Albert Pujols inches closer to the 700 club after hitting his 698th career home run as St. Louis Cardinals defeat Cincinnati Reds 6-5
- Albert Pujols hit a two-run homerun to tie game in the sixth inning for No. 698
- He is only two homers away from being only the fourth player to ever hit 700
- Cardinals win gives them eight-game lead on NL Central with 17 games left
Albert Pujols hit his 698th home run, a two-run drive that pulled the St. Louis Cardinals into a sixth-inning tie with the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night.
The homer moved him to within only two of reaching an impressive 700 career home runs.
The veteran slugger hit a first-pitch slider Raynel Espinal 427 feet into the left-field stands for his 19th home run of the season, tying the score 4-4.
Albert Pujols hit 698th career homerun to tie the game in sixth inning against Cincinnati Reds
Pujols trails only Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714) on the career list.
Along with the home run he also hit a drive to T.J. Friedl at the left-field wall in the seventh. With 2,203 RBIs, Pujols moved within 11 of Ruth for second, behind Aaron’s 2,297.
Pujols is hitting .324 9 (45 for 139) with 15 homers and 35 RBI in 47 games since July 10.
Pujols comes back out of the dugout to salute the crowd as they give him a standing ovation
Five of his last six home runs have come in the sixth inning or later, and his last five homers have tied the game or put St. Louis ahead.
He intends to retire at the end of the season. St. Louis has 17 games remaining.
They currently have an eight-game lead on the National League Central Division and possess a record of 85-60.
Pujols was greeted by his teammates with a walkway of high fives after his homerun Friday
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