Albert Pujols News

Cardinals' Albert Pujols is using his power
Comment
January 20
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 columnist Bryan Burwell
"When he was still a young man in the process of nurturing his burgeoning legend, we thought the entire source of Albert Pujols' power came off the meat of his bat. Yet now that the Cardinals slugger has become baseball's undisputed, preeminent star, we're just now discovering what Albert seems to already know all too well: There is swelling strength in his voice, too. The words Pujols has kept uttering over the past year or so concerning his undetermined financial future are starting to sound very much like he's a man with a rather intelligent plan. Call it the Pujols Insurance Policy. Is it possible that with his reluctance to put his name on any quickie contract extension, the three-time ..."
Pujols ready to talk contract, hopes to finish career in St. Louis
Comment
January 19
St. Louis Globe-Democrat
 
"Albert Pujols said Monday that he is ready to talk with the St. Louis Cardinals about a contract extension, adding that he would give the club a hometown discount if it meant a chance to compete for a World Series title. Speaking at a news conference before he signed autographs at the Winter Warm-Up, Pujols reiterated his desire to sign an extension to stay in St. Louis – if the two sides can get a deal worked out in time. Pujols, who hit .327 with 47 home runs and 135 RBIs in 2009, said he won't negotiate an extension during the season. "Whenever they are ready to talk, me and my agent - we will be ready to talk," Pujols said. "But I don't want to bring that distraction into a season ..."
Pujols is open to idea of entering free agency
Comment
January 19
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
"The Cardinals are about to learn that Albert Pujols can be a very patient man. Mixing support for new hitting coach Mark McGwire with answers about his future, the three-time NL Most Valuable Player insists he remains in no hurry to discuss a long-term contract extension and is open to the possibility of pursuing free agency after the 2011 season. "My timetable is when I'm a free agent," Pujols said before sitting for a two-hour autograph session Monday at the Winter Warm-Up. "Right now, we've got a couple years. I don't need to worry about that right now. Right now, my job is to let my agent do the talking. We're open to talking about it. But I tell you: When the season starts, we're not ..."
Albert Pujols in No Rush for Extension
Comment
January 18
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
"Cardinals first baseman and three-time NL Most Valuable Player Albert Pujols told a media gathering this afternoon that he feels no urgency to negotiate a contract extension with the club, adding that he will not carry any pending talks into the season. "My timetable is when I'm a free agent," said Pujols, who is eligible for free agency after the 2011 season. "Right now we've got a couple years. I don't need to worry about that right now. Right now my job is to let my agent [Dan Lozano] do my talking…. We're open to talk about it. But I tell you: When the season starts we're not talking about it." Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. and president Bill DeWitt III have listed making Pujols "a Cardinal ..."
With Holliday signed, focus turns to Pujols
Comment
January 8
MLB.com
 
"As the Cardinals introduced Matt Holliday as their newest re-acquisition, an air of celebration filled the press conference room at Busch Stadium. In under 24 hours, though, the club's front office gets back to work on matters large and small -- one of them bigger and potentially even more difficult than retaining Holliday's services for seven more years. By locking up Holliday to a seven-year, $120-million deal, the Redbirds cleared their last major bit of business as far as assembling their 2010 roster. They may yet add a third baseman, or a fifth starter, or help for their bullpen or bench, but Holliday was the biggest piece. Any remaining moves will be complementary. However, another ..."
Up next: How to pay Pujols
Comment
January 7
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 columnist Jeff Gordon
"The Cardinals have locked in Matt Holliday for seven more years. Next up on Bill DeWitt Jr.'s agenda is securing a career-spanning extension for Albert Pujols. Is it possible to satisfy both players and still contend year after year? Of course it is, although it won't be easy. Here are some thoughts on where the team stands: * Holliday's deal did not set the market for Albert's next contract. First baseman Mark Teixeira set it last season by signing his eight-year, $180 million contract with the Yankees. Teixeira is a great player, but he's not Pujols -- so there is the bar the Cards will have to comfortably clear to get Albert's attention. Yahoo! Sports columnist Jeff Passan does the ..."
Scott Boras links Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday
Comment
December 10
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
"Hoping no one at these winter meetings mistakes activity for progress, the agent for free-agent left fielder Matt Holliday linked his client's negotiations with the Cardinals to the likelihood of Cardinals first baseman and three-time NL MVP Albert Pujols staying in St. Louis beyond his current contract. In what could be termed his Albert Gambit, agent Scott Boras suggested the Cardinals would ensure Pujols' enhanced production by retaining the team's cleanup hitter from last season's final two months. "You kind of have to look at the component and say you may not be signing one player; you may be making the decision to retain two players," Boras said. "Because (by not retaining Holliday) ..."
Two costly?
Comment
December 4
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
"The Cardinals' Plan B for this winter is increasingly starting to sound like Plan A. Concerned about the long-term impact of retaining free agent left fielder Matt Holliday while also signing first baseman and three-time NL Most Valuable Player Albert Pujols to an extension, the NL Central champions are increasingly weighing spreading what it would cost to retain Holliday over several players. "To me, it's about putting together the most competitive club," general manager John Mozeliak said Thursday, three days before he leads an entourage to the winter meetings in Indianapolis. "You can't just look at it in the vacuum of 2010. It has to be in a broad sense. Whatever contract Matt ends up ..."
Cards, Pujols wait it out
Comment
November 29
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
"The Cardinals' best approach this winter to entice Albert Pujols into a new, long-term contract may mean not offering him one at all. Entering this offseason, chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said the timing was ripe to sign Pujols beyond his existing contract so that the club's first baseman and the game's best hitter would be secured as "a lifetime Cardinal." As Pujols won his third National League MVP award Tuesday and vaulted into an elite class — there have been only 10 three-time MVPs in baseball history — both sides acknowledged a willingness to wait rather than rush to negotiations this offseason. Pujols has two years remaining on his current deal, and officials on both sides said that ..."
Pujols wants 15 more years with Cards
Comment
November 25
MLB.com
 
"Cardinals fans all over the country received some great news at about 1 p.m. CT on Tuesday afternoon, when superstar Albert Pujols was named the winner of his third Most Valuable Player Award. But the news they got about 2 1/2 hours later might have been even better. At a news conference following the award announcement, Pujols said his surgically repaired right elbow is doing very well, and reiterated that he hopes to remain a member of the Cardinals for the rest of his career. Trophies are nice, but a healthy, happy Pujols is even more important to the organization going forward. Pujols had an operation in October for the debridement -- or cleanup -- of bone spurs on his elbow and ..."
Will MVPs Mauer, Pujols stay put?
Comment
November 25
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"Joe Mauer wins the MVP, and Twins fans wonder if he'll stick around past 2010. Likewise, Albert Pujols wins the MVP, and Cardinals fans wonder if he'll stay beyond 2011. A time to celebrate is also a time to speculate. It's a gloomy thought for the respective fan bases to consider life without their franchise players, but that's the business of baseball, especially considering the players' roots. We wouldn't hear as much contractual guesswork if Mauer and Pujols played in New York, but this is Minnesota and St. Louis, both in the heartland. It's the first time in the 15-year history of baseball's six-division format that both MVPs came out of the Central, the land of second cities and ..."
Unanimous vote is fitting tribute for Pujols
Comment
November 25
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 columnist Jeff Gordon
"Albert Pujols is the greatest position player of his generation. His early-career production is unmatched in baseball's modern era. He should have four or five National League Most Valuable Player awards at this point in his remarkable career. He became a hitting machine early in his rookie season and he sustained that high level throughout his career. So it was only fitting that Albert won this third MVP award -- and his second in a row -- in a unanimous vote by the Baseball Writers Association of America. He became just the fourth National League player to win the award three times and the 10th ballplayer to win back-to-back MVPs. "I am really humbled," Pujols said at his MVP news ..."
The Man pours on the praise for Pujols
Comment
November 25
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
"The inevitable comparisons will continue between Cardinals star of the present Albert Pujols and Cardinals star of the past Stan Musial. But, as Pujols caught Musial Tuesday at three National League Most Valuable Player awards apiece, he surpassed The Man in one sub-category. Pujols was a unanimous selection for this year's MVP, garnering all the first-place votes (32), something Musial wasn't able to do, even in 1948 when he had what he considers his best season and one of the best by any hitter in the 20th century. Musial, who fell one homer short of the Triple Crown in a .376 year that featured 39 homers and 131 runs batted in, also led the league in doubles, triples, hits and runs ..."
It's unanimous: Albert Pujols wins third MVP award
Comment
November 24
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
"As he explained why he would intentionally walk Albert Pujols even when baseball tradition and accepted strategy screamed not to, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Joe Torre offered a seven-word defense of his action: "Albert is in a class by himself." If Pujols wasn't then, he took a step closer to it today. The St. Louis Cardinals first baseman won his second consecutive and his third career National League MVP award , sweeping the first-place votes of 32 writers around the NL cities. The Baseball Writers' Association of America made the announced Tuesday afternoon on its Web site. The vote, as expected, wasn't close, with Pujols out-distancing other candidates such as Milwaukee's Prince ..."
Pujols is heavy favorite for NL MVP
Comment
November 24
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
"Maybe it's because the adjective Tony La Russa chose to describe Albert Pujols is engraved on a statue outside Busch Stadium — forever attached to the city's forever favorite Stan Musial — that it resounded so when he used it this season. La Russa is famous for repelling questions that compare players and teams with his patented "tied for first" answer. And yet after a Cardinals victory in April that featured two home runs, three RBIs, four runs and a stolen base from Pujols, the manager didn't hesitate to concede a tiebreaker. He called Pujols the "perfect'' player. He's not alone. "Albert has come closer than any player since (Willie) Mays and (Hank) Aaron to having a 'perfect career,'" ..."
Another Award for Pujols
Comment
November 13
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
"Albert Pujols, the leading candidate to win the National League MVP, continued his annual awards spree Thursday night with the announcement that he had won the National League Silver Slugger award at first baseman. This is the second consecutive year that the St. Louis Cardinals first baseman has won the Silver Slugger, and it is the fifth Silver Slugger award of his career. He won previously in 2008 at first base, 2004 at first base, 2003 in the outfield and 2001 at third base. The Silver Slugger award — like its unofficial cousin, the Gold Glove — is presented to the best offensive player at each position in each league. The winners are decided by a vote of coaches and managers, similar ..."
Aaron shows he's fan of Pujols
Comment
November 2
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
"If the Cardinals' season had progressed to the point that many had thought, first baseman Albert Pujols would have been on hand before Game 4 of the World Series in St. Louis to personally accept the Hank Aaron award for offensive excellence in the National League. But the Cardinals didn't win any playoff games, Pujols had another elbow operation recently and, with that reason being cited by Major League Baseball, Pujols was not on hand Sunday night to receive his second Aaron award. New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, who has some unfinished business in Philadelphia, was on hand to accept the American League award. The award winners are derived from online fan balloting. Pujols had ..."
Pujols wants to stay in STL
Comment
October 30
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 columnist Bryan Burwell
"The last time we saw him, Albert Pujols didn't say a word. It was nearly three weeks ago, a little more than an hour after his season had come to an abrupt halt when the Cardinals were swept unceremoniously out of the postseason. All around the Cardinals clubhouse, players milled about expressing the awkward regret that always comes when a great season ends far too soon. But we never got to hear what was on Pujols' mind because he slipped almost unnoticed out the clubhouse door, down the back hallway and out of Busch Stadium with an orange and green bag draped over his shoulder before a TV minicam or digital recorder could get close. Finally, on Thursday morning — 19 days after his season ..."
Pujols Clears Up Contract Speculation, Praises McGwire
Comment
October 29
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
"Appearing on St. Louis sports station WXOS 101.1 FM on Thursday morning, Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols was asked to explain comments made during an interview in the Dominican Republic. In the interview, Pujols suggested he was in no hurry to sign a contract extension with the Cardinals. "I'm not desperate to sign a contract extension. I still have one year remaining in my contract for 2010 and a club option for 2011. I leave the rest in God's hands," Pujols told Dominican radio station CDN 92.5 FM. Cardinals GM John Mozeliak said he was "surprised" by Pujols' stance, given that the Cardinals had repeatedly expressed an interest in opening negotiations with Pujols this winter. ..."
St. Louis Cardinals buoyed by Albert Pujols surgery
Comment
October 25
Chicago Tribune
 
"The Cardinals were hugely relieved when Albert Pujols (above) needed surgery only to remove bone chips and debris from his right elbow, not Tommy John surgery to repair a torn ligament. They believe his elbow was a big factor in his going 89 at-bats without a home run to end the season, even though Pujols wouldn't use it as an excuse. The Cardinals may not have as tumultuous of an offseason as it appeared they might, as free-agent manager Tony La Russa is leaning toward returning for his 15th season. The decision could be announced before the World Series."
Cardinals are upbeat about Albert Pujols' surgery
Comment
October 22
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
"Once inside Albert Pujols' right elbow, doctors decided not to reconstruct the MVP's torn ligament, choosing instead a procedure the club hopes will end the annual suspense about the valuable elbow's health. Pujols had several bone spurs and loose bone chips removed from his elbow Wednesday morning by Dr. James Andrews at his office in Birmingham, Ala. Pujols is expected to begin his rehab next week in St. Louis. The Cardinals described the arthroscopic surgery as a "success," but are going to wait to monitor their first baseman's immediate progress before mapping his return. "The outlook is very positive," general manager John Mozeliak said. "He should be able to resume baseball ..."
Pujols' elbow surgery a 'success'
Comment
October 21
MLB.com
 
"The Cardinals announced that Albert Pujols underwent arthroscopic surgery on his problematic right elbow on Wednesday. In a statement, the club referred to the procedure as "a success." Dr. James Andrews performed the surgery in Birmingham, Ala., with Cardinals head team physician Dr. George Paletta present. According to the statement, Pujols underwent both debridment -- or cleanup -- of bone spurs on his elbow and removal of bone chips from the joint. It was determined during the operation that Pujols does not currently require "Tommy John" reconstructive surgery in his elbow. He has a significant injury to the ulnar collateral ligament in the joint, but has dealt with it since 2003 ..."
St. Louis Cardinals' Albert Pujols set on surgery for elbow
Comment
October 21
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
"Apparently, it was the elbow after all. After denying for weeks that his fragile right elbow contributed to a career-long late-season power fade, Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols is scheduled to have arthroscopic surgery today in Birmingham, Ala., to remove bone chips from the area. The finding was made Tuesday following Pujols' visit to noted orthopedist Dr. James Andrews and, according to club officials, called for the removal of no fewer than five chips. Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak called today's "a small procedure" that should not jeopardize Pujols' availability next spring training. "We're very relieved it wasn't major surgery," Mozeliak said, referring to ligament ..."
Pujols set on surgery for elbow
Comment
October 21
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
"Apparently, it was the elbow after all. After denying for weeks that his fragile right elbow contributed to a career-long late-season power fade, Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols is scheduled to have arthroscopic surgery today in Birmingham, Ala., to remove bone chips from the area. The finding was made Tuesday following Pujols' visit to noted orthopedist Dr. James Andrews and, according to club officials, called for the removal of no fewer than five chips. Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak called today's "a small procedure" that should not jeopardize Pujols' availability next spring training. "We're very relieved it wasn't major surgery," Mozeliak said, referring to ligament ..."
No deal! Pujols, Jackson have to stay
Comment
October 20
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 columnist Jeff Gordon
"Slugger Albert Pujols essentially has two years left on his current Cardinals deal, a final contract year plus a team option year the franchise would exercise. Running back Steven Jackson is in the second year of a six-year, $44 million contract with the Rams. Some Cards fans believe their club should deal Pujols this winter, while his trade value is at its peak. Some Rams fans believe their club should move Jackson, if not by Tuesday's trade deadline -- a tricky proposition, due to salary cap rules -- then after the season. Both proposals come up often on my live chats at STLtoday.com. Sports fans love to propose blockbuster trades, even if the deals could prove ruinous to their teams. ..."
St. Louis Cardinals in bad spot with Albert Pujols
Comment
October 18
Baltimore Sun
 
"When Albert Pujols went a career-worst 89 at-bats without a home run to end an MVP performance in 2009, it was shocking. But it also may have been more. It may have been the beginning of the end for him in St. Louis. The time may be coming, faster than Cardinals fans could dream, when general manager John Mozeliak may have to do the unthinkable - solicit trade offers, most likely from the Red Sox, Yankees or Mets. Pujols, baseball's best player in the last decade, left Busch Stadium without talking to reporters last weekend. But in the little bit of communication he has had since then, he has raised doubts about his desire to spend his career with the Cardinals. In an interview with a ..."
Albert Pujols' comments surprise St. Louis Cardinals
Comment
October 16
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
"Albert Pujols finished the 2009 season in much the same way as his previous eight seasons: as the major leagues' most productive, most consistent player. The Cardinals first baseman ended up with 47 home runs, 135 RBIs and a .327 average, extending the conversation regarding a possible Triple Crown run into September. Pujols won the home run title, remarkably only the second time in his career that he has led the National League in a Triple Crown category. Continuing a sense of sameness, Pujols is expected to earn a second consecutive and third overall Most Valuable Player award when results of balloting by the Baseball Writers Association of America are announced next month. However, ..."
Cardinals' MVP Pujols "not desperate" for extension
Comment
October 15
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
"The St. Louis Cardinals, spearheaded by chairman Bill DeWitt Jr., have stated that a chief goal of this offsesaon is to address the contract of MVP and team icon Albert Pujols. General manager John Mozeliak recently said discussing an extension with Pujols, whose contract expires after a team option for 2011, is "viewed as a priority." Pujols, in an interview with a Dominican Republic radio station, implied it isn't a front-burner topic for him. The Cardinals first baseman said he is "not desperate" to negotiate with the Cardinals, and that he would "leave it in God's hands." This has been taken in some reports as a rejection of the Cardinals' plan, but that appears to be a reach when ..."
Conspicuous Lack of Power for a Dangerous Hitter
Comment
October 10
New York Times
 
"With a gruff "not right now," Albert Pujols declined an interview request and breezed past reporters Friday afternoon in the Cardinals' clubhouse. But if he had spoken, chances are pretty good that Pujols would have deflected questions - and said he was not at all worried - about the oddest and most uncharacteristic aspect of his outstanding season. One month has passed since Pujols hit his last home run, a mammoth blast off Milwaukee's Chris Narveson that capped a two-homer afternoon. Every pitcher since then has figured out a way to contain the uncontainable Pujols, keeping him stuck at a major league-leading 47 home runs through the final three weeks of the regular season - and zero ..."
Pujols reaches his destination via free passes
Comment
October 8
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
"As if the regular season didn't reveal how Dodgers manager Joe Torre planned to defuse Albert Pujols, it took only two hitters into the first inning for Torre to telegraph his intentions for this series. Four fingers will often greet Pujols at the plate. Twice in the first four innings of Game 1 of the National League Division Series, Torre's Dodgers intentionally walked Pujols and dared the two hitters behind him to change the game. Both times the intentional walk came at a strategically dicey moment in the game, where the Cardinals had a scoring rally percolating. Neither time did the intentional walk result directly in a run. "Albert is very special," Torre said. "I mean, you see him ..."
Mauer's hitting historic; Pujols wins HR title
Comment
October 6
USA Today
 
"Joe Mauer won't know until November if his Minnesota Twins' late surge into a playoff for the American League Central title helped propel him to the Most Valuable Player award, but his individual performance this season already has provided him a place in history.Mauer, taking a 12-point lead into Tuesday's AL Central playoff against the Detroit Tigers (statistics from that game count as part of the regular season), will become the first back-to-back batting champion since the Boston Red Sox's Nomar Garciaparra in 1999 and 2000 and the first catcher to do it."
Albert Pujols' luster grows amid shining season
Comment
October 5
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
"Albert Pujols closed his ninth regular season Sunday at Busch Stadium, briefly basking in the standing ovation inspired by his major-league single-season record 186th assist at first base. Another game, another record. Another season, another chapter within what next year, his 10th season, officially will make him Hall of Fame-eligible. And in little more than a month, Pujols may well receive a call from Baseball Writers of America secretary Jack O'Connell notifying him of his third National League MVP award, his second in a row. Pujols dropped the curtain by holding off Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder for his first home run title despite going without one in his final 74 ..."
Pujols lets his glove do the work
Comment
October 4
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
"Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols had a little different spin Saturday relative to his usually off-the-chart performances on the annual Down Syndrome "Buddy Walk" day at Busch Stadium. In seven previous "Buddy Walks," Pujols had hit six home runs and driven in 13 runs. On Saturday, he hit several balls hard but none was deep enough - Pujols, who has 47 home runs, hasn't connected since Sept. 9 - so he made his mark with his defense. The two assists he had at first base gave him 184 for the season, tying the single-season record set in 1985 by Boston's Bill Buckner, who became more famous for the assist he didn't make in the World Series the next year. "I like the fact," said manager Tony ..."
Pujols in homer drought
Comment
October 2
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
"Albert Pujols returned home Thursday night as he left 12 days before - with 47 home runs. The NL home run leader has now gone 66 at-bats without a home run, his longest such drought this season. He is without a blast since connecting twice against the Milwaukee Brewers' Chris Narveson on Sept. 9. Pujols is since hitting .303 with 10 RBIs while batting .364 with six home runs and 24 RBIs this month. Manager Tony La Russa recoiled when asked about the power anomaly, responding, "Are you kidding me? What's he hitting this month? If you watch, he's getting nothing over the middle of the plate." The presumptive NL MVP, Pujols admits he would love to reach 50 home runs for the first time in ..."
Albert Pujols, Hanley Ramirez might form 1-2 MVP punch
Comment
September 15
Miami Herald
 
"Best player in baseball? For Hanley Ramirez, the question is a no-brainer. ``Albert Pujols,'' Ramirez said. ``No. 1.'' Pujols is the strong favorite to win the National League Most Valuable Player Award for a second consecutive season and third time altogether. But there is a growing feeling that Ramirez could finish as high as second in MVP voting behind the Cardinals star. ``I can't disagree,'' Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said of a Pujols-Ramirez 1-2 finish for MVP. ``If Hanley hasn't done what he's done, as a team we wouldn't be in this position. I think, for us, he's probably meant more for us than Pujols has for them.'' Entering Monday's games, Pujols leads the league in home runs ..."
Unanimous MVP for Pujols?
Comment
September 13
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
"Albert Pujols wouldn't be the first player to be a unanimous selection for the National League's Most Valuable Player Award- which he should be. But he would be just the second since the league expanded to 16 teams (and 32 voters, two from each city) in 1998. Only Barry Bonds, in 2002, has garnered all 32 first-place votes in an MVP election. The runner-up that season? Albert Pujols. Since the leagues began giving out MVP awards in 1931, only six National Leaguers, including one Cardinal, have garnered all the first-place votes. The five others: Carl Hubbell, 1936 New York Giants; Mike Schmidt, 1980 Philadelphia Phillies; Jeff Bagwell, 1994 Houston Astros (strike-shortened season); Ken ..."
Braves manager awed by Pujols
Comment
September 12
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
"Atlanta manager Bobby Cox - like the Cardinals' Tony La Russa headed for the Hall of Fame if he ever stops skippering - reached the 2,400-victory milestone Friday night, which was news to him. "I had no idea," Cox said. He did know, however, that he saw some plays Friday he rarely, if ever, had seen before, and most of them had come from the Cardinals' Albert Pujols, even though the Braves held Pujols hitless. First things first. Braves righthander Jair Jurrjens, no doubt the best 11-10 pitcher in baseball - his earned run average is 2.81 - blanked the Cardinals for eight innings in the Braves' 1-0 triumph at Busch Stadium. "Tonight was just a spectacular performance against a real good ..."
Adam Wainwright, Albert Pujols lead St. Louis Cardinals past Brewers
Comment
September 10
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
"The story of the Cardinals pitching staff isn't limited to quality starts. It's increasingly about a quality finish. Starting pitcher Adam Wainwright penned another chapter Wednesday at Miller Park. With first baseman Albert Pujols as co-author, the Cardinals rolled to a 5-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers to complete a three-game sweep in front of an afternoon crowd of 37,784. Holding an 11 1/2-game lead with 21 games remaining, their season no longer qualifies as a suspense thriller. A how-to book may be more like it. Wainwright (18-7) stretched his major league lead in wins while becoming the National League's first pitcher to reach 200 innings. Pujols generated his 10th multi-homer game ..."
Pujols beats Pirates
Comment
September 5
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 
"A few hours before the Pirates took the field last night at PNC Park, John Russell went over the two most important facets of facing St. Louis slugger Albert Pujols: 1. "Do what you can to keep guys off the bases in front of him." 2. "Don't let him beat you." Well, after strikes one and two on those counts, strike three took the form of Pujols' three-run home run that carried the Cardinals to a 14-7 rout. And the big man surely had many in the crowd of 15,258 nervous well before stepping into the box against fresh reliever Denny Bautista. Not without cause. "Albert's the best," Bautista said. "You can't make a mistake.""
Pujols's HR in 9th Sends Nats to Defeat
Comment
August 29
Washington Post
 
"The 83rd loss of the Washington Nationals' season didn't look like a loss until the game's final pitch -- a Jason Bergmann slider in a tie game -- was roaring somewhere toward the Missouri-Illinois state line. Albert Pujols, the game's most dangerous hitter, watched it hiss into the night, nearly clunking the second deck in left field. Busch Stadium whipped into a frenzy. Pujols chucked his bat aside, almost in defiance, and began his 360-foot trot. Washington's players walked off, 3-2 losers against the Cardinals on Friday night. St. Louis's players crowded at home plate, as catcher Yadier Molina held everybody back, opening just enough space for the walk-off home run hitter to walk into ..."
Venable-Pujols matter is over, right?
Comment
August 24
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Afterward, the Padres were saying the incident was no big deal. But to hear Albert Pujols tell it, his confrontation with Will Venable Sunday at Petco Park might be continued next year. "Next time, maybe I'll try to hit him in the face with my glove," said the Cardinals first baseman. Although no punches were thrown and any shoving was limited to restraining teammates, both benches and bullpens rushed to the scene of the incident at the end of the sixth inning."
Pujols surpasses Musial
Comment
August 23
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 columnist Rick Hummel
"With almost every record-breaking step Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols takes these days, the first inevitable comparisons are made to Cardinals Hall of Famer Stan Musial, who is one of Pujols' biggest fans. But, quietly, though he has played less than half as long as The Man, Pujols already has passed Musial in one statistical category. Pujols, a sneak thief, has 12 stolen bases to lead the Cardinals this season. Musial, once dubbed the Donora (Pa.) Greyhound for his speed, never had more than nine in a season, and that was in 1943, his second full season in the majors. Granted the game was a little different in those days when parks generally were much smaller and teams didn't ..."
No way to prove players are clean
Comment
August 23
Philadelphia Inquirer
 columnist Jim Salisbury
"Albert Pujols and Bud Selig insisted that the questions were not fair. According to them, reporters and the public should not have been saying, "We simply do not know if Pujols is using performance-enhancing drugs." We should have been saying, "The Major League Baseball testing program proves that Pujols and every other player who has not been suspended is drug-free."Sorry, guys. When it comes to doping in baseball, there is a lot we still do not know, and there are still many ways to cheat. Just because a player has not failed a drug test does not mean he is clean. That is an important discussion to have in 2009, when years of dirty superstars have created fan fatigue and the focus on ..."
St. Louis Cardinal Albert Pujols and Shaq to face off
Comment
August 13
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
"The Cardinals' Albert Pujols will tee off tonight in his second home-run contest of the summer. This time he faces NBA All-Star Shaquille O'Neal at T.R. Hughes Ballpark in O'Fallon, Mo., after participating last month in baseball's Home Run Derby at Busch Stadium. O'Neal is filming the match for "Shaq Vs.," the new television reality series that pits the basketball icon against some of the nation's top athletes. Tickets for tonight's match are long gone, though some enterprising fans are selling seats on eBay for $100 or more. O'Neal is no baseball novice. The self-proclaimed "T-ball all-star" played first base in high school. "When I was little I was known as Shaq-ie Robinson," O'Neal ..."
Pirates load bases for Pujols ... game over
Comment
August 9
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 
"Bases were loaded, and the game was on the line. And yet, this might well have been the least suspenseful at-bat in the history of PNC Park. Chris Bootcheck had walked those bases loaded, then walked another to hand St. Louis a run. Up came Albert Pujols. Really now, what did anyone think was going to happen? Crack! The game's dominant offensive force hooked a bases-clearing double, and the Cardinals went on to top the Pirates, 5-3, last night before a capacity crowd of 38,593 that spent much of the evening booing, the rest waiting for the postgame concert and fireworks. The Pirates have lost seven in a row, their longest losing streak since the season-worst eight-gamer May 3-10. "We did a ..."
Albert Pujols comforts injured fan
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August 8
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
"Cardinals manager Tony La Russa calls first baseman Albert Pujols, who seems headed for a third Most Valuable Player Award, "a complete player and person." Pujols offered yet another example of this when he tended to a man who fell headfirst onto the field trying to field a foul ground ball for his son, who has Down syndrome, in the seventh inning Friday. The man, wearing a red Cardinals T-shirt, toppled from the first row face-first. Pujols was the first to arrive, holding the man and encouraging him to wait on the field for medical attention rather than to try to climb back into the stands. The game was delayed for about 10 minutes. "I told him to stay down,'' Pujols said. "Hopefully, ..."
Pujols slams his way out of slump
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August 5
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
"Albert Pujols likes the pulse of playing in Gotham. He absolutely loves quieting those who pick at his performance with queries about a corrupted swing or an uncooperative body part. Tuesday night at Citi Field, Pujols reveled in both as he provided the exclamation point to the Cardinals' 12-7 comeback victory over the New York Mets. Down twice against former Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana and single-season saves leader Francisco Rodriguez, the Cardinals rallied against each before winning in 10 innings. The Cardinals constructed a two-run rally during a 41-pitch ninth inning against Rodriguez to score twice to tie the game. An inning later, Pujols crashed his second home run of the ..."
Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday and Cardinals pose doom for Mets
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August 4
New York Daily News
 
"The St. Louis Cardinals made perhaps the biggest splash before the trade deadline in acquiring former All-Star Matt Holliday from the A's on July 24. But Holliday is not the Mets' biggest worry as the Cardinals arrive in town for a two-game set starting Monday. "(Holliday's) a good player and he was one of the dominant right-handed hitters in this league for a couple of years, but still, the guy you gotta get out is Albert Pujols," Jerry Manuel said. "I got a chance to (go after) Pujols or Holliday, I'm going with Holliday. I'm not going to mess with Pujols. "But that does give them some protection for Albert, and you might see him once he gets hot again take it to another level because ..."
Pujols' struggles continue in loss
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August 3
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
"The pitch Albert Pujols popped up didn't decide the game, and the Cardinals' loss Sunday didn't undermine a successful home stand. But both provided a reminder that while the Cards gain momentum there still is something missing. Their best hitter, as Pujols acknowledged, is struggling. With one out and two on in the sixth inning, Houston rookie Bud Norris fired a 2-0 fastball that remained tantalizingly in Pujols' upper strike zone. It's the kind of pitch, Pujols said later, that seven times out of 10 he hits for a home run -when, that is, he has his swing. He popped the ball straight up, flying out to the third baseman. The rally fizzled and Norris cruised, leading the Astros to a 2-0 ..."
Cooper not changing strategy on Pujols
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August 2
Houston Chronicle
 
"Although Matt Holliday went 4-for-4 and punished the Astros on Friday night behind Albert Pujols in the Cardinals' lineup, manager Cecil Cooper didn't see any problem with his vow to walk Pujols in key situations. "No, I'm going to still walk Pujols like I said," Cooper said. Is that strategy set in stone? "He's the best hitter in the game, best hitter in the game," Cooper said. After going 3-for-4 on Saturday with two homers, Holliday is hitting .606 (20-for-33) since joining the Cardinals. Oswalt update Roy Oswalt, who is still unsure if he'll be able to start Tuesday, threw 50 pitches off flat ground in his biggest test since exiting after 1 2/3 innings Tuesday with a lower left back ..."