Albert Pujols steadied his hands, shimmied his back elbow, then struck a pose.
If there’s one thing the 21-year veteran and future Hall of Fame slugger knows, it’s when he has gotten ahold of one.
And on April 26, just 10 days before being designated for assignment and later released by the Angels, Pujols had done so again, launching a 425-foot home run to straight-away center field in Arlington, Texas, against the Rangers.
It was Pujols’ 667th career home run and, at the time, fifth long ball through the 21st game of the season, representing a 38-homer pace if continued over the course of a 162-game campaign.