SEATTLE (AP) — Albert Pujols became the 32nd member of the 3,000-hit club with a broken-bat single in the fifth inning of the Los Angeles Angels’ 5-0 win over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night., then added another hit to pass Roberto Clemente on the career list.
In his sixth attempt to join the exclusive list after getting to 2,999 career hits, Pujols got just enough of Mike Leake’s pitch to find the outfield grass and add another accolade to a likely Hall of Fame career. He received a standing ovation from the crowd in Seattle after reaching first base and being congratulated by his teammates.
The slugger made his career out of hitting the ball out of the yard, but reached the milestone by throwing his bat at a sinker that was probably out of the strike zone. Pujols didn’t make great contact but was strong enough to loft the ball over the infield and into right in front of Mitch Haniger.
The 38-year-old Pujols joined Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Alex Rodriguez as the fourth major leaguer with 3,000 hits and 600 homers. He’s the first player to reach the 3,000 hits since Adrian Beltre last year against Baltimore.
Pujols became the second Dominican to reach the mark after Beltre. With Seattle’s Ichiro Suzuki stepping away this week for the remainder of the 2018 season, Beltre is the only active player with more hits than Pujols.
Leake (3-3) lost for the third time in four starts. He threw 5 1/3 innings and matched a season-high with four walks.
