Albert Pujols Drawing Close to Career Home-Run Milestone

Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Albert Pujols ripped his sixth home run of the season during the first inning of Wednesday evening's tilt against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Pujols has now knocked 597 pitches over the fence during the course of his career, just three short of joining the 600 home run club. The veteran slugger's shot was also the 137th opening-frame homer of his career. That total makes Pujols one of just three players to hit at least 40 first-inning home runs for two teams, per Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN.com). He joins Mark McGwire, who hit 51 with the Oakland Athletics and 47 with the Cards, and Alex Rodriguez, who posted 40 for the Texas Rangers and 50 for the New York Yankees, in the club.

The Machine's power numbers have seen a bit of a dip this season, currently sitting on pace to finish with around 24 home runs. Over his 16 previous campaigns, he's finished with fewer than 30 in just two of them. The first came in an injury-shortened 2013, when he collected 17 over 99 contests. He failed to reach 30 in 2014 as well, hitting 28 that season.

Since entering the majors in 2001, Pujols has earned numerous accolades to decorate his wall. In addition to his three MVP awards, he's racked up six Silver Sluggers, two Gold Gloves and 10 All-Star nominations. While his best days may be behind him, the veteran still generally provides a decent amount of offense out of the designated hitter spot.

Unfortunately for the Angels, Pujols' backloaded contract runs through 2021—his age 41 season. While he may not live up to the expectations of his 10-year, $240 million contract, he will go into the record books as one of the game's better hitters.