The fan who picked up the ball hit by Albert Pujols in his 700th home run on Friday night is said to have intended to keep it, turning down multiple offers for the ball before leaving Dodger Stadium in his possession. According to Ben Verlander of Fox Sports:. The anonymous fan now owns a piece of baseball history, like Pujols He became the fourth player in Major League Baseball history To reach 700 points at home.
The St. Louis Cardinals The designated hitter reached a milestone with a home run at back-to-back bats Friday night against Los Angeles Dodgers, with Pujols hitting the 700th on the left field wing during the fourth inning. With this race at home, the Pujols joined Babe Ruth (714), Hank Aaron (755) and Barry Bonds (762) as the only players in MLB history to reach 700.
Had a fan been willing to drop the ball from Pujols’ path at home, he could potentially reap a nice bonus for him from the Cardinal or anyone else who wants the ball. Instead, the fan chose to keep a piece of major league history to himself – which Pujols then said he wasn’t interested in.
Souvenirs for the fans. I have no problem if they want to keep it,” Pujols said. According to Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. “If they want it back, that’s great. But at the end of the day, I don’t focus on the material things.”
Pujols’ 700th home run helps complete his legacy after a 22-year career in the Major Leagues that saw the 42-year-old do almost everything to accomplish in baseball including winning three NL MVP Awards, and being selected for 11th All- Star Games and win the world championship twice with the Cardinals. Pujols will retire at the end of the 2022 season.
