Pujols look historically HR #696 and SL to outperform Pirates

PITTSBURGH – Albert Pujols had his 696th home run, tied Alex Rodriguez for fourth in all-time reptiles, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-5 on Saturday.

Now Pujols trails Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714) on the list for most homeowners. The 42-year-old Dominican played 22 games in his 22nd and final season in the major tournaments.

St. Louis were down 3-1 in the sixth inning when the Pujols found JT Brubaker’s first pitch, a slider, and sent the ball 418 feet off the home plate to the left field stands at PNC Park.

The hit propelled the ball to an exit speed of 111.2 mph and drove in two strokes.

The Pujols also had a weakness and one for Cardinals, the National League’s National Division leaders. RBI single-handedly tied in the eighth inning with a score of 4-4.

Nolan Arenado broke the tie three times with two wins in the ninth game from Will Crowe (5-9).

Giovanni Gallegos (3-5) provided the perfect goal for the Cardinals to score the victory. Ryan Heelsley gave up an RBI single to Brian Reynolds in the ninth minute before forcing Rodolfo Castro to undo his 15th block.

For the Cardinals, the Dominican Pujols scored 4-3 in one round and three were produced. Puerto Rican Yadier Molina 3-1.

For the Pirates, the Dominican Oneil Cruz d e4-2 with a run and RBI record, Castro 5-1 with a run and an RBI record.