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After belting 10 home runs in the first-round of Monday’s Home Run Derby, Albert Pujols received a special tribute from his fellow All-Stars at Dodger Stadium.
The legendary slugger, making his fifth appearance at the event, took a moment to collect himself after the three-minute regulation time. Prior to stepping back up to the plate for 30 seconds of bonus time, Pujols was swarmed by a cheering mob of National League and American League All-Stars who joined the future Hall of Famer and MLB’s all-time HR leader along the third-base line to pay their respects.
The well-deserved, mid-competition celebration added an extra dose of excitement to the proceedings with Pujols, the No. 8 seed, looking to pull off an upset of No. 1 seed Kyle Schwarber.
Pujols added three homers in bonus time, but the Phillies star evened the score at 13 after his turn. The pair went into a one-minute overtime, where the Cardinals great would crush seven homers to give him 20 first-round bombs, outlasting Schwarber’s six (19 total) to pull off the upset and advance to the second round. After embracing Schwarber as he showed his appreciation with multiple bows, Pujols reflected on the moment and the opportunity to keep swinging during an interview with ESPN.
“It is pretty awesome to see the young generation and all that talent. This is for you guys,” he said, per the Associated Press. “It is pretty awesome to come back here one last time.”
Pujols, the oldest competitor in event history at age 42, was eventually eliminated in the next round by Juan Soto, ending his bid for what would have been his first trip to the final since his derby debut in 2003.
However, his impressive showing combined with Monday’s tribute provided Pujols and all of his fans with the perfect send-off ahead of his 11th and final All-Star Game appearance on Tuesday night.
