St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols continues to put his name among MLB’s greats, this time for combined seasons of 40 home runs and 115 RBI.
Last time we put Albert Pujols’ 2010 accomplishments into a historical perspective, we reviewed the list of MLB’s most proficient 40-home run hitters. Now, we will expand that to also include those with at least 115 RBI.
That particular milestone was selected after the St. Louis Cardinals first baseman drove in three at Wrigley Field on Sunday, as he regained the National League RBI lead at 116. Pujols’ 42nd home run of the season was a three-run missile that landed on Waveland Avenue. In the process, he extended his home run lead in the NL as well.
In MLB history, only eight men have posted five or more seasons of at least 40 long balls and 115 or more RBI. With six such years, Pujols has tied Hank Aaron for third on the all-time list, behind Babe Ruth and Alex Rodriguez. While five of the other seven continued beyond age 30, both Jimmie Foxx and Ken Griffey Jr. stopped at the age where Pujols sits today.
As a footnote, those who qualified at five years of at least 40 home runs but fell off this list due to not having enough 115 RBI seasons are Mark McGwire (four), plus Harmon Killebrew and Willie Mays (three each).
40 home run, 115 RBI seasons, MLB history
| Rank | Player | Years | 1st | Last | Age | |
| 1 | Babe | Ruth | 11 | 1920 | 1932 | 25-37 |
| 2 | Alex | Rodriguez | 7 | 1998 | 2007 | 22-31 |
| T3 | Albert | Pujols | 6 | 2003 | 2010 | 23-30 |
| T3 | Hank | Aaron | 6 | 1957 | 1971 | 23-37 |
| T5 | Manny | Ramirez | 5 | 1998 | 2005 | 26-33 |
| T5 | Ken | Griffey Jr. | 5 | 1996 | 2000 | 26-30 |
| T5 | Jimmie | Foxx | 5 | 1932 | 1938 | 24-30 |
| T5 | Lou | Gehrig | 5 | 1927 | 1936 | 24-33 |
Thanks to researcher Tom Orf for providing the above table.
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