ST. LOUIS (AP) -Albert Pujols has agreed to participate in Monday night’s Home Run Derby, even though the St. Louis Cardinals’ star is mired in a career-worst power slump.
Pujols and Alex Rios of the Toronto Blue Jays were the final two participants added to the field, Major League Baseball spokesman Pat Courtney said Sunday. The Derby will be held in San Francisco, site of Tuesday’s All-Star game.
Pujols’ homerless streak reached 21 games and a career-worst 71 at-bats when he managed two singles in the Cardinals’ 7-6 loss to the Giants on Saturday. He was tied with Chris Duncan for the team lead with 16 homers entering Sunday’s game against San Francisco.
Pujols’ last homer was off Kansas City’s Jimmy Gobble on June 14.
Rios had 17 home runs.
The only other time Pujols has participated in the Home Run Derby was at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago in 2003. He made it through the first round on a tiebreaker before belting 14 homers in the second round to reach the finals, where he lost by one to Garret Anderson of the Los Angeles Angels.
Pujols hit 49 homers last season and has 266 in his career.
—
AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum in San Francisco contributed to this report.
Add A Comment