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Ranking Albert Pujols' top 10 moments as a Cardinal

The Brad Lidge homer? His three home runs in one World Series game? What's your favorite Albert Pujols moment?

Over his 11 years with the Cardinals, Albert Pujols gave us a lot of memories.

This weekend, he'll give us another couple of memories, but with Anaheim.

So which Cardinals moment is Albert's best?

Here's our list, which you can feel free to debate.

10: Cardinals win 2011 World Series 10/29/11

His second championship and the last game he ever played as a Cardinal at Busch Stadium.

All but one of Pujols' hits in that World Series came in one incredible game (which we'll get to in a bit), but the championship was just as sweet.

Looking back, it's doubly nice the Cardinals had home field advantage against the Rangers. It allowed them to create some unforgettable memories at home in Games 6 and 7, and let Pujols play what would be his final game as a Cardinal at Busch Stadium.

Cardinals win 2011 World Series

9: Three home runs and walk off on Easter 4/16/06

This is my personal favorite Pujols moment.

The guy could turn any game into a classic at the drop of a hat.

I'll never forget his third home run of the day sailing into the still-being-finished seats at an infant Busch Stadium III and his memorable run to his teammates between third and home.

Pujols walks off the Reds on Easter in 2006

8: Pujols homers after Piazza drops pop up in NLDS 10/4/06

We all knew it right when it happened.

If you give Albert Pujols a second chance, he's going to make you pay.

When hall of fame catcher Mike Piazza couldn't corral an easy Pujols pop up in the fourth inning of Game 1 of the 2006 NLDS, Cardinals fans knew what was coming next.

Albert promptly unloaded on a 422 foot blast into the Petco Park stands and set the tone for the rest of the series, which the Cardinals won in four games.

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7: Home run in his first home at-bat 4/9/01

It was pretty apparent from the beginning that Albert Pujols was special.

As if we needed evidence to confirm, he decided to hit a home run in his first at-bat on opening day 2001 at Busch Stadium.

His second inning blast off Rockies pitcher Danny Neagle was the first of 204 he'd hit between Busch Stadium II and Busch Stadium III.

Pujols blasts homer in first home at-bat

6: Cardinals win 2006 World Series 10/27/06

The first one is always special.

Pujols and the Cardinals stunned baseball when they won the 2006 World Series.

Pujols only hit .200 in the World Series against the Tigers, and missed part of the season due to injury, but the Cardinals couldn't have done it without him.

Cardinals win 2006 World Series

5: Pujols gets career hit number 2,000 7/29/11

St. Louis may have missed out on the big milestones for Albert (home runs 500 and 600, hit 3,000 and RBI 2,000), but this was a nice moment.

Pujols became just the fifth Cardinal to have 2,000 hits with the franchise. Musial, Brock, Hornsby and Slaughter are the only other ones to do it.

Not bad company.

Albert also hit his 400th home run as a Cardinal, but that was on the road in Washington.

Albert Pujols gets hit number 2,000

4: Pujols goes five for five with three home runs at Wrigley Field 7/20/04

In the best box score of his career, Pujols gave Cardinals fans the show of a lifetime in Chicago in 2004.

Five hits, three home runs, 15 total bases, five RBI and four runs. Not a bad week in a day if you ask me.

The Cardinals actually trailed 7-1 at one point in this game, but ended up going on to win 11-8.

Pujols' big day coming against the rival Cubs only makes the storyline better.

Pujols goes 5/5 with three home runs at Wrigley Field

3: Pujols wins Clemente Award for Pujols Family Foundation 10/25/08

Albert Pujols put up a lot of eye-popping stats during his 11 years in St. Louis, but if you ask him what mattered most, it'd be the people he was able to help.

Pujols' work with the Pujols Family Foundation has touched the lives of hundreds of kids with Down Syndrome.

He truly cares, and goes out of his way to make people's lives better.

The Pujols Family Foundation has still been active in St. Louis, even after Pujols left for Anaheim.

Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
** FILE ** In this Oct. 25, 2008 file photo, St. Louis Cardinals' Albert Pujols smiles after receiving the Roberto Clemente award before Game 3 of the baseball World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays in Philadelphia. Pujols won his second National League Most Valuable Player award Monday Nov. 17, 2008. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

2: Pujols hits three home runs in Game 3 of the 2011 World Series 10/22/11

None of us will forget this one.

Pujols turned Arlington into his personal launch pad to make baseball history.

At the time, Pujols became just the third person in history to hit three home runs in a World Series Game (Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson did it before him, and Pablo Sandoval did it after him).

It was pretty much Pujols' only offensive output of the 2011 World Series, but oh my what a show it was.

Pujols hits three home runs in Game 3 of 2011 World Series

1: Pujols hits three run home run off Brad Lidge in the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2005 NLCS 10/17/05

This is it. The one that's burned into all our memories.

With the Cardinals facing elimination in the 2005 NLCS, Albert rode to the rescue in the ninth inning of Game 5 with a three run homer off the practically un-hittable Brad Lidge to silence the Houston crowd.

It's the fastest change from raucous environment to dead silent I've ever witnessed.

The win guaranteed one more game back at Busch Stadium II before its demise.

The Cardinals didn't win the 2005 NLCS, but Pujols' moment in Game 5 remins a classic in all of baseball history.

(In an ironic twist of fate, Brad Ausmus, who was behind the plate as Houston's catcher for the homer, is now Pujols' manager for the Angels.)

Pujols silences Houston crowd with mammoth shot off Brad Lidge

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