Albert Pujols Retires Officially. One Last Goodbye. Next Stop… Cooperstown!
Per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols officially signed his retirement papers on Monday.
Upon returning to the St. Louis Cardinals last offseason, Pujols had announced that 2022 would indeed be his last season in the majors. He more than lived up to the hype of his return by putting up one of the more memorable seasons by a Cardinal in quite some time.
He slashed an impressive .270/.345/.550 with a .895 OPS. He smashed 24 HR in his chase to 700 (which ended in 703) along with 63 RBI. 17 of Albert’s HR came after the start of August and was one of the strongest stretches in his career.
The 42-year old Pujols was a big part of the Cardinals winning the NL Central and while the iconic moments & farewell tour were amazing, his impact both on the field and mentoring fellow teammates made his final season more than just the expected nostalgia signing that many Cardinals fans suggested it was coming into it.
As if anyone needed a glance at his career accolades, they include:
2× World Series champion (2006, 2011)
2× Gold Glove Award (2006, 2010)
2× NL Hank Aaron Award (2003, 2009)
Roberto Clemente Award (2008)
2× NL home run leader (2009, 2010)
He ended his career with a .296 avg., 3,384 hits, 703 HR, and 2,218 RBI. Bally Sports had the final tally of Pujols all-time ranks in the graphic above, and it seemed like every at-bat Pujols was passing another all-time great on something. Albert finishing only behind Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron & Babe Ruth on the All-Time HR list... is just one of many mind blowing milestones.
While Pujols did spend time as both a Los Angeles Angel & Los Angeles Dodger, his best years were spent wearing the Birds on a Bat. There is no doubt he will have his number 5 retired and on the outfield wall, a statue likely outside of Busch Stadium, a red jacket, and the ultimate honor of one day being inducted into the HOF in Cooperstown.
There are too many moments to jot down that serve as memorable, but over that 22 year career, every fan of baseball got to witness one of the greatest to ever play the game. We at Cardinals Nation 24/7 thank Albert for every memory he blessed us with over the years, and wish him the very best in his well deserved retirement.
We will definitely miss your presence come Spring Training in Jupiter, FL… but who are we kidding, we miss you already!