Welcome Back: Albert Pujols Set for Return Against St. Louis Cardinals Tonight for First Time in Almost A Decade

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St. Louis Post Dispatch

 

 

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

 

 

Welcome back: Pujols set for return against Cardinals for first time

• By Rick Hummel St. Louis Post-Dispat
  

 

 

 

• 
  

When the Los Angeles Angels come here to play the Cardinals this weekend for the first time in nine years, there will be story lines aplenty.

 

There will be a reunion of the catching Molina brothers for the first time since they coached a Puerto Rican youth team together last November in Colombia. Yadier still catches for the Cardinals, former catcher Jose is a coach for the Angels, and former catcher Bengie is a broadcaster for the Cardinals.

 

There will be the first appearance here, sort of, by Shohei Ohtani, the Angels’ talented pitcher-hitter who can’t throw this year after having elbow surgery but who can hit. Last week at Tampa Bay, he became the first Japanese-born player to hit for the cycle. There is no DH in these interleague games, so Ohtani will be reduced to pinch hitting.

 

“But those at-bats are definitely worth watching,” said the Angels’ Mike Trout. “He’s something special.”

Speaking of something special, this will be the first appearance here of Angels center fielder Trout, widely regarded as the game’s best player the last few years. This is the only city in which Trout, also the highest-paid player in the game now ($426,500,000), has not played.

 

Angels manager Brad Ausmus, longtime catcher with Houston, says, “My guess is that Cardinals fans, being the very good, respectful baseball fans that they are, are probably very excited to see a guy like Mike Trout. He’s an extreme talent. Power, speed, and the best part about him is that he’s a great guy in the clubhouse. To a ‘T,’ he’s a regular guy who just happens to be extremely talented.”

 

Teammate Albert Pujols said, “He always asks me about the fans (in St. Louis) and asks about the stadium. It’ll be exciting because they deserve to see the best player in the game playing in that stadium.”

 

But seeing Trout, who knocked in seven runs in a game in Toronto two nights ago, won’t nearly provide the most excitement this weekend. That will come when Pujols comes to bat for the first time Friday night as a visiting player at Busch after what should be some compelling pre-game ceremonies.

Pujols spent 11 record-setting years as a Cardinal and has achieved numerous offensive milestones in eight seasons with the Angels.

 

However you feel about his departure for Anaheim for 10 years after the Cardinals’ World Series championship in 2011 … or why it happened … doesn’t really matter anymore.

 

Former teammate Adam Wainwright said, “I hope he gets the ovation of a lifetime. Had he stayed here, he probably would have been the greatest Cardinal who ever lived.

 

“As great as Stan (Musial) is and Bob (Gibson) and Ozzie (Smith) and all those great Cardinals, I think Albert would be at least in the conversation,” said Wainwright.

 

“He’s already in the conversation, but he probably would have passed all of them because he was doing so many amazing things.”

 

Yadier Molina shares two World Series championships with Pujols and was his teammate for eight seasons. They still are very close, but Molina joked, “I’m going to try to strike him out four times — if he plays. He’s too old (39) to play.”

Pujols shook his head and smiled when he heard this. “That’s my little brother,” he said.

 

Chances are good that Molina, who traditionally walks out in front of the plate to allow — and encourage — a loud ovation for a former Cardinal, will remain there until the last fan standing has sat down.

“We’ll have to see what happens,” said Molina, a gleam in his eye.

 

Pujols, who sat for an interview with the Post-Dispatch a week ago in St. Petersburg, Fla., said he didn’t quite know what to expect this weekend.

 

“That’s the million-dollar question, I guess,” he said.

 

“I’m sure it’s going to be emotional. Eight years is a long time.

 

“I’m really excited for it. My family is going to be there and some friends. I bought three suites (for every day). I spent a lot of money (some $35,000) for tickets. That’s going to cost me,” he said. “But I’m really pumped up.”

Trout, a two-time MVP in the American League, compared to Pujols’ three such awards in the National League, said, “It’s going to be very special for him, obviously. It’s special because you like to go to a ballpark for the first time, but to be able to do it when it’s Albert’s first time coming back is pretty cool.”

 

Pujols’ first at-bat in St. Louis was a two-run homer off Colorado’s Denny Neagle on April 9, 2001, at Busch Stadium II. Pujols’ final at-bat in a Cardinals uniform was in the seventh inning of the seventh game of the 2011 World Series when he struck out against Texas’ Mike Adams at the current stadium.

 

So much has happened in between that home run and strikeout.

 

“I was just a little kid when I went into that city,” Pujols said. “I left as a grown man — with a lot of experience and a lot of memories.

“At the end of the day, that’s the stuff that nobody can take away from you, no matter what kind of success you have — the memories with players, the whole city and the fans.

 

“To me, they’re the best fans in baseball. No doubt.”

 

Wainwright has many lasting memories of Pujols, and not just on the field.

 

“I can’t say enough about him and how much he did for me as a player, teaching me about pitching in big situations and game-planning with me, talking through things,” said Wainwright.

 

s.

Edited June 21, 2019 by WilliamM

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Albert Pujols was prepared for a nice welcome, but it went far beyond "nice." The camera kept cutting to pitcher, Adam Wainwright who played with Albert in St. Louis, as did catcher, Yadi Molena.