Albert Pujols 2nd Player in MLB History with 1,900 RBI in First 17 Seasons

Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Albert Pujols had a tremendous night at the dish Wednesday and surpassed a milestone in the process.

Pujols finished the night 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI, becoming the 10th player in MLB history to reach 1,900 career RBI and only the second to do so during the course of his first 17 campaigns, per MLB Stat of the Day. Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig did the same in his 17-year career, collecting 1,995 RBI from 1923-1939.

The Machine has been a staple in the middle of batting orders since he earned his promotion to the majors with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2001. In his 17 seasons since then, Pujols has recorded triple-digit RBI in 13 of 17 chances and has a strong possibility of reaching it again this season. The only time Pujols fell short of 95 RBI in a season came in 2013, when injuries limited him to 99 games.

Through 122 games played in 2017, Pujols has racked up 21 home runs and 83 RBI, scoring 47 runs of his own. However, it's been a struggle for him to make consistent contact at the dish in 2017. He's struck out 80 times so far this season, the most since his 93 punchouts during his rookie campaign.

Pujols and the Angels return to the diamond Friday in Arlington against the Texas Rangers. The team is on the cusp of acquiring Justin Upton from the Detroit Tigers, per Jerry Crasnick of ESPN, so it will be interesting to see the look of the batting order following his addition.