Just how long have Serena Williams and Albert Pujols been getting the job done at a high level? One incredible stat that went viral helps tell the story.
Baseball blogger Dan Clark shared a tweet Tuesday morning that left sports fans astounded. The tweet noted that on August 29, 2001 and August 29, 2022, Serena Williams won a match at the US Open, while Albert Pujols hit a home run.
Not only is it pretty incredible that the two athletes achieved those feats on the same day 21 years apart, but some more context adds to the strikingness of the athletes’ longevity.
On the same day in 2001, Vlad Guerrero Sr., Craig Biggio and Dante Bichette all recorded hits. On Monday, Aug. 29, the sons of all three former sluggers all recorded hits.
That is just mind-blowing.
Pujols was a 21-year-old rookie in 2001 and batted .329 with 47 doubles and 37 homers. His dinger that day came in a 16-14 Cardinals win over the Padres. Amazingly, Pujols has continued to play all the way until now, which he says will be his last season. He is batting .277 with 15 home runs for the Cardinals.
Williams was slightly more established in her career in 2001. The 41-year-old tennis player played in her first grand slams in 1998 and had won the US Open in 1999. Though she didn’t win the US Open in 2001, she lost to her sister in the finals.
The special nature of their accomplishments seem even more incredible when you consider that the sons of the aforementioned baseball stars were part of the stat 21 years later. The whole timing is truly, truly astonishing.
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