For several years, Albert Pujols was considered the best player in all of Major League Baseball. This was long before the days of Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Shohei Ohtani, Pete-Crow Armstrong, and others.
But from 2001-11, Pujols had a memorable tenure with the Cardinals that included two World Series rings. 2001 was when the baseball world was exposed to Pujols, and that year, he was the National League Rookie of the Year.
St. Louis won 93 games and earned a wild card spot in 2001, and after losing Game 1 of the National League Division Series to the eventual World Series champion Arizona Diamondbacks, the Cardinals came back with a vengeance in Game 2, and Pujols hit the first of many postseason home runs to lead St. Louis to a 4-1 victory. Better yet, it came off of future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson.
Oct 8, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Albert Pujols (5) hits a single in the sixth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies during game two of the Wild Card series for the 2022 MLB Playoffs at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports
Pujols ultimately went 2-for-4 in this game as the Cardinals evened the NLDS behind a strong pitching performance from Woody Williams, and it was just the first of many home runs that Pujols would hit on the October stage over the course of his career. The homer put St. Louis up 2-0 in the first inning.
In that series, the Cardinals would take the Diamondbacks the full five games, but ultimately fall short in the deciding game, ending their postseason run. But this was a surefire sign that Pujols had arrived and was going to be one of the game's best players for a very long time.
During Pujols' first tenure with the team, he helped take the Cardinals to the postseason seven times. He played a key role in getting the team to the World Series in 2004 as well, their first National League pennant since 1987. He would even go on to have a three-homer game in Game 3 of the 2011 World Series.
But this was the first bit of damage Pujols did in the playoffs. In addition to his early home run, he had five total bases in the game as St. Louis evened the series.
Pujols returned to St. Louis in 2022 for his final season and helped guide the Cardinals to the playoffs, just as he did in his rookie year.
Leading up to his first playoff home run, Pujols slashed .329/.403/.610 with 37 home runs, 130 RBI, a 6.6 WAR and a 1.013 OPS during the regular season.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/cardinals/onsi as This Day in Cardinals History: Albert Pujols Hits First Career Postseason Homer .
