Pujols receives standing ovation in Busch return

June 22nd, 2019

ST. LOUIS -- The room had already filled for Albert Pujols¡¯ scheduled press conference Friday afternoon when Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina snuck in and snaked his way to the back. A minute later, he pulled out his phone to FaceTime a friend.

¡°Hurry up,¡± Molina told Pujols. ¡°We¡¯re waiting for you.¡±

It was a sentiment shared by the city.

Nearly eight years after he last played in a Cardinals uniform, Pujols finally returned to the stadium that he once helped christen with championships, MVPs and majestic home runs. He hadn¡¯t been back at Busch Stadium since he had departed a 2011 World Series champion.

That changed at 2:35 p.m. CT on Friday, when he walked through the security entrance not only to find the blinding lights of TV cameras awaiting, but also so many old friends. A few of them snuck into his press conference -- including former teammate Jim Edmonds, Cardinals manager Mike Shildt and all three Molina brothers -- while others peeked their heads out of offices or around corners to catch a glimpse or say thank you.

He stopped to hug security guards and Cardinals team doctors, broadcasters and front office staffers.

¡°It¡¯s him!¡± one lady exclaimed as she cracked open the door to the stadium operations office.

¡°It hasn¡¯t hit me yet,¡± Pujols said three hours before first pitch. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure later on, when I take the field, it¡¯ll be -- I¡¯m not really an emotional guy, but I think it¡¯s getting to me now. ¡­ Besides the two World Series that we accomplished together here in this organization, with the Cardinals, I think this is probably going to be right up there. This moment, this weekend.¡±

By the end of the night, there would be so many moments.

The first ovation from the second-largest crowd (48,423) in Busch Stadium III¡¯s 14-year history came at 6:50, when Pujols emerged from the dugout to stretch. Cameras caught him grinning from ear to ear. He briefly choked up.

¡°That got me there, too, for a minute,¡± Pujols said after the Cardinals¡¯ 5-1 win over the Angels. ¡°The moment was pretty special.¡±

Minutes later, he jogged to center field, where several Cardinals players were waiting to meet him. With so much time passed since he last called St. Louis home, most had never met him before.

At 7:01, the Busch Stadium scoreboard began to play highlights of Pujols¡¯ career with the Cardinals. It concluded with a standing ovation from the sellout crowd. Players from both teams lined the top of their respective dugouts to join in the applause.

¡°The pregame tribute was awesome,¡± Angels center fielder Mike Trout said after playing his first game in St. Louis. ¡°Obviously, he's done a lot for St. Louis. I was looking at his numbers. If he would've retired after his 11 years here, he would've still been in the Hall of Fame. It's just pretty remarkable.¡±

Pujols moved into the on-deck circle at 7:23, waving to all the fans who pulled out their smartphones. Two minutes later, an entire stadium rose.

For about the next 80 seconds, the appreciation for Pujols¡¯ lasting legacy in a baseball-crazed town hit its crescendo. Molina cleared the area around home plate to let the moment build. Thirty-three seconds in, Pujols doffed his helmet. Ten seconds later, he and Molina embraced. Owner Bill DeWitt Jr. and team president Bill DeWitt III joined in the standing ovation.

The reception continued as Michael Wacha -- the player that the Cardinals chose with the compensation pick they received upon Pujols¡¯ departure -- delivered a pitch. The applause didn¡¯t end until center fielder Harrison Bader snagged Pujols¡¯ 365-foot flyout to end the first inning.

¡°I can tell you that if it was up to these fans, they would have stood out there for three hours,¡± Pujols said. ¡°Because that¡¯s the appreciation they have, not just for me, but to everybody who has worn that uniform.¡±

The standing ovations recommenced each time he returned to the plate. During his fourth-inning plate appearance, fans chanted his name. They also booed Wacha after Pujols drew a four-pitch walk. Pujols later apologized to Wacha for the spotlight that he stole.

¡°I really didn¡¯t think too much about it,¡± Wacha said. ¡°It¡¯s obviously well deserved, and he probably deserved about five more minutes of that ovation.¡±

The crowd, again on its feet, later seemed to will Pujols to first as he beat out an infield single to open the seventh. His 4.76-second home-to-first time was the fastest that Pujols had gotten down the first-base line in over four years, according to Statcast.?

When he was lifted for a pinch-runner later in the frame, the crowd took one final opportunity to express its gratitude for all that Pujols had accomplished under the shadow of the Gateway Arch.

¡°I think the Cardinals did a really nice job paying tribute to Albert,¡± Angels manager Brad Ausmus said. ¡°The fans, obviously, couldn¡¯t have been better. I think when you think of baseball in St. Louis, some of the names that would pop up, Albert¡¯s would be right there with them.¡±

St. Louis¡¯ celebration of Pujols will extend into the weekend, as Ausmus confirmed that he plans to start Pujols in all three games of the series. Many of the fans who flocked back to see him dug up their old No. 5 jerseys to wear for the affair. It¡¯s a number that has not been issued since Pujols¡¯ departure and is unlikely ever to be again.

With so many requests for tickets, Pujols purchased three suites. His foundation filled another two Friday and has dispersed 400 tickets for Sunday¡¯s series finale. Pujols¡¯ return brought his former manager, Tony La Russa, and general manager, Walt Jocketty, to town, along with longtime teammate Chris Carpenter, who found Pujols as he was about to leave the stadium. The two embraced.

¡°Words can¡¯t describe this night,¡± Pujols said. ¡°Maybe a week from now, that¡¯s when it¡¯s really going to sink in.¡±

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com