ALBERT PUJOLS

This season has been difficult for both Adam Wainwright and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Giancarlo Stanton smashed his 400th home run, Gerrit Cole burnished his Cy Young Award credentials and the New York Yankees beat the Detroit Tigers 5-1 on Tuesday night.

Shohei Ohtani has hit a 493-foot home run — the longest of his major league career — to become the ninth player to reach 30 homers in a season by July 1.

Shohei Ohtani became the first American League pitcher in nearly 60 years to hit two homers and strike out 10 batters in a game, leading the Los Angeles Angels past the Chicago White Sox 4-2 in his latest extraordinary performance.

Aaron Judge, Edwin Díaz, Trea Turner, Dansby Swanson and Xander Bogaerts were among 131 players who became free agents as baseball’s business season began just hours after the final out of the World Series.

Houston Astros catcher Martín Maldonado was forced to switch bats for Game 2 of the World Series after it was determined the model he swung in the opener was no longer allowed in the majors.

All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado will not exercise the opt-out clause in his contract with the Cardinals.

Justin Verlander remains in search of his first World Series win after going 0-6 with a 5.68 ERA in seven Series starts.

Adam Wainwright will pitch for the St. Louis Cardinals next season, choosing to return for an 18th with the franchise while longtime teammates Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina head into retirement.

Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina have played their final games with the Cardinals, who were eliminated by the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League wild-card series.

Aaron Nola pitched four-hit ball into the seventh inning, Bryce Harper’s homer gave Philadelphia an early lead, and the Phillies held off the St. Louis Cardinals 2-0 to sweep their National League wild-card series.

The Phillies scored six times in the ninth inning off the stingy St. Louis bullpen, highlighted by a bases-loaded single by Jean Segura, and Philadelphia beat the NL Central champion Cardinals 6-3 in the opening game of their National League wild-card series.

Major League Baseball wasn’t able to coax fans to ballparks at pre-pandemic levels this season, though attendance did jump substantially from the COVID-19 affected campaign in 2021.

The entire Major League Baseball playoff picture is now set.

Albert Pujols hit his 703rd home run, breaking a tie with Babe Ruth for second place in career RBIs, but the St. Louis Cardinals lost to Pittsburgh 3-2 when the Pirates drew four consecutive walks in the ninth inning to force home the winning run.

Albert Pujols has hit his 703rd home run, breaking a tie with Babe Ruth for second place in career RBIs.

Albert Pujols slammed his 702nd career home run and drove in three runs in the Cardinals' 7-5 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.

Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols has hit his 701st home run, connecting against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Andrew Knizner hit a two-run homer, Miles Mikolas pitched six strong innings and the St. Louis Cardinals clinched the NL Central title with a 6-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.

Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies hoped to be in this position.

St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols hit his 700th career home run, becoming the fourth player to reach the milestone in major league history.

Albert Pujols has hit his 699th career home run, continuing his remarkable run toward history in his final season.

Fans looking to watch Aaron Judge’s pursuit of the AL home run record or Albert Pujols chase 700 homers live Friday night will need to do it via streaming.

Brendan Donovan hit a grand slam in the seventh inning to lead Albert Pujols and the St. Louis Cardinals to a 5-4 victory against the San Diego Padres, snapping a three-game losing streak.

Blake Snell held St. Louis hitless until Albert Pujols beat the shift for a single with two outs in the seventh inning and the San Diego Padres beat the NL Central-leading Cardinals 1-0.

Blake Snell of the San Diego Padres has pitched six no-hit innings against Albert Pujols and the NL Central-leading St. Louis Cardinals.

Aaron Judge and Albert Pujols could make this a milestone week for home runs.

Yadier Molina hit a two-run drive while Albert Pujols went hitless in his quest for 700 homers, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds 5-1 in the first game of a doubleheader.

Albert Pujols hit his 698th home run, a tying two-run drive in the sixth inning that sparked the St. Louis Cardinals over the Cincinnati Reds 6-5.

Albert Pujols hit his 698th home run, a two-run drive that pulled the St Louis Cardinals into a sixth-inning tie with the Cincinnati Reds.

Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina made history with the first pitch of the game, then the record-setting battery helped the St. Louis Cardinals extend their NL Central lead by beating the Milwaukee Brewers 4-1.

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright and catcher Yadier Molina have made their 325th career start together, setting a major league record for most as a battery.

Atlanta finally passed the New York Mets this past week.

Albert Pujols hit his 697th home run, moving past Alex Rodriguez into fourth place on the career list and doing it in dramatic fashion with a ninth-inning drive that rallied the St. Louis Cardinals over the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3.

Albert Pujols hit his 696th home run, tying Alex Rodriguez for fourth place on the career list, and the St. Louis Cardinals rallied past the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-5.

Albert Pujols hit his 695th career home run in the eighth inning and Miles Mikolas tossed eight scoreless innings to help the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 2-0.

Paul Goldschmidt slugged his 32nd and 33rd homers and had five RBIs, Corey Dickerson set a franchise record for consecutive hits and the St. Louis Cardinals rolled to an 8-3 win over the Chicago Cubs.

Javier Assad pitched four scoreless innings in his major league debut and combined with four relievers on a five-hitter as the Chicago Cubs cooled off the St. Louis Cardinals 2-0 in the first game of a doubleheader.

Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno says he is exploring the possibility of selling the franchise.

Albert Pujols hit career homer No. 693, Jordan Montgomery pitched a one-hitter and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 1-0 for their season-high eighth straight victory.

Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols blasted two more homers, pushing his career total to 692 and helping St. Louis beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 16-7.

Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols hit two more home runs, boosting his total to 692 and moving him past Stan Musial into second place on the career list for total bases.

Albert Pujols launched a pinch-hit grand slam and drove in five runs, Adam Wainwright pitched seven sharp innings and the St. Louis Cardinals routed the Colorado Rockies 13-0 for a three-game sweep.

When Juan Soto turned down a $440 million, 15-year deal to stay with the Washington Nationals, it ensured Tuesday’s trade deadline would have a little juice.

Angels star Shohei Ohtani called his shot before leading off the Midsummer Classic at Dodger Stadium, telling Fox’s Tom Verducci in the on-deck circle that he was going to jump on Clayton Kershaw quickly.

Washington Nationals star Juan Soto won his first Home Run Derby.

Washington’s Juan Soto advanced to the final with a 16-15 victory over St. Louis slugger and sentimental favorite Albert Pujols.

Pete Alonso, Albert Pujols and Kyle Schwarber tee off in the All-Star Home Run Derby at Dodger Stadium, where fans see how far and fast the sluggers can launch longballs into the Los Angeles twilight.

Cardinals reliever Genesis Cabrera slammed the ball to the ground in frustration when he was removed from the game, prompting a stern response from manager Oliver Marmol moments before St. Louis closed out a 7-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

Hanser Alberto hit a tiebreaking single with two outs in the ninth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers climbed out of a huge hole in a 7-6 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Red Sox lefty Chris Sale is set to make his season debut when he starts against Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field on Tuesday night.

Now that the full Major League Baseball All-Star squads have been announced, look for the rosters to start changing.

Los Angeles Angels sensation Shohei Ohtani repeated as a two-way All-Star when he was picked for the AL pitching staff, two days after he was elected to start at designated hitter.

Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels were elected Friday to start in the July 19 All-Star Game along with outfielders Mookie Betts and Trea Turner of the host Dodgers.

Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera were added to All-Star Game rosters by baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred under a provision in the sport’s new labor agreement.

It took four seasons for Shohei Ohtani to join the biggest major league stars of the last eight decades.

New York Mets ace Max Scherzer returns to a major league mound for the first time since May 18 when the NL East leaders play at Cincinnati on Tuesday night.

Shane McClanahan pitched eight superb innings to win his fifth consecutive start and the Tampa Bay Rays completed a three-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals with a 2-1 victory.

Free falling toward a dreadful bit of team history, the Angels fired manager Joe Maddon on Tuesday and appointed third base coach Phil Nevin to the role on an interim basis.

Injured Mets ace Max Scherzer has confirmed that his dog bit his pitching hand this week, but he says the wound won’t slow his recovery from an oblique strain.

First, Albert Pujols.

Albert Pujols hit two home runs, then caught the warmup tosses when star catcher Yadier Molina made his first pitching appearance to close out the St. Louis Cardinals' 18-4 romp over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Chicago White Sox star Tim Anderson has accused Yankees slugger Josh Donaldson of making a racist remark during Saturday’s game and Major League Baseball is looking into the incident.

Hours after the Mets learned Max Scherzer will join fellow ace Jacob deGrom on the injured list, Pete Alonso kept New York rolling with a two-run homer in the 10th inning for a 7-6 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Mets ace Max Scherzer removed himself from a start with an apparent injury against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina set a major league record for wins by a starting battery as the St. Louis Cardinals routed the San Francisco Giants 15-6 in a game that ended with longtime slugger Albert Pujols on the mound.

Rylan Bannon became just the third Baltimore player since 2000 to get a hit on the first pitch of his big league career, Jorge Mateo and Anthony Bemboom homered and the Orioles beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2.

Adam Wainwright pitched seven innings of one-hit ball, Nolan Arenado hit a three-run shot and finished with five RBIs, and the Cardinals beat the Royals 10-0 to take their four-game season series.

López struck out nine, including Cardinals star Albert Pujols three times.

Marlins’ starter Jesús Luzardo allowed five runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings

Albert Pujols homered for the first time since returning to St. Louis and Andrew Knizner hit a three-run shot as the Cardinals defeated the Kansas City Royals 6-5.

Adam Wainwright pitched six scoreless innings, Tyler O’Neill hit a three-run homer and drove in a career-high five, and the St. Louis Cardinals celebrated Albert Pujols’ return with a 9-0 season-opening win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Winners of the Roberto Clemente Award will wear his No. 21 on the back of their caps for the rest of their major league careers.

Cubs veteran Kyle Hendricks is set to deliver the first pitch of the season against Corbin Burnes and Milwaukee at Wrigley Field just past 2:20 p.m. EDT, the first of seven games still on the calendar amid rainy forecasts across the country.

There's a lot to catch up on from a bizarre baseball offseason before the 2022 season officially begins with first pitch at Wrigley Field.

Albert Pujols will be in the starting lineup for the St. Louis Cardinals against the Pittsburgh Pirates when he begins his final big league season Thursday in what should be an emotional return to Busch Stadium.

Albert Pujols got a good hit and then some good news about his wife’s health.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have so many stars this season that Clayton Kershaw is just one of the guys.

Albert Pujols has returned to the St. Louis Cardinals, finding a home in the place where he became one of baseball's most powerful sluggers.

The New York Mets have hired Billy Eppler as their general manager, giving him a four-year contract.

The New York Mets are close to completing a deal to hire Billy Eppler as general manager, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.

Eddie Rosario's hot bat led the Atlanta Braves to a World Series matchup with the Houston Astros and earned him the NL Championship Series MVP award.

Astros rookie Luis García will start against the Red Sox in Game 6 of the AL Championship Series with a trip to the World Series on the line.

Chris Taylor hit three homers and drove in six runs to help the Los Angeles Dodgers beat Atlanta 11-2, cutting the Braves' lead to 3-2 in the best-of-seven NL Championship Series.

Austin Riley homered and drove in the winning run with a single in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Atlanta Braves a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the NL Championship Series.

Evan Longoria homered off Max Scherzer in the fifth inning and the San Francisco Giants edged the Los Angeles Dodgers 1-0 on a blustery night to take a 2-1 lead in their NL Division Series.

Every year, the day after the regular season can be dicey for managers whose teams didn’t do so well.

Trea Turner hit a grand slam and solo home run as the Los Angeles Dodgers extended the NL West race for at least another day, rallying past the Milwaukee Brewers 8-6 after starter Clayton Kershaw got hurt.

Yankees ace Gerrit Cole makes what might be his final start of the regular season in a critical showdown against Toronto.

Yankees ace Gerrit Cole makes what might be his final start of the regular season in a critical showdown against Toronto.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have clinched a postseason berth by beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-4 for their fifth straight win.

Albert Pujols rewarded an adoring crowd by hitting a home run in his return to Busch Stadium, sending the Los Angeles Dodgers toward a 7-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Steven Duggar hit a tiebreaking two-run triple after being called up earlier in the day, Brandon Belt homered, and the San Francisco Giants wrapped up their key weekend series against the rival Los Angeles Dodgers with a 6-4 win to take the NL West lead.

Albert Pujols is sure to get a big ovation at Busch Stadium when the Los Angeles Dodgers slugger returns to face the Cardinals.

Trea Turner and Corey Seager homered, Julio Urías won his seventh straight decision, and the Los Angeles Dodgers moved into a tie for first place with San Francisco atop the NL West Division with a 6-1 victory over the Giants.

Albert Pujols hit his first home run against the Los Angeles Angels since they released him in May, sending Walker Buehler and the Dodgers to an 8-2 win.

Albert Pujols doubled home three runs to cap a five-run second inning, Mookie Betts homered in his return from the injured list and the Los Angeles Dodgers hammered the Arizona Diamondbacks 13-0 on Sunday.

The Los Angeles Dodgers waited 32 years to win the World Series again.

Justin Turner and Mookie Betts hit grand slams, Albert Pujols and AJ Pollock each homered twice and the Los Angeles Dodgers matched a franchise record by connecting eight times in all, routing the Arizona Diamondbacks 22-1.

Shohei Ohtani became the sixth player to reach the upper deck of T-Mobile Park with a majestic blast for his 33rd homer, but Mitch Haniger’s two-out grand slam in the eighth inning lifted the Seattle Mariners over the Los Angeles Angels 7-3.