Ho hum. Albert Pujols drove in multiple runs in Thursday’s game – again.
St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols has been under increasing scrutiny due to a May that is substandard for him – .267/.406/.384, one home run and 10 RBI in 24 games prior to Thursday’s action.
Then we have the unpleasant exchange in the dugout with his manager Tony La Russa last week, whispers of leg and back injuries that may be sapping his strength and the ongoing contract situation that is apparently off the table during the season.
Pujols may have answered the immediate questions when he clubbed a towering home run to the second deck in left field on a 3-2 pitch in the fifth inning in San Diego Thursday. He added two other RBI in St. Louis’ 8-3 series-ending win over the Padres.
Pujols’ three-RBI game was his MLB-best 309th multiple RBI game in the roughly 9 ¼ years since his MLB debut in 2001. During that time, Alex Rodriguez is next, ten behind Pujols.
Multi-RBI games, MLB, top 20, 2001 through 05/26/10
| Rk | Player | # | Rk | Player | # | |
| 1 | Albert Pujols | 308 | 11 | Aramis Ramirez | 230 | |
| 2 | Alex Rodriguez | 299 | 12 | Miguel Tejada | 227 | |
| 3 | Manny Ramirez | 276 | 13 | Magglio Ordonez | 225 | |
| 4 | David Ortiz | 255 | 14 | Pat Burrell | 222 | |
| 5 | Lance Berkman | 248 | 15 | Carlos Beltran | 219 | |
| 6 | Bobby Abreu | 241 | 16 | Paul Konerko | 213 | |
| 7 | Vladimir Guerrero | 240 | 17 | Chipper Jones | 210 | |
| 8 | Jim Thome | 237 | 18 | Jason Giambi | 206 | |
| 8 | Carlos Lee | 237 | 19 | Jorge Posada | 204 | |
| 10 | Carlos Delgado | 232 | 19 | Raul Ibanez | 204 |
Pujols also leads the world with 123 three-plus RBI games during this time.
Three-plus-RBI games, MLB, top 20, 2001 through 05/26/10
| Rk | Player | # | Rk | Player | # | |
| 1 | Albert Pujols | 122 | 10 | Raul Ibanez | 90 | |
| 2 | Alex Rodriguez | 112 | 10 | Miguel Cabrera | 90 | |
| 3 | Manny Ramirez | 110 | 13 | Carlos Beltran | 89 | |
| 4 | David Ortiz | 105 | 14 | Chipper Jones | 87 | |
| 5 | Mark Teixeira | 97 | 14 | Bobby Abreu | 87 | |
| 6 | Lance Berkman | 94 | 16 | Carlos Lee | 86 | |
| 7 | Vladimir Guerrero | 92 | 16 | Jason Giambi | 86 | |
| 8 | Jim Thome | 91 | 18 | Andruw Jones | 85 | |
| 8 | Carlos Delgado | 91 | 19 | Ryan Howard | 84 | |
| 10 | Miguel Tejada | 90 | 20 | Richie Sexson | 82 |
In the last 50-plus years, Pujols leads all Cardinals.
Three-plus-RBI games, Cardinals, top 20, 1960 through 05/26/10
|
Rk
|
Player | # |
Rk
|
Player | # | |
| 1 | Albert Pujols | 122 | 11 | Keith Hernandez | 43 | |
| 2 | Ray Lankford | 75 | 12 | Joe Torre | 42 | |
| 3 | Ted Simmons | 74 | 13 | Edgar Renteria | 33 | |
| 4 | Jim Edmonds | 73 | 14 | Brian Jordan | 31 | |
| 5 | Mark McGwire | 55 | 15 | Todd Zeile | 30 | |
| 6 | Ken Boyer | 52 | 16 | Curt Flood | 30 | |
| 7 | Bill White | 50 | 17 | Lou Brock | 29 | |
| 8 | Scott Rolen | 50 | 18 | Mike Shannon | 28 | |
| 9 | George Hendrick | 49 | 19 | Ken Reitz | 28 | |
| 10 | Willie McGee | 43 | 20 | Ryan Ludwick | 27 |
Thanks to researcher Tom Orf for the data tables above.
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