Pujols breaks chain, hands it to umpire

TORONTO -- Albert Pujols may lose the gold chain, but he never loses the bling.

Pujols grabbed the spotlight in Tuesday night's 10-3 loss at Rogers Centre, when he realized the gold chain he wore around his neck had broken mid-at-bat. The Cardinals slugger carefully bunched it up and handed it to home-plate umpire Laz Diaz, who immediately pocketed it and said something that brought a bright smile to Pujols’ face.

What followed was something as iconic as The Machine’s 22-year career. Perhaps freed up from the weight of the gold, maybe simply energized by the exchange with Diaz, Pujols squared up the next pitch from Blue Jays starter José Berríos for a game-tying RBI single in the third inning.

It was a great segue from his first at-bat, when all of the 39,756 people at Rogers Centre gave Pujols a standing ovation, recognizing the illustrious career of the Cardinals legend in his first game in Toronto this year.

After more than two decades, you still never know what you’re going to get when Pujols steps onto the field.