Albert Pujols, Dominican-American baseball player
José Alberto Pujols Alcántara (Spanish pronunciation: [puˈxols]; born January 16, 1980) is a Dominican professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed "The Machine", he played his first 11 seasons in MLB for the Cardinals, then played with the Los Angeles Angels for more than nine seasons before joining the Los Angeles Dodgers for half a season. With St. Louis, Pujols has been a three-time National League (NL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) (2005, 2008, 2009) and nine-time All-Star (2001, 2003–2010). After joining the Angels in 2012, he made one All-Star appearance, in 2015.
Pujols was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to the United States in 1996. After one season of college baseball, he was selected by the Cardinals in the 13th round of the 1999 MLB draft. As a rookie for the Cardinals in 2001, he was unanimously voted the NL Rookie of the Year. Pujols played consistently for the Cardinals, contributing to two World Series championships in 2006 and 2011. After the 2011 season, Pujols became a free agent and signed a 10-year contract with the Angels. Early in the 2021 season, Pujols was designated for assignment by the Angels. Shortly thereafter, he was signed by the Dodgers. On March 28, 2022, Pujols signed with the Cardinals on a one-year contract for his final season in his major league career.
Pujols was, at the height of his career, a highly regarded hitter who showed a "combination of contact hitting ability, patience and raw power." He is a six-time Silver Slugger who has twice led the NL in home runs, and he has also led the NL once each in batting average, doubles, and RBIs. With 14 seasons of 100 or more RBIs, he is one of only five players in MLB history to have topped 2,000 RBIs in his career, surpassing Alex Rodriguez for third place on the official all-time list during the 2020 season. In 2018, Pujols collected his 3,000th career hit, becoming the 32nd player in MLB history to reach that milestone. Pujols also became the fourth player to amass 3,000 hits and 600 home runs, joining Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Alex Rodriguez. As of 2021, he is the oldest active MLB player.