Pujols joins elite club with 14th 30-HR season
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ANAHEIM -- The milestones just keep coming for Albert Pujols, who registered his 14th season of at least 30 homers with a solo shot in the second inning of Saturday's game against the Blue Jays.
Pujols' 30th homer put him in elite company. Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez are the only other players to accomplish the feat.
Pujols is also the fastest to reach 14 30-homer seasons of the four players, doing it in just his 16th season as a Major Leaguer, while it took Rodriguez 17 seasons, Bonds 18 seasons and Aaron 19 seasons. With another season of at least 30 homers, Pujols would tie Rodriguez and Aaron for the most in MLB history.
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Pujols' 590th career homer was a no-doubter. According to Statcast™, the ball left his bat at 106 mph and traveled a projected 417 feet into the left-field stands.
That power required some battling against Blue Jays starter Francisco Liriano in a six-pitch at-bat. Pujols fell behind, 0-2, then fouled off an inside slider and outside changeup from the lefty. After another changeup went low for ball 1, Pujols dug out a slider at the bottom of the zone and cranked it over the fence.