St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Albert Pujols David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Albert Pujols gifts young fan game-worn jersey

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 8/25/22

As the legendary Albert Pujols continues his pursuit of the 700-home run club, he's not forgetting to acknowledge the fans along the way. With Pujols making his final trip to Wrigley Field this week (with the Chicago Cubs all but eliminated from the playoff race), the slugger made one youngster's day at the conclusion of the St. Louis Cardinals' 7-1 loss on Wednesday night.

Albert Pujols gets it

(via @BobbySTL1936) pic.twitter.com/RCxv2MK2VV
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) August 25, 2022

Thank you so much @PujolsFive Cooper was beyond excited when you gave him your jersey. He wore the jersey out of Wrigley and back to the hotel. We will be back today to cheer on @Cardinals You made a lifetime memory for our family. #Stlcards pic.twitter.com/U1Z8ULOlKs
— Bobby (@BobbySTL1936) August 25, 2022

The 42-year-old future Hall-of-Famer has turned back the clock in recent weeks to become one of the hottest hitters in MLB following a rough start to the year. With 693 career home runs, Pujols is just three away from tying Alex Rodriguez for fourth place on the all-time home run list.

Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714) are the only members of the 700-home run club. The Cardinals have 38 games left in the regular season, but due to a multitude of factors, it's unknown how many more contests Pujols will appear in.

The three-time NL MVP is now primarily a designated hitter, plus with St. Louis currently holding a 5.5 game lead in the NL Central, the Cardinals will be looking to trot out a starting lineup that gives them the best chance to win on a daily basis. Pujols' splits against right-handed and left-handed pitchers couldn't be more drastic, as he currently boasts a .398/.436/.807 slash line against southpaws but just a .189/.288/.328 line against righties.

St. Louis takes on Chicago in Pujols' Wrigley Field finale at 2:20 p.m. ET on Thursday.

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