ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Cardinals do not return to the field until Friday, but fans will have something to fill that void Thursday night.
MLB Network will premiere an hour-long interview with Bob Costas conducted with Cardinals legend Albert Pujols Thursday night at 6 p.m. Central time and re-air it at 9 p.m.
Pujols returned to the Cardinals in 2022, 10 years after signing with the Los Angeles Angels as a free agent. Pujols posted one of his most productive seasons in years, and finished with a hot streak that landed him in the 700 home run club.
In a clip posted to Twitter, Pujols talks about his decision to return to the Cardinals in the summer of 2022 and his chase for 700 career home runs.
"I thought about it. I spoke to my family and friends, I was like, 'Man, this is it, I don't know if I want to come back and play in 2022 until the DH came around [in the National League] and that was the opportunity when I was like 'Well, maybe I can go back and finish with the Cardinals and just try to finish strong.'"
In his first year since retiring, Pujols special assistant to Commissioner Rob Manfred. He also made his broadcast debut, providing color commentary for a matchup between the Cardinals and Pirates in June.
Costas, who turned 71 in March, is currently a TBS baseball studio host, play-by-play broadcaster for MLB network and a CNN Sports contributor. He started his nearly 50-year career in broadcast as the play-by-play broadcaster for the Spirits of St. Louis on KMOX radio.