Albert Pujols is chasing Babe Ruth in the record books. He's been described as putting up Ruthian numbers. And did you know that Albert Pujols called his shot on Sunday? If you didn't, well, he did (a la Ruth in the 1932 World Series). And Pujols not only called his shot; he called his shot on a Grand Slam against Gil Meche (who isn't too bad of a pitcher). From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
After opening the third inning with a fly out, Pujols returned to the Cardinals clubhouse to review video. There he predicted to assistant hitting coach Mike Aldrete that his next at-bat would ricochet off the yet-to-open Royals Hall of Fame behind the visitors bullpen in left field. "He didn't say he might hit the Hall of Fame. He said he would hit the Hall of Fame," Aldrete recalled.
Pujols returned in the fourth inning against Royals starting pitcher Gil Meche with the bases loaded and one out in a 4-4 game. Pujols and Meche reached a full count. By then Meche had shown Pujols every pitch in his repertoire except a change-up. When Meche finally threw the pitch, Pujols swatted it some 423 feet off a Hall of Fame window.
Are you kidding me? How is this not the top story in sports today? After yesterday's run-of-the-mill four hit, two home run, six RBI day, Pujols is now on pace for league-leading 131 runs, 61 HRs, 159 RBIs, a .448 OBP and a .722 SLG to go along with 121 walks to 63 strikeouts, 21 SBs, 35 2Bs, and a .329 average. Babe Ruth's 1921 and 1927 are the only seasons that come close.
Can we officially anoint him the greatest player in the game today? And why, exactly, would you pitch to this guy? Especially when he can call his shot...on a grand slam. Wow.
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