I don’t know about you, but by now most of you know that the St. Louis Cardinals have been heating up: on fire. Currently, (as of Sept. 10), the Cards are leading the NL Central standings with a record of  82-58. They finished the month of August with a 21-6 record.

One of the larger stories from the dugout is Albert Pujols chasing 700 home runs. After hitting a homer on Saturday night against the Pirates, he has tied Alex Rodriguez for fourth on the all-time list with 796. 

Albert, drafted by the Cardinals in 1999,  has played 22 seasons (11 of which were with the Cardinals). Since then, and has created an illustrious career. Pujols, now 42 years of age, has decided he would retire from MLB earlier this season. 

Now, Pujols is looking for the perfect send-off; he is getting closer and closer to reaching 700 homers; an achievement only reached by three other players (Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth, and Hank Aaron). Now back with the Cardinals for 2022, Pujols seems to be a rejuvenated  player.

Cardinals fans are closely watching each game to see if Pujols is in the lineup. 

“I believe that Pujols will hit 700 home runs, but we might have to wait a while,” sophomore Patrick Kesler III said. “I don’t know how long it will take but I believe he will do it.”

Sophomore Gabriel Katz thinks that there’s a 50-50 chance that Albert reaches 700 home runs.

“The odds just seem too uncertain right now. I would be happy to see Pujols hit 700 [home runs], but the odds are against him, that’s for sure,” Katz said. 

The opinion seems to vary, but many fans have faith in Pujols, and hope for him to someday hit that magical number. As a huge Cardinal fan myself, I would be elated for Albert to pull off the feat. Also, if Pujols does hit 700 home runs, the rest of the MLB will be put on high alert. 

Time after time, Albert Pujols has been shown to be clutch in difficult situations, not when it was easy, but when it was hard. I would be proud to have lived to see someone hit 700 home runs, and I’m pretty sure you would be too.