Detroit (USA), .- The first baseman Albert Pujols became the third player with 2,000 RBIs and he did it with the most spectacular method as always is to hit a home run.
Pujols threw the ball out of the park with a solo shot in the third inning and helped the Los Angeles Angels win by beating and 13-0 shutout against the Detroit Tigers.
The veteran Dominican slugger of 39 years, three times Most Valuable Player (MVP), joined Hank Aaron (2,297) and his compatriot Alex Rodriguez (2,086) as the only players to reach that historic mark since 1920, which began to count as official statistics.
The legendary Babe Ruth is credited with 1,992 RBIs in his career because the record book does not take into account the careers that the slugger produced for the Boston Red Sox between 1914 and 1919.
Left-hander Ryan Carpenter (0-1) threw a fastball down the middle of the plate and Pujols went 2-0 down the right-field stands.
Pujols received a standing ovation from the small audience attending the game held at Comerica Park in Detroit, where his milestone was highlighted on video screens and on the stadium speakers.
“He’s one of the best hitters on this planet, without a doubt,” said Angels driver Brad Ausmus, who also coached the Tigers. “For about 10 years, he was the best, he was the Mike Trout of his time, he really went from Pujols to (Miguel) Cabrera to Trout, but Albert’s work is clearly the best.”
Luke Bard was the starter for the Angels after a 53-minute rain delay and only threw one inning, allowing two hits.
He replaced the Dominican right Felix Peña (2-1) with seven blank innings in which he gave just three hits and struck out seven, which made him worthy to win.
However, the Angels offered plenty of hits making their job easier.
Japanese designated hitter Shohei Ohtani ended his 7-0 start at bat in the season with a producing single in the first inning.
The AL Rookie of the Year batted 4-2 in his third game since receiving authorization to join the lineup after undergoing Tommy John surgery in October.
Second baseman Tommy La Stella hit the first of two homers, a two-run hit in the second inning. Pujols’ sixth homer of the season gave Los Angeles a 6-0 partial advantage.
Right fielder Kole Calhoun followed up with another solo homer in the sixth inning and a sacrifice fly from fellow Ranger Mike Trout made the score 9-0 in the seventh.(EFE)
