7/29/2011:
Pujols stood on second base and waved his helmet in appreciation of the standing ovation by 42,042 fans at Busch Stadium after recording his 2,000th hit. The Cubs waited, giving Pujols his moment.
“I think if they would have kept going, I think a couple of drops would have come out of my eyes,” Pujols said. “To be able to share this moment with them is incredible. Hopefully, I can continue to do it the rest of my career.”
In his 10th-plus season, Pujols is 263rd overall on the major league hit list. He’s the fifth Cardinal to get 2,000 hits and is the 12th-quickest player to 2,000 hits, taking 1,650 games.
Pujols joined Stan Musial (3,630), Lou Brock (2,713), Rogers Hornsby (2,110) and Enos Slaughter (2,063) as the only Cardinals to get 2,000 with the franchise.
“What a great thrill to behold it,” St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said. “It’s a great accomplishment this early in his career. I can’t begin to describe it. I’ve tried but he’s just a great, great player.”
According to projections, Pujols will reach 3,000 hits in August 2016.
“That’s a long ways from now,” Pujols said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. I don’t like to think about numbers. Hopefully, 3,000 will be here before you know it, but it’s a long way to 3,000 now. It’s a lot of hard work and hopefully one day it’ll all pay off and my next goal will be to be in Cooperstown, but I don’t want to think about it. I want to help this club just win.”
