Albert Pujols isn’t a stranger to records. But the one he set Sunday night came as a surprise.
In the first inning of a home game against the Colorado Rockies, the St. Louis Cardinals quickly fell behind 2-0. In the bottom of the first, however, Pujols answered with a 2-run bomb deep into left-center field. The first baseman evened the score and turned the tide for the Cards, who never fell behind again. The Redbirds won the game 6-2.
"Anytime you can put up a tie right away, it changes the whole feel of the game," Manager Tony La Russa told the media after the game. "That's an Albert home run; that ball was really struck perfectly."
It was a little while before everyone knew what other significance the homer held. At 465 feet, the home run was the longest ever hit at the current Busch Stadium.
Pujols had his eye on the prize, though.
"It feels good to hit one like that, but as long as it goes over the wall that's all that matters," Pujols said to MLB.com. "To come back and tie the game right there and be able to take the lead with two outs is huge."
The homer broke teammate Lance Berkman's record -- a 452-foot home run July 5.
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