#Shortstops: Pujols’ 2,000th RBI
With that swing, Pujols joined Hank Aaron, Cap Anson, Álex Rodríguez and Babe Ruth with 2,000 RBI.
That home run on May 9, 2019, would also put Pujols on 639 career home runs, leaving him 21 shy of Willie Mays for fifth on the all-time home run list. On that day, Pujols would go 1-for-4, snapping what had been an 0-15 slump.
Initially, Hydes opted to keep the ball as opposed to giving it up to Pujols. Hydes said he planned to give the ball to his brother or keep it for his soon-to-be-born child. Following the game, Pujols said: “He can have that piece of history. He has the right to keep it. The ball went in the stands.”
Hydes stored the ball in a safety deposit box for several months before final deciding to hand the ball over to be cared for by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
The Hydes donated the ball in the name of their son, Cyrus Arlo Maloney, who died suddenly at the young age of 21 months on June 11, 2018. Cyrus was named after Hall of Famer Cy Young. The ball was presented in a ceremony to Hall of Fame President Tim Mead along with Director of Collections Susan MacKay.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum has a number of other Albert Pujols artifacts including the shoes that he wore in Game 3 of the 2011 World Series when he hit three home runs and the cleats that he was wearing when he notched his 500th career home run.
Nicholas DiGrispino is the 2022 library research intern in the Hall of Fame’s Frank and Peggy Steele Internship Program for Youth Leadership Development
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