St. Louis Cardinals’ Albert Pujols mashes 698th career home run vs. Cincinnati Reds

ST. LOUIS — St. Louis Cardinals hitter Albert Pujols hit his 698th career home run from Cincinnati Reds release Raynel Espinal in the sixth inning of Friday’s game.

Pujols, 42, hit Espinal’s first pitch into left field when the crowd was already on their feet in anticipation. He rounded the bases in a tremendous cheer.

Pujols hit the 84-mile slider 427 feet. It had an exit speed of 106.3 mph.

It was also his 19th home game that season, the second most in a single season for a player 42 years of age or older. He has 12 home runs since Aug. 10, one behind Aaron Judge and Eugenio Suarez, the most in MLB in that span.

The two running shots finished the game 4-4 and gave Pujols a six-game RBI streak, his longest since 2017.