Apr 15, 2019; Milwaukee, WI, USA; A cap rests on the dug out wall with the number 42 on the hat in honor of Major League Baseball s Jackie Robinson Day. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

Cardinals Legend Celebrates A Special Day

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Curt Bishop | Last updated Jan 16, 2026 6:00 PM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals are one of the most historic franchises in professional sports history. They have won 11 World Series titles, the most in the National League, and have also won 19 NL pennants.

Though they’re currently rebuilding for the future, that doesn’t take away from all of their historic accomplishments or the impact of some of their greatest players.

In this day and age, the first player that comes to fans’ minds when they think of the Cardinals is Albert Pujols. He is celebrating his 46th birthday on Friday, and to celebrate, Major League Baseball posted a video of him hitting his 700th career home run on X.

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Albert Pujols Embodies Cardinals Baseball

Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Pujols was surprisingly not drafted until the 13th round in 1999, but two years later, he came up through the Cardinals system and was the NL Rookie of the Year. He is the most recent Cardinal to have won the award.

He was with the team through the 2011 season, and while he was there, the Cardinals won five NL Central titles, earned two Wild Card berths, won three NL pennants and two World Series titles. He signed with the Los Angeles Angels in 2012 and had a brief stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2021.

But for his final year, Pujols returned to St. Louis and walked away alongside Yadier Molina. He put on a spectacular second half of the season to reach the historic milestone and he helped the Cardinals win another NL Central title.

Pujols was an 11-time All-Star, a six-time Silver Slugger, two-time Gold Glove winner, a batting champion, and a three-time NL MVP. He even won the NLCS MVP award in 2004, helping the Cardinals reach their first World Series since 1987.

The 46-year-old finished his career hitting .296/.374/.544 with 703 home runs, 101.2 WAR, 2,218 RBI and a .918 OPS. There is now even a section dedicated to all of his home runs at Busch Stadium.

Despite times being tough for the Cardinals in 2026, fans can always look back on the great work Pujols did for the team and for the St. Louis community. That impact can still be felt to this day.

He had a long period of unforgettable moments that live on in Cardinals history.

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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