Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols hit the 522nd home run of his career during the first inning of Sunday's 9-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals. According to Baseball-Reference.com, this moved him past Willie McCovey, Frank Thomas and Ted Williams for sole possession of 18th place on the all-time home runs list.
Pujols broke the four-way logjam at 521 with a solo shot to left field off Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura, who would go on to pick up his second win of the season despite making an early mistake against one of the game's all-time greats.
While the 35-year-old first baseman later added a double off Ventura, the rest of the Los Angeles lineup struggled to get anything going.
After dropping three consecutive home games to Kansas City, the Angels have scored just 16 runs through their first six contests of the season—even with a lineup that includes Pujols and outfielder Mike Trout.
The two stars have actually held up their end of the bargain, as Pujols has largely made up for a .182 batting average by hitting two home runs, while Trout owns a .400 batting average and .458 on-base percentage.
The other guys on the team should eventually provide some support as Pujols looks to climb further up the all-time home runs list.
Next up is Jimmie Foxx, sitting 12 home runs away at 534.
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