Run batted in or RBI is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.

Common nicknames for an RBI include "Ribby" and "Rib."

The plural of RBI is "RBIs". A common mistake is to conclude that the plural should be "RBI" because "runs" is the pluralized noun, but the entire acronym is properly pluralized.^[1]

Major League Baseball Rules[link]

The official rulebook of Major League Baseball states in Rule 10.04:

(a) The official scorer shall credit the batter with a run batted in for every run that scores:

(1) unaided by an error and as part of a play begun by the batter's safe hit (including the batter's home run), sacrifice bunt, sacrifice fly, infield out or fielder's choice, unless Rule 10.04(b) applies;

(2) by reason of the batter becoming a runner with the bases full (because of a base on balls, an award of first base for being touched by a pitched ball or for interference or obstruction); or

(3) when, before two are out, an error is made on a play on which a runner from third base ordinarily would score.

(b) The official scorer shall not credit a run batted in

(1) option when the batter grounds into a force double play or a reverse-force double play; or

(2) when a fielder is charged with an error because the fielder muffs a throw at first base that would have completed a force double play.

(c) The official scorer's judgment must determine whether a run batted in shall be credited for a run that scores when a fielder holds the ball or throws to a wrong base. Ordinarily, if the runner keeps going, the official scorer should credit a run batted in; if the runner stops and takes off again when the runner notices the misplay, the official scorer should credit the run as scored on a fielder's choice.

Criticism[link]

The perceived significance of the RBI is displayed by the fact that it is one of the three categories that compose the triple crown. In addition, career RBI are often cited in debates over who should be elected to the Hall of Fame. However, critics, particularly within the field of sabermetrics, argue that RBI measures the quality of the lineup more than it does the player himself since an RBI can only be credited to a player if one or more batters preceding him in the batting order reached base (the exception to this being a solo home run, in which the batter is credited with driving himself in).^[2][3] This implies that better offensive teams—and therefore, the teams in which the most players get on base—tend to produce hitters with higher RBI totals than equivalent hitters on lesser-hitting team.^[4]

RBI leaders in Major League Baseball[link]

Career[link]

Hank Aaron, All time career leader in RBI with 2,297.

Totals are current through the end of the 2011 season. Active players in bold.

1. Hank Aaron – 2,297
2. Babe Ruth – 2,217
3. Barry Bonds – 1,996
4. Lou Gehrig – 1,995
5. Stan Musial – 1,951
6. Ty Cobb – 1,937
7. Jimmie Foxx – 1,922
8. Eddie Murray – 1,917
9. Alex Rodríguez – 1,904
10. Willie Mays – 1,903
11. Cap Anson – 1,879

Alex Rodriguez (1,904 as of April 29, 2012) has the most career RBI among active players, ranking 9th overall.

Season[link]

Hank Greenberg, Hall of Famer and 2-time MVP

1. Hack Wilson (1930) – 191
2. Lou Gehrig (1931) – 184
3. Hank Greenberg (1937) – 183
4. Jimmie Foxx (1938) – 175
5. Lou Gehrig (1927) – 175

Game[link]

12 – Jim Bottomley (September 24, 1924), Mark Whiten (September 7, 1993)
11 – Wilbert Robinson (June 10, 1892), Tony Lazzeri (May 24, 1936), Phil Weintraub (April 30, 1944)
10 – by 12 major league players, most recently Garret Anderson (August 21, 2007)

Inning[link]

1. Fernando Tatis (April 23, 1999) – 8
2. Ed Cartwright (September 23, 1890) – 7
3. Alex Rodriguez (October 4, 2009) – 7

Postseason (single season)[link]

1. David Freese (2011) – 21^[5]
2. Scott Spiezio (2002) – 19^[5]
3. Sandy Alomar (1997) – 19^[5]
4. David Ortiz (2004) – 19^[5]

Game-winning RBI[link]

See also[link]

Baseball portal

• List of Major League Baseball RBI Records
• List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBIs

References[link]

Matt Pilar Dominguez (born June 27, 1978, in Georgetown, Texas) is an American and Canadian football wide receiver free agent. He was originally signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He played college football at Sam Houston State.

Dominguez has also been a member of the New York Jets and Saskatchewan Roughriders. He won a Grey Cup with the Roughriders in the 2007 Saskatchewan Roughriders season.

Dominguez along with his then teammate Gene Makowsky made a cameo appearance in the Corner Gas episode "Reader Pride".

College career[link]

Dominguez attended Sam Houston State for college where he was the team's MVP twice and the school's first NCAA division I-AA All-American.

Professional career[link]

Denver Broncos[link]

Dominguez spent time on the Denver Broncos practice squad and played in 12 games with 3 receptions for 27 yards, his first catch came against the Seattle Seahawks on October 14, 2001.

First stint with Roughriders[link]

After being released Dominguez was signed by the Roughriders in 2003 and quickly used his size to his advantage and became a fan favourite by gaining over 1,000 yards in his first year.

New York Jets[link]

In 2004 Dominguez signed with the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was cut at the end of training camp.

Second stint with Roughriders[link]

In 2005, Dominguez tore ligaments in his knee and was lost for the season after two games. Dominguez runs a football camp in Saskatchewan^[1] and spends his off-season in Regina with his wife Jennifer and his sons Matthew the 2nd and daughter Victoria. He won the 95th Grey Cup in the 2007 CFL season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Dominguez was released by the Roughriders on February 13, 2009, days before he was due a bonus payment and other incentives with two years remaining on his contract. Dominguez stated that he would still like to re-sign with Saskatchewan even if they are seeking a smaller contract. Sources suggested to the Regina Leader-Post that the Roughriders would like to sign him if he passes some physical tests after suffering his third knee injury of his career last season.^[2]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Saskatchewan Roughriders bio

This biographical article relating to a Canadian football wide receiver is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Albert Pujols
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – No. 5
First baseman
Born: (1980-01-16) January 16, 1980 (age 32) Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
MLB debut
April 2, 2001 for the St. Louis Cardinals
Career statistics (through May 27, 2012)
Batting average	.325
Hits	2,117
Doubles	465
Home runs	452
Runs batted in	1,355
OPS	1.026
Teams
St. Louis Cardinals (2001–2011) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2012–present)
Career highlights and awards
9× All-Star (2001, 2003–2010) 2× World Series champion (2006, 2011) 3× NL MVP (2005, 2008, 2009) 2× NL Hank Aaron Award (2003, 2009) 6× Silver Slugger Award (2001, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010) 2× Gold Glove Award (2006, 2010) NL Rookie of the Year (2001) 6× NL Player of the Month 11× NL Player of the Week Award NLCS MVP (2004) Roberto Clemente Award (2008) NL Batting champion (2003) NL home run champion (2009, 2010) NL RBI champion (2010)

José Alberto Pujols Alcántara (born January 16, 1980), better known as Albert Pujols (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈalβert puˈxols]), is a Dominican-American professional baseball first baseman for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of Major League Baseball. Pujols is considered one of the top players in Major League Baseball,^[1][2] and was the most feared hitter in baseball in 2008, according to a poll of all 30 MLB managers.^[3]

During his eleven seasons as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, Pujols won the National League Rookie of the Year award in 2001, was selected as an All-Star nine times, and won the National League Most Valuable Player Award three times. He has also twice won the National League Hank Aaron Award, and has two World Series rings from the Cardinals' 2006 and 2011 titles.

At the end of the 2011 season, he led all active players in batting average (.328),^[4] slugging percentage (.617),^[5] and OPS (1.037),^[6] and ranked 37th in number of home runs in Major League Baseball history.^[7] He was selected by ESPN.com as the greatest player of the decade from 2000–09.^[8] He stands 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) tall, weighs 230 pounds (100 kg), and bats and throws right-handed.

Early life and career[link]

Born on January 16, 1980, Pujols (an only child) was raised in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, mostly by his grandmother America Pujols and 10 of his uncles and aunts. His father, Bienvenido Pujols, was a softball pitcher, but he was also an alcoholic, and Albert often had to drag him back home from games.^[9] Pujols, his father, and his grandmother immigrated to New York City in 1996, but after Albert witnessed a shooting at a grocery store, they moved to Independence, Missouri, two months later.^[9][10]

At Fort Osage High School, Pujols was named All-State twice for his baseball skill.^[11] As a senior, he was walked 55 times (partly because opposing coaches believed he was older than 18), but he hit 8 home runs in 33 at bats.^[9] After graduating from high school one semester early in December 1998, he was given a baseball scholarship to Maple Woods Community College.^[11] In his only college season, Pujols hit a grand slam and turned an unassisted triple play in his first game.^[12] Playing shortstop, he batted .461 with 22 home runs as a freshman before deciding to enter the Major League Baseball (MLB) draft.^[9]

Professional baseball career[link]

Minor League career[link]

Few teams were interested in Pujols because of uncertainty about his age, which position he would play, and his build.^[9][12] Thus, he was not drafted until the 13th round of the 1999 MLB Draft, when the St. Louis Cardinals selected him with the 402nd overall pick.^[13] Pujols initially turned down a $10,000 bonus and spent the summer playing for the Hays Larks of the Jayhawk Collegiate League; his total of 48 runs batted in (RBI) with the team is still tied for ninth with Tyler Wasserman in Larks' history.^[14] Once the Cardinals increased their bonus offer to $60,000, he signed.^[12]

Pujols began his minor league career in 2000 playing third base with the Peoria Chiefs of the single-A Midwest League. He batted .324 with 128 hits, 32 doubles, 6 triples, 17 home runs, and 84 RBI in 109 games. He finished second in the league in batting (behind Ryan Gripp), tied for ninth in doubles (with Andrew Beattie and Justin Leone), tied for fourth in triples (with six other players), tied for sixth in home runs (with Shawn McCorkle and Lance Burkhart), and sixth in RBI.^[15] He was voted the league's Most Valuable Player and named to the All-Star team.^[16] Pujols also played 21 games with the Potomac Cannons in the high-A Carolina League that year, batting .284 with 23 hits, 8 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs, and 10 RBI. He finished the season with the Memphis Redbirds in the AAA Pacific Coast League (PCL), and after appearing in three regular season games with them, he batted .367 in the playoffs and was named the postseason Most Valuable Player (MVP) as the Redbirds won their first PCL title.^[9][17][18]

Major League career[link]

St. Louis Cardinals[link]

2001[link]

During spring training in 2001, Mark McGwire told Cardinals' manager Tony La Russa "If you don't put [Pujols] on the roster for the 2001 season, it might be one of the worst moves you make in your career."^[19] Although they did not have a particular position they needed him at, the Cardinals put Pujols on their Opening Day roster, and he started all season at either third base, right field, left field, or first base.^[20] On Opening Day (April 2), he got his first career hit, a single against Mike Hampton, in an 8–0 loss to the Colorado Rockies.^[21] Four days later, he had three hits and three RBI, including a home run (his first) against Armando Reynoso, as the Cardinals defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 12–9.^[22] In an 11-inning 6–5 loss to the New York Mets on April 28, he his eighth home run of the month against John Franco, which tied a rookie record for home runs in April shared by Kent Hrbek and Carlos Delgado.^[11][23] Pujols won the National League (NL) Rookie of the Month Award in April after he batted .370 with 8 home runs and 27 RBI.^[11][20] He won the Rookie of the Month Award again in May after he batted .333 with 8 home runs and 24 RBI.^[11] At midseason, he became the first Cardinals' rookie since Luis Arroyo in 1955 to make the MLB All-Star Game.^[11] From July 28 to September 22, Pujols had an on-base streak of 48 consecutive games.^[20] He hit a game-winning single on September 17 against Rubén Quevedo in a 2–1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.^[24] The next day, he homered and had five RBI in a 9–4 victory over the Brewers.^[25] Three days later, he had five RBI again and hit his first career grand slam (a game-winner against Omar Olivares) as the Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 9–5.^[26] For his accomplishments, Pujols was named the NL co-Player of the Week along with José Mesa from September 17 to 23.^[11][27] He finished the season batting .329 (sixth in the league) with 194 hits (fifth in the league), 47 doubles (fifth in the league), 37 home runs, and 112 runs. He was named the NL Silver Slugger Award winner for the third base position, and he finished fourth in NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) voting, behind Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Luis Gonzalez.^[11][28] He was unanimously named the NL Rookie of the Year after setting an NL rookie record with 130 RBI (fifth in the league) and becoming the fourth MLB rookie to hit .300 with 30 home runs, 100 runs, and 100 RBI.^[29]

Pujols reached the playoffs for the first time as the Cardinals won the NL Wild Card in 2001.^[30] In Game 2 of the NL Division Series (NLDS) on October 10, Pujols hit a game-winning two-run home run against Randy Johnson in the Cardinals' 4–1 victory over the Diamondbacks.^[31] However, Pujols had 2 hits in 18 at bats in the series as the Cardinals were eliminated in five games.^[11][32]

2002[link]

In 2002, Pujols spent most of the season in left field.^[33] On June 11, he hit a grand slam against James Baldwin as the Cardinals beat the Seattle Mariners 7–4.^[34] He had a game-winning home run and two RBI against Kevin Jarvis on July 2 as the Cardinals beat the San Diego Padres 3–0.^[35] On July 5, he hit his 20th home run of the season against Odalis Pérez in a 6–5 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, becoming the first player in Cardinals' history to start his career with back-to-back seasons of at least 20 home runs.^[36] Two days later, Pujols had three hits, a game-winning three-run home run against Giovanni Carrara, and four RBI in a 12–6 victory over the Dodgers.^[37] He was named the NL Player of the Week for July 1 through 7 after hitting five home runs and accumulating 12 RBI.^[11][33] On August 27, in a 5–4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds, Pujols hit his 30th home run and got his 100th RBI of the season against Brian Moehler, making him the sixth Cardinal to have back-to-back 30 home run seasons and the second Cardinal (the other was Ray Jablonski) to start his career with back-to-back 100 RBI seasons.^[11][38] On September 20, Pujols hit a game-winning two-run single against Pete Munro in a 9–3 victory over the Houston Astros that gave the Cardinals the NL Central title.^[39] Pujols finished the year batting .314 (seventh in the NL) with 185 hits (tied for fourth in the NL with Luis Castillo), 40 doubles (eighth in the NL), 34 home runs (10th in the NL), 118 runs scored (second in the NL to Sosa's 122), and 127 RBI (second in the NL to Lance Berkman's 128).^[40] He became the first player in major league history to hit over .300 with at least 30 home runs, 100 runs scored, and 100 RBI in his first two seasons. Pujols finished second in MVP voting to Bonds, becoming the first Cardinal since Stan Musial to finish in the top four in MVP voting for consecutive seasons.^[11]

In the 2002 NLDS, Pujols had 3 hits and 3 RBI as the Cardinals swept the Diamondbacks. He had 5 hits, 1 home run, and 2 RBI in the 2002 NL Championship Series (NLCS), but the Cardinals lost in five games to the San Francisco Giants.^[41]

2003[link]

Pujols at an All-Star Game

On April 30, 2003, Pujols hit two home runs and had three RBI against Pedro Astacio in a 13–4 victory over the Mets.^[42] Three days later, he hit a game-winning two-run home run against Claudio Vargas in a 3–1 victory over the Montreal Expos.^[43] He was named the NL Player of the Week from April 28 to May 4 after batting .458 with 3 home runs, 11 runs scored, and 8 RBI.^[44] He was named the NL Player of the Month in May after batting .345 with 10 home runs, 25 runs scored, and 26 RBI.^[45] On June 6, he had four hits and four RBI, including a game-winning three-run double against Jorge Julio, as the Cardinals beat the Baltimore Orioles 8–6.^[46] He won the Player of the Month award again in June after hitting .429 with 8 home runs, 29 runs scored, and 28 RBI, becoming the first player to win back-to-back NL Player of the Month awards since McGwire in 1997-98.^[47] Pujols was named to the All-Star Game in 2003 after leading all NL players in votes.^[48] From July 12 to August 16, he had a 30-game hitting streak, tied for the second-longest in Cardinals' history with Musial and behind only Rogers Hornsby's 33-game streak.^[49][50] On July 20, Pujols hit his 100th career home run, a game-winner against Pérez in a 10–7 victory over the Dodgers, becoming the fourth major leaguer to hit his 100th home run in his third season (along with Ralph Kiner, Eddie Matthews, and Joe DiMaggio).^[51] On September 20, Pujols hit a game-winning home run in the 13th inning against Dan Miceli, helping the Cardinals beat the Astros 3–2. The home run was his 114th of his career, which tied him with Kiner for most home runs by a player in his first three seasons.^[52] In 157 games, Pujols hit 43 home runs (fourth in the league, behind Jim Thome, Richie Sexson, and Bonds) and had 124 RBI (tied with Sexson for fourth and behind Preston Wilson, Gary Sheffield, and Thome).^[53] He became the youngest player since Tommy Davis in 1962 to win the NL batting title after batting .359, and he led the league in runs (137), hits (212), and doubles (51).^[11][53][54] Pujols joined Rogers Hornsby as the only players in Cardinals' history to record 40+ homers and 200+ hits in the same season.^[11] He finished second to Bonds again in MVP voting, and he won the Silver Slugger Award.^[55][56] He was also named the Player's Choice Player of the Year (as well as the NL's Most Outstanding Player), and he won the Sporting News Player of the Year Award and the Hank Aaron Award.^[57][50][58]

2004[link]

In 2004, Pujols signed a seven-year, $100 million contract extension with a $16 million club option for 2011 with no-trade provisions.

Throughout the year, Pujols was plagued by plantar fasciitis, but still hit .331 with 46 home runs and 123 RBIs. Pujols, along with teammates Jim Edmonds and Scott Rolen, earned the nickname 'MV3' for their phenomenal season. He was named the MVP of the 2004 NLCS, helping his team reach the World Series,^[59] where they were swept by the Boston Red Sox in four games.

2005–06[link]

In 2005 season Pujols established career highs in walks and stolen bases, while leading his team in almost every offensive category. He finished batting .330 with 41 home runs (including his 200th career homer), 117 RBIs, 97 walks, and 16 stolen bases and won the 2005 National League MVP award.^[60] He became the only major leaguer to have had a 30-homer, 100-RBI season in each of his first five years.^[61] On defense, he tied for the lead among all major league first basemen in errors, with 14.^[62][63]

In the NLCS the Cardinals were eliminated in six games by the Houston Astros. With the Cardinals trailing by 2 runs and only one out from elimination Pujols hit a game-winning three-run home run that landed on the train tracks in the back of Minute Maid Park.^[64]

Pujols in 2006

Early in the 2006 season, Pujols became the 35th player to hit home runs in four consecutive at-bats, and the 20th batter to hit four home runs in four consecutive plate appearances. He set the record for the most home runs hit in April of the season, at 14—and became the fastest player in major league history to reach 19 home runs in a season. On April 16 of that year, he hit three home runs in a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium, the last one a walk-off home run that gave the Cardinals an 8–7 victory.^[65] In June he was placed on the disabled list for the first time in his career, missing 15 games. He started at first base for the NL All-Star team and finished the season with a .331 batting average, establishing new career-highs in slugging percentage (in which he led the majors), 49 home runs (second) and 137 RBIs (second). Of his 49 home runs, 20 accounted for a game-winning RBI, breaking Willie Mays' single-season record set in 1962.^[66][67]

On April 10, 2006, Pujols hit the first Cardinals home run at new Busch Stadium, a solo shot in the third inning off Tomo Ohka.^[68]

After appearing in the playoffs with the Cardinals in four out of five years, Pujols won his first World Series when the Cardinals defeated the Detroit Tigers in the 2006 World Series.^[69]

After having shared the lead for errors at his position in 2005, Pujols' defensive improvements earned him his first Gold Glove award in 2006. He had the highest range factor among first basemen in his two full seasons at the position, and led the National League in that category; emblematic was a sprawling, flip-from-his-back play to save a hit in Game 5 of the World Series.^[69]

2007–08[link]

Pujols had a slower start in the spring of 2007 than in previous years due to several injuries in his right elbow. Following the All-Star break, he hit four home runs in his first three games back.

He hit his 25th home run on August 15, making him the fifth player to hit 25 home runs in his first seven seasons in the major leagues, and the first since Darryl Strawberry. On August 22, he hit his 30th home run of the season, becoming the first major league player to hit at least 30 home runs in each of his first 7 seasons. It was his fifth consecutive game with a home run, tying the Cardinals' single-season record.

Pujols notched his 100th RBI for the seventh consecutive year, to be only the third player to accomplish that from the start of his career.

Pujols won the Fielding Bible Award for defensive excellence at first base in 2007.^[70]

In June Pujols went on the 15-day disabled list for only the second time in his career. Pujols won his seventh career NL Player of the Week award for Aug. 18–24.^[71] He got his 1,500th career hit on August 30, against the Houston Astros.^[72] His 30th home run on September 1, and his 100th RBI on September 11, made him the first player in MLB history to start his career with eight seasons of at least 30 HR, 100 RBIs, a .300 BA, and 99 runs.

In 2008, he also led the NL in three lesser-known sabermetric categories: VORP (98.6), runs created (160), and OPS+ (190).

On October 13, Pujols elected to have surgery on his troubled right elbow, "a procedure that included decompression and transposition of the ulnar nerve" but not the more invasive Tommy John surgery to relieve persistent pain.^[73]

Pujols won a number of awards for 2008, including the Players Choice National League Outstanding Player of the Year,^[74] and Players Choice Player of the Year^[75][76] (his second Player of the Year Award, having also won in 2003; he joined Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds as two-time winners). Pujols was also named The Sporting News Player of the Year for the second time in his career.^[77] On October 25, Pujols was named the 2008 winner of the Roberto Clemente Award for the player who best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement, and the individual's contribution to his team.^[78]

Pujols won the Fielding Bible Award for defensive excellence at first base for the third consecutive year.^[79] For the third time in four years, Pujols was named NL Most Valuable Player in the annual Internet Baseball Awards,^[80] a poll conducted by Baseball Prospectus. Pujols also won his fourth Silver Slugger award, having previously won one at 3B in 2001, OF in 2003, and 1B in 2004.^[81]

After the season Pujols won his second NL MVP Award.^[82] The MVP award continues his streak of finishing in the top nine in the BBWAA voting every year of the first 8 years of his career.^[83] He ended the year by winning TYIB's 'Hitter of the Year' Award.^[84]

2009[link]

Pujols participating in the 2009 Home Run Derby

Pujols declined to play in the World Baseball Classic for his native Dominican Republic, because of insurance issues relating to his off-season right elbow surgery in October 2008.^[85]

In May he hit an upper-deck HR off the "Big Mac Land" sign in left field, causing the "I" in "Big" to be knocked out.^[86]

Pujols was the leading vote-getter for the 2009 MLB All-Star Game, receiving the highest number of votes in NL history thus far.^[87][88] For the All-Star Game, which took place at his home ballpark of Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Pujols participated in the Home Run Derby and caught President Barack Obama's ceremonial first pitch before the All-Star Game.

The 2009 season marked the ninth consecutive season since the start of his career that he has reached 100 or more RBI and 30 or more doubles, and the fifth time he has hit 40+ home runs and won his first home run title. In 2009 Pujols also played his 1,000th game at first base^[83] and also hit his 40th double of the season, making him the second player in major league history to hit 40 doubles and 40 home runs in three separate seasons (2003, 2004, 2009), joining Lou Gehrig and was a league leader in a variety of offensive categories.

Later that year he was awarded the Sporting News "MLB Player of the Decade".^[89][90] Following the season, Pujols won the Sporting News "MLB Player of the Year" award for the second consecutive year, and his third (2003) overall. He is just the third player in the history of the award to win in consecutive seasons. Boston Red Sox outfielder Ted Williams won the award in 1941–1942, and Cincinnati Reds second baseman Joe Morgan did so in 1975–76.^[91] In December, Sports Illustrated selected him as Player of the Decade and also as one of the Top 20 Male Athletes of the Decade.^[92]

Pujols was also named the NL MVP for the third time, tying Stan Musial as the St. Louis Cardinals' leader in that category.^[93] He won the Babe Ruth Home Run Award after leading MLB with 47 home runs.^[94][95]

He had surgery to remove five bone spurs from his right elbow.^[96][97]

2010[link]

Albert Pujols bats in April 2010

Pujols homered twice on Opening Day (April 5) and later surpassed Eddie Mathews' old record (370 in 1952–1961) for most home runs in his first 10 years.^[98]

He became the 161st player to hit 400 doubles in his career on May 20, 2010. In June 2010, he had his 37th career multihomer game at Busch Stadium tying Stan Musial's franchise record by a Cardinals' player.^[99]

On August 15, Pujols hit his 30th home run of the season extending his own major league record of most consecutive 30 home run seasons (10) to begin a career starting with his rookie year.^[100] On August 26, he became the 47th player to hit his 400th career home run, and the first in major league history to do it in his first 10 seasons.^[101] It was against the Washington Nationals in the fourth inning at their ballpark against Jordan Zimmermann. In the same game later, he hit his 30th double (#417 career) of the season, extending his consecutive years of 30+ doubles in a season to all 10 of his playing years. Pujols is the third-youngest player in Major League history to reach the milestone, at 30 years, seven months and 10 days. Only Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez hit 400 at an earlier age. Only four players in the history of the game reached their 400th homer in fewer at-bats than Pujols, who got there in career at-bat No. 5,617: Mark McGwire (4,726), Babe Ruth (4,853), Harmon Killebrew (5,300), and Jim Thome (5,416).^[102][103]

He won the NL Player of the Month Award in August for the sixth time, more than any active NL player, hitting .379 (2nd) with 11 home runs (1st), 23 RBIs (T5th), .777 slugging (1st), and .453 on-base percentage (2nd).^[101]

On September 11, Pujols reached 100 RBIs for the 10th consecutive year and drove in all three runs in the game, giving him 102 for the season. Only Al Simmons has a longer streak at the beginning of a career, 11 years (1924–1934). Pujols joins Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig, and Alex Rodriguez in having 10 consecutive seasons of 100+ RBIs at any time in their career. Only two players besides Pujols have 10 consecutive years of 30 HRs and 100 RBIs at any time in their careers: Foxx and Rodriguez.^[104]

On September 12, he passed Stan Musial to be the all-time Cardinals' leader in multi-HR games when he hit two home runs (38 and 39) for the 38th time in a game. It was the fifth time this year he has hit two home runs in a game.^[105]

On September 23, he reached 40 home runs for the sixth time in his career at Pittsburgh, hitting two at PNC Park giving him an NL-leading 41 for the season, 112 RBIs, and extending his own record there to 26 home runs, which is also the most for him at any road ballpark. Only six other players have more than six 40-HR seasons. He also added to his Cardinals' franchise record of 39 career multi-HR games.^[106] At season's end, Pujols became the second player in the last sixty years (the first was Hank Aaron), to lead the National League in runs, home runs, and runs batted in, and not be named Most Valuable Player.^[107]

He won his second Gold Glove Award, his first since 2006.^[108] He won the NL First Base Silver Slugger Award and finished second in the NL MVP race to Joey Votto.^[109]

2011[link]

Last at-bat as a Cardinal in Game 7 of the 2011 World Series against Rangers relief pitcher Mike Adams.

Pujols and the Cardinals set a deadline for the start of spring training for contract extension negotiations.^[110] Negotiations were suspended without an agreement.^[111]

He began the season hitting .245 with a .305 OBP, and .453 SLG through April. He did hit 7 home runs and 18 RBIs, but also had a league-leading 9 grounded into double plays.

On June 4, he recorded his 41st career multi-HR game.^[112][113] On June 4 and 5, he had consecutive walk-off home runs in extra-innings, becoming only the third player to do that since 1950. They also were his 6th and 7th extra-inning walk-off home runs [9th and 10th total] in his career, ranking #2 behind Frank Robinson and Jim Thome who have eight, since 1950, tying Mickey Mantle.^[114] After the game on June 5, manager Tony La Russa reported his autographing a picture of himself with Pujols after the 2001 playoff season ended (Pujols' first season in the majors), inscribing it, "To Albert, The best player I've ever managed."^[115]

For the week of May 30 – June 5, he was named NL Player of the Week for the first time since June 15–21, 2009, hitting .444 (12-for-27), with five HRs, ten RBIs, and a 1.620 OPS. His 12 hits and five walks led the NL, while his 1.074 slugging percentage, 29 total bases, and 11 runs scored led the major leagues.^[116]

On June 19, against the Royals, both Wilson Betemit and Pete Kozma collided with Pujols, causing a small fracture in the left wrist-forearm. He was activated from the disabled list on July 5, after the minimum 15-days.^[117]

On July 30, at Busch Stadium in the eighth inning against the Cubs, he got his 2,000th career hit, a double down the left-field line. It was in his 1,650th game, becoming the fifth Cardinal player to get 2,000 hits, joining Stan Musial (3,630), Lou Brock (2,713), Rogers Hornsby (2,110), and Enos Slaughter (2,064). He is the 12th quickest player by games to get to 2,000.^[118]

On August 14, facing the Rockies, he hit the longest home run at Busch Stadium, estimated to be about 465 feet.^[119]

He missed extending his record to 11 consecutive seasons from the start of his career on hitting .300 with 30+ home runs and 100 RBIs, when he hit 37 home runs but batted .299 and had 99 RBIs in 147 games played in missing 13 games due to injury. Despite the career lows in batting average and RBIs and a home run total that was five from his career worst, Pujols was matched by only three other players in the majors in those categories—Jose Bautista, Prince Fielder and Matt Kemp. The New York Times wrote, "Even when Pujols struggles, he excels."^[120] He won his fifth Fielding Bible Award as the best defensive first baseman in MLB.^[121]

Pujols during the 2011 World Series parade

On October 22, in Game 3 of the World Series, Pujols joined Babe Ruth (1926, 1928) and Reggie Jackson (1977) as the only players in baseball history to hit three home runs in a World Series game. Pujols was 5-for-6 with two singles, four runs scored, and six RBIs.^[122] Pujols became the first player in World Series history to get hits in four consecutive innings: fourth (a single), fifth (a single), sixth (a home run and three RBIs), and seventh (home run and two RBIs). He tied records for most home runs (three), most hits (five), and most RBIs (six) in a World Series game, and established a new record with 14 total bases.^[123] Game 3 was his 70th post-season game. In those 70 games, he has 254 at-bats with 87 hits^[124] and is hitting .343 with a .444 on-base percentage, and a .630 slugging percentage, with 18 home runs and 52 RBIs.^[125]

A 10-foot, 1,100-lb. statue of Pujols was dedicated on November 2, at Westport Plaza outside his Pujols 5 restaurant. An anonymous donor commissioned sculptor Harry Weber to create the statue, which now belongs to the Pujols Family Foundation based at the Plaza.^[126][127]

After the season, Pujols became a free agent for the first time in his career on November 3.^[128]

He came in fifth in the voting for the 2011 National League Most Valuable Player Award, behind winner Ryan Braun, Matt Kemp, Prince Fielder, and Justin Upton.^[129]

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim[link]

2012[link]

Speculation about Pujols staying in St. Louis was great. The Cardinals had locked down Matt Holliday in anticipation of Pujols having a batter to back him up. The Cardinals still had a limited amount of money for Pujols and had trepidations about signing him to a long term deal due to his age. Pujols himself stated that he wanted to stay in St. Louis, but also indicated he wanted to be compensated for his contributions as the offer given by the Cardinals would have made Pujols the 4th highest paid first baseman in MLB. After multiple long term offers had been rejected, the Cardinals offered Pujols a 5 year deal with a higher average annual salary. Pujols' wife would later explain on a radio talk show that they were disappointed in the Cardinals only offering a 5 year deal for Pujols.^[130]After speculation that the Miami Marlins had offered Pujols a ten year contract too, finally on December 10, 2011, Pujols signed a ten-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, worth around $254 million.^[131][132] The deal with the Marlins was not agreed to due to Miami's refusal to grant Pujols a no-trade clause. Due to the Marlins history of fire sales, Pujols walked away from the Marlins offer and signed with the Angels. Pujols had taken a full page advertisement in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch thanking the Cardinal fans.

Pujols had an unexpectedly poor start to his tenure with the Angels, with 92 at-bats in the month of April without hitting a home run while batting .217/.265/.304.^[133] He did not hit his first home run for the Angels until his 28th game and 111th at-bat with the team. Dating back to 2011, he had not homered in 33 games and 139 regular season at-bats, the longest drought of his career.^[134]

Personal life[link]

Pujols at Glenn Beck's "Restoring Honor" rally

Pujols married his wife, Deidre, on January 1, 2000. They have four children, Isabella (Deidre's daughter, from a previous relationship), Albert Jr., Sophia, and Ezra.^[135] Albert and his wife are active in the cause of people with Down syndrome, as Isabella was born with this condition.^[136] He has taken part-ownership in Patrick's Restaurant in Maryland Heights, Missouri. The remodeled restaurant was re-opened as Pujols 5 in 2006.^[137]

Pujols is close friends with third baseman Plácido Polanco, a former teammate with the St. Louis Cardinals. Pujols is the godfather to Polanco's 3-year-old son, Ismael.^[138]

In 2007 Pujols became a U.S. citizen,^[139] scoring a perfect 100 on his citizenship test.^[140] Later that year Upper Deck Authenticated announced it had signed Pujols to an exclusive autographed memorabilia agreement.

In 2008, Pujols agreed to help bring a MLS franchise to St. Louis by using his reputation and a large financial investment.^[141]

Pujols and his wife are devout and active Christians;^[142] one of his writings on his family's foundation's website states, "In the Pujols family, God is first. Everything else is a distant second".^[143] He writes,

"My life's goal is to bring glory to Jesus. My life is not mostly dedicated to the Lord, it is 100% committed to Jesus Christ and His will. God has given me the ability to succeed in the game of baseball. But baseball is not the end; baseball is the means by which my wife, Dee Dee, and I glorify God. Baseball is simply my platform to elevate Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior."^[144]

Pujols attends a Baptist church.^[145]

Pujols and Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa attended Glenn Beck's Restoring Honor rally in Washington, D.C., after being assured by Beck that the rally was not political.^[146][147] During the rally, Pujols was presented with a "Badge of Merit" for "Hope."^[148]

Pujols Family Foundation[link]

In 2005, Albert and Deidre Pujols launched the Pujols Family Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit which is dedicated to their "commitment to faith, family and others."^[149] The organization promotes awareness of Down syndrome and works to support those who have it and their families, aids the poor in the Dominican Republic, and supports people with disabilities and/or life threatening illnesses.^[149] Among other activities, the foundation hosts events for people with Down syndrome.^[136] The foundation gave the Down Syndrome Association of Greater St. Louis the resources to open an office and hire staff.^[136] A center for adults with Down syndrome bears Pujols' name ("Albert Pujols Wellness Center for Adults with Down Syndrome") opened in 2009 in Chesterfield, Missouri;^[150] he was present at the opening on November 18.^[151][152]

Pujols has taken several trips to the Dominican Republic, by taking supplies as well as a team of doctors and dentists to the poor who need medical care. The Pujols Family Foundation also holds an annual golf tournament to raise money to send dentists to the Dominican Republic.^[153]

Accomplishments[link]

By the end of the 2009 season, Pujols ranked in the top 15 players in major league history in four statistical categories: on-base percentage (twelfth), slugging percentage (fourth), on-base plus slugging (OPS; fourth), and adjusted OPS (tied for sixth). He also ranks in the top 500 players in major league history in a variety of statistical categories (see below), and is a three-time MVP.

From 2001 to 2005, Pujols hit 201 home runs, second all-time for the most hit in a player's first five seasons. By 2009, he had reached the 350-homer plateau at the age of 29—the third-youngest to do so—and surpassed Ralph Kiner's record for most home runs in his first nine seasons. In doing so, Pujols became the first player to hit 30 or more home runs in the first nine seasons of his career (a streak he extended to 10 in 2010, and subsequently to 11 in 2011), as well the second player to have 100 or more RBIs in the same timespan.

Pujols holds the Cardinals' franchise record for most career grand slams with 12; he broke the record of nine previously held by Stan Musial.^[154] Musial and Pujols are also two of only four players in history to have a career batting average above .330 and less than 500 strikeouts at the time of their 300th home runs (the other two being Musial's contemporaries Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio).

In his first 5,000 career at bats, Pujols hit 372 doubles, 358 home runs, and 14 triples for a total of 744 extra-base hits, the most in NL history,^[155] and is the second player in Major League Baseball to post nine consecutive seasons with 30 doubles, a .300 batting average, 30 home runs, and 100 runs batted in or better (Lou Gehrig; Pujols then extended the streak to 10 seasons before falling short in 2011 by one RBI and .001 percentage). He has scored 100 or more runs in 10 of his 11 seasons (and scored 99 runs in the only season when he did not score 100 runs). He currently has eight career walk-off home runs.^[156] His 1,230 RBI is second all-time among Cardinal players, only Stan Musial (1,951) has more.^[157]

In the field, Pujols has set the Cardinals' franchise record for the most assists by a first baseman in a single game (seven). In 2009, he also set the National League record for assists by a first baseman in a season (182), and in the last game of the 2009 season, he broke Bill Buckner's 1985 major league mark of 184 with his 185th assist. Keith Hernandez held the previous Cardinals' record with 146 assists in 1979, and Mark Grace held the previous NL record with 181 in 1990.^[158][159]

Pujols said he does not play solely for the numbers. "I don't play for numbers. I play first of all to glorify God and to accomplish in this game what everybody wants to accomplish, which is getting to the World Series and coming up with a win at the end. Those are the things that I really try to focus on and try to make sure that I do every day for the rest of my career."^[160]

Awards and honors[link]

See also[link]

	Biography portal
	Baseball portal

References[link]