After 20 years in the Major Leagues, Albert Pujols, “The Machine”, will finally make his debut in the Lidom

It’s official. This Thursday the Leones del Escogido announced the acquisition of perhaps the best player in the history of the Dominican Republic: José Alberto Pujols.

And the scarlet squad not only communicated the change for the future Hall of Fame of Professional Baseball, but it will also immediately join the lineup of the team of the capital.

He is a player who has accumulated numbers and major league records like few in history in his 20-year career, and has been selected ten times to the All-Star Game.

Albert Pujols made his debut for the St. Louis Cardinals at just 21 years old, immediately establishing himself as an integral part of that team, despite not having a fixed position on the field.

In his first season, Pujols won the Rookie of the Year Award, was selected to the National League All-Star team, won a Silver Bat, and placed fourth on the Most Valuable Player (MVP, MVP) voting list. playing primarily left and right field, as well as taking turns at first and third base.

That season he hit .329, with 37 homers, 47 doubles and 130 RBIs, statistics that he practically replicated the following year, getting a .314 / 34/40/127 batting line, finishing second in the race for the MVP of the old circuit.

In 2003 he established himself as one of the best hitters in the sport by obtaining the batting title with an average of .359, also leading all Major League Baseball players in runs scored (137), doubles (51) and total bases (394). ). Also, in the National League he finished in first place in hits, with 212.

The following year he maintained the same level, hitting .331, with 46 homers, 51 doubles and 123 RBIs, in the process extending his four-year streak in the top five on the MVP list.

Finally in 2005 Pujols wins the MVP and the following season helps San Luis to win the World Series, reaching individual and collective glory in consecutive seasons.

In the four years that followed this crown, Albert had the reputation of the most feared hitter in baseball, and in that span this was translated into walks.

For three seasons, Pujols led the majors in intentional walks, with 44 being his most.

Such was the panic caused by the man known as “The Machine,” due to his tireless ability to produce, that on occasions opposing coaches chose to intentionally walk him with bases loaded, preferring to give the Cardinals a run, not to face to Pujols.

In those years, he also picked up a pair of Golden Gloves at first base, a position he settled on after spending a couple of seasons without a permanent position in defense, in addition to two MVP awards.

2011 would mark the end of his illustrious career with St. Louis, saying goodbye with his second World Series title, en route to signing a $ 240 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels.

Thus began the second half of Pujols’ career, characterized by the decline in his numbers, despite the fact that he maintained good “stats” during his first seasons with the Angels.

In his debut season in Los Angeles, he had a .285 / 30/50/105 batting line, which ended up being the best year he had wearing the colors of the Californian franchise.

2013 was a difficult year for the Dominican, who suffered the first major injury of his career, which limited him to 99 games.

This was Pujols’ career with the Angels, characterized by various physical discomforts, and production below his customary level, although he repeatedly exceeded 30 homers and 100 RBIs.

This season was Albert’s last with the Angels, which ended prematurely when he was controversially released.

However, this was not the end of the major leagues for Pujols, who signed for the remainder of the season with neighboring Los Angeles Dodgers, where he served as an alternate player.

Now it is the turn of the Dominicans. From this Friday he will be in the country and his almost immediate integration into the game is expected. His single appearance will register him as the greatest baseball player to ever step on Lidom’s field.

At 41 years old, “La Maquina” does not stop. And it continues its march.