Angels' Pujols ties franchise record with 13th homer in June

On a day when the Los Angeles Angels needed leadership more than ever, Albert Pujols delivered. Twice.

Pujols began Tuesday attempting to silence reports of tension inside the Angels' clubhouse, and by the end of the night, the future Hall of Famer was busy putting the finishing touches on a record-breaking month.

The Angels first baseman capped one of the best months of his career with yet another timely home run, a game-tying solo shot in the sixth inning to match the franchise record for most home runs in a month.

The blast to straightaway center off New York Yankees right-hander Ivan Nova was his 13th homer of the month, American League-leading 24th of the season, and 544th of his career. It was the first of back-to-back homers with Angels shortstop Erick Aybar.

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

Pujols, who finished June with an eye-popping .303/.395/.737 slash line, 26 RBIs, and 13 walks to just eight strikeouts, also moved past Tris Speaker for sole possession of 13th place on the all-time extra-base hits list with 1,132. Pujols's 13 homers in June matched Mo Vaughn (May 2000) and Tim Salmon (June 1996).

"I think we're seeing Albert at his best," manager Mike Scioscia told reporters after the Angels' 2-1 win. "We're seeing what he did in St. Louis year after year. He's found that groove, and especially, really, with no protection behind him. That you would normally have, where you'd have somebody maybe driving the ball behind a hitter like Albert."

Prior to Tuesday's game, Pujols had pointed words regarding the controversy surrounding general manager Jerry Dipoto, who's rumored to be on his way out of Los Angeles amid increasing tension between the GM and Scioscia.