JUPITER, Fla. — Albert Pujols has returned to the St. Louis Cardinals, finding a home in the place where he became one of baseball's most powerful sluggers.
The 42-year-old slugger emerged from beyond the right field wall at the Cardinals' spring training complex between the first and second innings of an exhibition game against Houston on Monday. Pujols drew a standing ovation from the crowd and was greeted with hugs in the St. Louis dugout.
Ladies and gentlemen ... Albert Pujols.
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Pujols was a three-time MVP and helped the Cardinals win two World Series titles. He signed with the Los Angeles Angels after boosting the Cards to the 2011 championship.
He split last season with the Angels and Dodgers.
Pujols reached a one-year deal with the Cardinals over the weekend and gives them an option at designated hitter.
"This is it for me," Pujols told reporters at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium after the Astros beat the Cardinals 2-1. "This is my last run."
Pujols, who did not play Monday, said it "feels great" to put on his familiar No. 5 jersey and return to the locker room where his Major League Baseball career began.
