Albert Pujols of the Cardinals becomes the fourth MLB player to reach 700 career home runs.

On Friday, Albert Pujols hit his 700th home run in the major leagues, a record only three other sluggers in baseball history have managed.

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In the fourth inning against right-hander Phil Bickford of the Dodgers, Pujols hit his second home run of the game, marking the milestone.

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Over the course of his 22 MLB seasons, a record 455 different pitchers have allowed Pujols to hit at least one round-tripper.

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After overtaking Alex Rodriguez (696) for fourth place on the list of all-time home runs in just 12 days,

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Pujols now joins Barry Bonds (762), Henry Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714) in the 700-HR club.

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When he returned to the dugout to appreciate the applause for his historic bomb, the 50,041-strong Dodger Stadium audience applauded him standing up.

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Pujols' ascent to superstardom, which included three National League MVP awards and two World Series championships in his first 11 seasons,

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began in St. Louis, where he was a little-known 13th-round draught pick.

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