ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Albert Pujols continues to climb some of the most prestigious lists in all of sports.
In a Tuesday matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays, Pujols knocked a fourth-inning single to left field. It was the 3320th hit of Pujols' career, moving him past Hall of Famer Paul Molitor for ninth place on the all-time list in Major League Baseball history.
Pujols was already in the top 10 in a number of other categories in baseball history. He is third in RBIs with 2,165, fifth in doubles with 674 and fifth in home runs with 683. He's also 12th in runs scored with 1,881.
Last month, Pujols spoke about his pursuit of history in what could be his final season. When asked if he'd rather reach 700 home runs or end his career with a title, Pujols didn't hesitate.
"The world championship. I'm OK with 699. I'm OK with 682. I'm ok with whatever else I end up finishing up (with). But winning a championship, that's really tough to come. And yeah, getting 700 is tough, too. But I think everybody wants to win a championship. So for me, if I don't get that milestone but I get that championship ring, trust me, I'd be really, really satisfied. I'd trade that in a heartbeat. I'd trade any award I have in my trophy case for a championship trophy once again. That's what you play for and it's hard to get. It's hard to get to the World Series, it's hard to get to the postseason but it's even harder to win one. There's so many players that played this game for so long, and they never accomplished that. And for me to accomplish that at a young age, I get to appreciate that and to have that feeling to hopefully get it back this year with the team that we have is even going to be better," Pujols said.
