Dave Skretta, The Associated Press
Albert Pujols will be on the St. Louis Cardinals roster for their home opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday as he enters his final major league season and plays a most likely emotional return to Busch Stadium.
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol announced Monday that Pujols will be the designated hitter in what will be his 22nd straight opener.
As a result, he will join Hank Aaron and Carl Yastrzemski for second all-time in this chapter. Only Pete Rose, with 23 straight starts in an opener, has more.
“I don’t want to set expectations because I like to be surprised, so I’m just going to savor (the moment),” Pujols, who was preparing for the final days of Cardinals training camp, told Jupiter. , in Florida
“I’m sure it will be emotional for me, and for the fans too. But I’m focused on the last steps to take to be ready for this season.”
Later Monday, Pujols released a statement in which he confirmed he had filed for divorce from his wife Deirdre after 22 years of marriage. Last week, Deirdre Pujols underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor discovered in October.
“I realize it’s not the most opportune time, with the opening game approaching and other family events that have recently taken place,” Pujols said.
“These situations are never easy and it’s something that happened suddenly. As a devout Christian, this is a result I never wanted to see happen.”
Pujols also asked that we respect “our privacy and that of our five children during this period”.
On the pitch, Pujols could replace Paul Goldschmidt at the first sack on an occasional basis this season. He should also play a few preseason games in this position before the team returns to St. Louis.
The 42-year-old baseball player and his good friend Yadier Molina have already indicated that they will both play one last season in Major League Baseball. It could also be the case of pitcher Adam Wainwright, 40, who won the 2006 and 2011 World Series with his two friends.
Wainwright will start the opener on the mound for the Cardinals. This is the sixth time that such an honor has come to him.
Pujols will begin this final campaign at 21 career homers from the 700 plateau. Last season, with the Los Angeles Angels and then the Los Angeles Dodgers, he posted a .236 batting average with 17 home runs.
He has, however, shown that he can still hold his own against left-handed pitchers, as evidenced by his .294 batting average and 13 homers in 136 visits to the plate against them in 2021.
“This guy is definitely motivated,” Marmol said. He is on a mission to finish in style. He’s in good shape, he’s doing well and in terms of his timing, every time he gets a time at bat, he feels better. Mentally and physically he is ready.”
