Albert Pujols picked a perfect time to hit his 697th career home run, delivering the momentous blast in the ninth inning of Sunday’s 4-3 win over the Pirates.
The homer moved him past Alex Rodriguez into fourth place on the all-time list, and afterward the future Hall of Famer made a classy gesture fitting of the renowned reputation he’s built during a storied 22-year career.
The ball was caught by Pirates fans Matt and Samantha Brown, who met with Pujols after the game, according to Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat. The pair was attending the game on the one-year anniversary of the death of Samantha’s father. When they offered the historic home run ball back to Pujols, the 42-year-old slugger declined, insisting that the ball would mean more to Samantha than it would to him. He also signed two additional baseballs for them.
