Albert Pujols had batted six times at Busch Stadium this weekend, and each time, the fans that packed the ballpark stood to give him an ovation.
On Saturday afternoon, with the Angels trailing the St. Louis Cardinals in an eventual 4-2 loss, the process repeated itself in the seventh inning.
Catcher Yadier Molina, Pujols’ longtime teammate here, stood in front of home plate to draw out the crowd reaction. Pujols gave himself a moment to enjoy it, then settled himself into the batter’s box. Fans took their seats as Cardinals starter Dakota Hudson, who had retired 11 in a row in six scoreless innings, pitched to Pujols to start the inning.