St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols turns record home run into touching fan moment

If something has already happened 696 times, how much surprise can there be in the wake of a 697th occurrence?

For Matt and Samantha Brown, there was more than they could have imagined.

Albert Pujols crushed a high and outside fastball from Pirates reliever Chase DeJong 410 feet to slight right-center on Sunday afternoon, securing a 4-3 victory for the Cardinals which held their lead in the National League Central at eight games and reduced their magic number to clinch the division to 14.

The homer, his 18th of the season, broke a tie with Alex Rodríguez to move Pujols into sole possession of fourth place on the all-time list of home run hitters, trailing only Barry Bonds, Henry Aaron, and Babe Ruth. The tie lasted only one day, with Pujols having stapled number 696 to a towering blast to left field on Saturday night.

Saturday’s homer sailed toward a pedestrian ramp and a concourse at PNC Park, and a scramble ensued largely out of view of the cameras. No fan came forward to return the ball, which presumably now is a valued memento that had a chance to be the best fan story of the weekend.

Until Sunday.

Sunday’s homer, landing in the bleachers, was secured by Matt Brown after the same brief scuffling that accompanies much more mundane ball deposits; indeed, during Saturday’s batting practice, a small group of ballhawks could be observed scurrying about in left field, with one man seeming to secure three of Pujols’ practice bolts on the fly.

A batting practice ball doesn’t get a fan invited to the clubhouse, but a record-breaker likely will. And in a concrete tunnel underneath the first base grandstand, a married couple from Buffalo, New York, clad head to toe in Pirates gear met with the player who has more home runs at that ballpark than any current member of the Pittsburgh organization, and they told him why they were there.

Samantha’s father, a Cardinals fan, died one year prior, on Sept. 11, 2021. With his favorite team traveling to play their favorite team, they made a weekend trip in his memory and were in the right place at the right time for a keepsake to come into their lives.

They expected to say hello, perhaps take a picture, and maybe even leave with some autographed memorabilia. A bat or a jersey from the undisputed home run king among infielders would make for a fantastic story many years down the road, or, yes, perhaps a small investment acquired only for the cost of a ticket to a Pirates game.

Pujols hands over historic ball

When Pujols emerged from the tunnel, they began to talk. And then something unexpected happened — he walked away, leaving the ball behind with two gleaming white, autographed versions to accompany it, inscribed with his career accomplishments.

“I think it means more to that girl than me having it in my trophy case,” Pujols said to reporters in the clubhouse minutes later. “Unfortunately, she lost her dad, and maybe that’s a piece of memory she can have.”

The couple stood in shock in the tunnel, with Matt holding the ball outstretched from his body, calling after Pujols to make sure, one last time, he didn’t mind leaving the ball behind. Samantha, welling up with tears, looked from her husband to the fresh ball in her hand and back, scarcely able to come up with words to describe the day she’d never forget that landed from the sky.

“Thank you,” she murmured several times.

Absolutely legendary

“There’s impressive, and then there’s unbelievable. And what we’re witnessing right now is absolutely legendary,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “Gosh darn, you take a step back from managing the game when he’s up and you just kind of take it all in, and I’m not sure what we’re witnessing right now.”

More discussion followed about the strategic deployment of Pujols. His reliable production allowed Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt to secure a full day of rest while still guaranteeing a potentially lethal lineup, and the infectious energy of a run for history spread through his teammates in a ninth inning rally that capped what could otherwise be fairly judged as one of the most dull games of the season.

Marmol hadn’t witnessed the scene in the tunnel. When told about it, he rubbed his hand through his hair, stared briefly at his desk, and looked up, beaming almost as wide as Matt Brown had in the hallway. “Pretty special,” he surmised.

‘I’ve always appreciated this game’

There is no dull now, not with Pujols just three more sharp swings away from a 700th home run that, while important perhaps only in its roundness, will be yet another irrepressible reminder of the player, immortal.

“For 23 years that I’ve played as a professional and 37 years that I’ve played in my life, I’ve always appreciated this game,” Pujols said. “You have to. This opportunity only comes once, and that’s something I’ve been blessed with, a gift that God has given me, and I’m able to take advantage every single day.”

The man is mortal. The impression he’s left in his wake, indelible. And the gifts — the kind that go on the mantle and the kind that go with memory — will last for generations.

This story was originally published September 12, 2022 at 10:01 AM.