Pujols joins exclusive club with 2,700th career hit
Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols updated his Hall of Fame resume Wednesday in Anaheim, where the venerable 36-year-old became the 62nd player to notch 2,700 career hits with a sixth-inning single off Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Adam Liberatore.
(Courtesy: MLB.com)
Pujols' latest milestone thrust him into another exclusive club, as the three-time MVP is now just the ninth player in history with at least 550 home runs and 2,700 hits, joining Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, and Babe Ruth, as well as contemporaries Rafael Palmeiro, Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Bonds, and Alex Rodriguez.
| Player | HR | H | G | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barry Bonds | 762 | 2935 | 2986 | 164.4 |
| Hank Aaron | 755 | 3771 | 3298 | 136.3 |
| Babe Ruth | 714 | 2873 | 2504 | 168.4 |
| Alex Rodriguez* | 692 | 3084 | 2739 | 114.1 |
| Willie Mays | 660 | 3283 | 2992 | 149.9 |
| Ken Griffey | 630 | 2781 | 2671 | 77.7 |
| Frank Robinson | 586 | 2943 | 2808 | 104 |
| Rafael Palmeiro | 569 | 3020 | 2831 | 70 |
| Albert Pujols* | 568 | 2700 | 2314 | 90.2 |
*still active
Under contract through 2021, Pujols - now hitting .364/.432/.545 with a pair of homers in the last eight games - could conceivably end up as one of three players with 600 homers and 3,000 hits while possibly finishing his career as the all-time hits leader among Dominican-born players, too.
| Player | H ▾ | HR | BA | Under contract through? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adrian Beltre* | 2809 | 420 | .285 | 2018 |
| Albert Pujols* | 2700 | 568 | .310 | 2021 |
| Vladimir Guerrero | 2590 | 449 | .318 | - |
| Julio Franco | 2586 | 173 | .298 | - |
| Manny Ramirez | 2574 | 555 | .312 | - |