirmed that his dog bit his pitching hand this week, but he says the wound won’t slow his recovery from an oblique strain.

Cubs shortstop Andrelton Simmons filled in at pitcher during a lopsided loss to the Reds, and he served up a leisurely lob to the Reds' Kyle Farmer.

First, Albert Pujols.

Albert Pujols hit two home runs, then caught the warmup tosses when star catcher Yadier Molina made his first pitching appearance to close out the St. Louis Cardinals' 18-4 romp over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Albert Pujols hit two home runs, then caught the warmup tosses when star catcher Yadier Molina made his first pitching appearance to close out the St. Louis Cardinals' 18-4 romp over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday. Molina gave up a pair of homers and four runs while working the ninth inning, eventually completing the Cardinals' three-game sweep. Starter Steven Matz lasted only four pitches before being pulled with stiffness in his left shoulder.

Yadier Molina homered and drove in four runs and Adam Wainwright tossed six effective innings to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 15-6 win over the San Francisco Giants on Sunday night that ended with veteran slugger Albert Pujols on the mound. Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado each added a two-run homer for the Cardinals, who took two of three in the series after losing two of three to Baltimore. Goldschmidt drove in three runs.

Adam Wainwright pitched seven innings of one-hit ball, Nolan Arenado hit a three-run shot and finished with five RBIs, and the St. Louis Cardinals routed the Kansas City Royals 10-0 on Wednesday to take their four-game season series. Wainwright (3-3) allowed just a one-out single to Michael Taylor in the third against the weak-hitting Royals, whose only other baserunners against the 40-year-old right-hander came on a fielder's choice, an error and a walk. Tyler O'Neill hit a two-run homer for St. Louis and finished with three RBIs, one of them coming against struggling Royals starter Kris Bubic (0-3), who retired just one batter before he was pulled after 24 pitches.

Albert Pujols called his shot. The veteran slugger told Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol he was going to hit the first pitch he saw Tuesday night for a home run — and then did just that. Pujols homered for the first time since returning to St. Louis and Andrew Knizner launched a three-run shot as the Cardinals defeated the Kansas City Royals 6-5 on Tuesday night.

"I realize this is not the most opportune time," the near-certain Hall of Famer said.

Albert Pujols will be in the starting lineup for the St. Louis Cardinals against the Pittsburgh Pirates when he begins his final big league season Thursday in what should be an emotional return to Busch Stadium. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol announced Monday that Pujols, who signed a $2.5 million contract to return to the club where he became a star, will be the designated hitter for his 22nd consecutive opening day start. “I don’t want to set expectations because I like to be surprised, so I’m just going to enjoy it," Pujols said as he headed into the last few days of spring training in Jupiter, Florida.

The young man calling in the shots in the St. Louis Cardinals' dugout is new this season. In fact, the return of erstwhile slugger Albert Pujols to a clubhouse that still includes longtime St. Louis stalwarts Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina gives the club a decidedly old-school, nostalgic feel heading into the new season. "Oh, he's got something left," said Oliver Marmol, the youngest skipper in the big leagues at 35 years old, when asked about the return of the 42-year-old Pujols following more than a decade playing for the Dodgers and Angels in Los Angeles.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.