Albert Pujols scores 697th home run, passing A-Rod 4th all-time

Albert Pujols hit his 697th homer, passing Alex Rodriguez in fourth place on the career list and doing it in spectacular fashion with a ninth-inning drive that rallied the visiting St. Louis Cardinals against the Pittsburgh Pirates 4- 3 Sunday.

The Central National League top Cardinals were trailing 2-1 when Pujols connected for a two-point drive.

Pujols trails Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714) on the all-time home run charts.

Pujols, 42, has 21 games left in his 22nd and final major league season.

The Cardinals went to the ninth inning down 2-0 but scored four runs against Chase DeJong (4-2).

St. Louis had been shut out on three hits in the first eight innings, but rallied for their eighth win in their last 11 games. The Pirates missed a chance to win their first series since sweeping Milwaukee Aug. 2-4.

The Cardinals clinched their 15th straight winning season on Saturday night with a 7-5 win over the Pirates. This equals the franchise record set from 1939 to 1953.

Pujols hit his 696th homer to tie Rodriguez.

With St. Louis leading 3-1 in the sixth inning, Pujols connected on a first pitch slider by JT Brubaker. He sent a two-point shot 418 feet into the left field bleachers at PNC Park, thrown with an exit velocity of 111.2 miles per hour.

His RBI single in the eighth made it 4-4.

Next

The Cardinals sit out Monday before opening a three-game home series with Milwaukee on Tuesday. Southpaw Jordan Montgomery (8-3, 3.08) will start for St. Louis.

He’s 5-0 with a 1.45 ERA in seven starts since being traded from the New York Yankees.