Cardinals fans should be ready to see Albert Pujols make history

Albert Pujols’ big-league swan song is about to be epic, so St. Louis Cardinals fans better get ready for one last unforgettable season.

Not only is Albert Pujols about to play his final MLB season for the St. Louis Cardinals, but he has a fantastic shot at history in his swan song with the Redbirds.

The future first-ballot Hall of Famer is only 21 home runs away from 700 in his career. Though surpassing Babe Ruth may be out of reach, Pujols is hitting dingers in batting practice like Alfred Delia in his Little League slugging prime. No matter how many big flies Pujols hits, he should be able to get to 700 before he hangs up the spikes. Every moonshot he hits will amplify his legacy.

Here’s to Pujols hitting more home runs than Mark McGwire, Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine crushed while filming Chicks Dig the Long Ball.

St. Louis Cardinals fans better be ready for Albert Pujols to be The Machine

Since Pujols already has over 3,000 hits, why not swing for the fences every time he comes to the plate? Baseball has really leaned into that line of thinking during the recent analytics boom. While getting a third World Series championship playing alongside his boys Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright would be sweet, nothing is sweeter than trotting around the bases for the 700th time.

When the milestone tracker flips from No. 699 to No. 700, it will be the biggest home run since McGwire hit No. 62 to pass the late Roger Maris in the Summer of ’98. Those who were alive for that epic home run race will never forget it. As for Pujols approaching Ruthian territory, it would be a shame if he surpassed that threshold in a visiting park. Pujols needs to get it done in St. Louis.

With the DH being universal from here on out, it will allow an aging slugger like Pujols to age gracefully into retirement. He no longer is able to man first base every day, but inserting his power bat into the lineup as a DH will put butts in seats in St. Louis and get them out of them when he goes whammy to the delight of everyone in attendance. The home run count is so on.

Here is to Pujols getting to No. 700 in front of a packed house at Busch Stadium later this summer.