In the fields, baseballs are burning as The Machine keeps turning.
Passing Babe Ruth for second place on the all-time RBIs list Monday against the Pittsburgh Pirates substantiates that Cardinals icon Albert Pujols has rocked pitchers seemingly as long as rockers have blared Black Sabbath’s anti-war anthem “War Pigs.”
Few protest the swinging sorcerer of modern history’s construction this season. Pujols joined the hallowed 700 home run club last month. Monday’s latest record-setting smash piled on another home run, bringing the historic total to 703.
Driving in 2,216 runs — Hank Aaron owns the record at 2,297 — grabs fewer headlines, but commands historic attention. To put the figure in perspective, Tigers legend Miguel Cabrera has the second-highest RBI total for a current player with 1,847, placing 15th overall. Third place on the active list plummets to free agent Robinson Cano at 115th place overall with 1,306.
Averaging 121 RBIs in 11 initial years, followed by hitting behind generational Angels outfielder Mike Trout for eight full years helps.
This year’s return to St. Louis transported Pujols back to yesteryear’s production. He is batting .269 against a league average of .243. Lefties absorb the brunt of the barrelled blows. Pujols leads the NL in home runs against left-handed pitching with 13. Only Rangers All-Star Corey Seager and AL MVP favorite Aaron Judge have reached 14.
Both have logged over 300 more plate appearances and are more than a decade younger than the slugging senior.
#STLCards star slugger Albert Pujols is slashing .321/.386/.718 (50-156 AB) with 18 HR and 46 RBI in 55 games since the All-Star break, including career HR #703 on Monday. Also, it was the 263rd go-ahead HR of his career — most since 1961 & one more than Barry Bonds, per Elias.
— Cardinals beat writer for MLB.com John Denton (@JohnDenton555) October 4, 2022
The only number Pujols cares about is three. One more World Series win marks a third for the terrific trio of Pujols, catcher Yadier Molina, and starting pitcher Adam Wainwright. BetOnline’s MLB betting offers +1600 odds — sixth best — for the Cardinals’ core to ride off into the October sunset with the World Series trophy.
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