ST. LOUIS — St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols hit his 698th career home run off Cincinnati Reds reliever Raynel Espinal in the sixth inning of Friday’s game.
Pujols, 42, hit the first pitch from Espinal out to left field as the crowd was already on its feet in anticipation. He rounded the bases to a tremendous cheer.
Pujols hit the 84 mph slider 427 feet. It had an exit velocity of 106.3 mph.
It was also his 19th home run this season, the second most in a single season for a player 42 years or older. He has 12 home runs since Aug. 10, one behind Aaron Judge and Eugenio Suarez for the most in MLB over that span.
The two run shot tied the game 4-4 and gave Pujols a six-game RBI streak, his longest since 2017.
