Angels first baseman Albert Pujols took sole possession of 18th place on the all-time home run leaderboard with a first-inning solo shot off of Royals right-hander Yordano Ventura in the first inning on Sunday afternoon. It’s the 522nd home run of the slugger’s career, breaking a four-way tie with Willie McCovey, Frank Thomas, and Ted Williams.
Pujols could conceivably pass Mike Schmidt, with 548 career home runs, in 15th place by the end of the season. He would need to hit 27 more home runs to do so. Pujols’ next targets, however, are Jimmie Foxx (534) and Mickey Mantle (536).
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Pujols’ 521st home run came on Wednesday, a first-inning, two-run home run off of Mariners right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma.
Pujols entered Sunday afternoon’s game batting just .105 (2-for-19). After playing in only 99 games in 2013, Pujols had a fully healthy season last year and posted solid offensive numbers, finishing with a .790 OPS, 28 home runs, and 105 RBI in 695 plate appearances.