The Angels are having a messy, miserable, waste of a season as a whole. But that hasn't stopped (and won't stop) Albert Pujols from notching some impressive numbers and accomplishing some important milestones.
The latest in both categories came on Friday night, when Pujols homered off A's starter Eric Surkamp. The home run was the 13th of Pujols' season and the 573rd of his career -- a figure which ties him with Harmon Killebrew for 11th-most all-time.
Here's a look at the homer:
Fridays are a blast! 🚀@PujolsFive ties Hammerin' Harmon with his 573rd HR. (@Angels)https://t.co/QbEshkLFqg
— FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) June 25, 2016
And here's a look at the ball:
Home run 573 for @PujolsFive. There have only been 11 of these ever hit in the history of baseball. pic.twitter.com/7SmaFIzRZB
— Angels (@Angels) June 25, 2016
Lovely, right?
Pujols is having a poor season overall -- he entered the night with a 92 OPS+ -- but there's a fair chance he cracks the top 10 this season, and perhaps the top nine, since both Mark McGwire (583) and Frank Robinson (586) seem within reach. Of course, that's if he remains healthy and the power well doesn't go dry.
Don't expect Pujols to gain any additional ground until sometime in 2017, however: Sammy Sosa, Jim Thome, and Ken Griffey Jr. each finished with more than 600 home runs.
