Nobody looked happier than Pujols when Gorman singled. He crushed two homers as part of a 4-for-4 day on Saturday, but didn’t raise any fuss when Marmol elected to take him out of the game and use rookie Nolan Gorman - who is two decades younger - as a pinch hitter. The slugger isn’t consumed with the attention. And he was cheered at Wrigley Field when he took Drew Smyly deep in the seventh inning Monday night, giving the Cardinals a 1-0 victory over the Cubs. The crowd at Chase Field gave Pujols a standing ovation before his first at-bat in all three games of the most recent weekend series. He’s treated as baseball royalty even at opposing parks.
The three-time MVP is making a run at 700 career homers, sitting at 693 with 41 games left in the regular season, which he says will be his last. 450 in August and has eight homers and 18 RBIs over the past month. Pujols is enjoying a renaissance at 42 years old. They had a five-game lead over the Brewers going into Monday’s games. They’re producing at a high level, which has pushed the Cardinals to the top of the NL Central. Those guys - there’s not a stronger group.”Īnd here’s the most important part: The quintet of veteran stars isn’t just in the clubhouse for show. “This is what the work looks like in order to win. “One thing this organization has done really well is pass on the history of what winning really looks like,” Marmol said. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright throws to Milwaukee Brewers' Andrew McCutchen, left, during the seventh inning of a baseball game Saturday, Aug. It’s a wealth of veteran expertise that’s not lost on first-year manager Oliver Marmol, who at 36 is younger than many of the veterans. Right next to him was Nolan Arenado, the 31-year-old third baseman with seven All-Star appearances and nine Gold Gloves. Across the room was 34-year-old Paul Goldschmidt, one of the game’s best first basemen who is a seven-time All-Star and in the midst of an MVP-caliber campaign. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)īut the guys stuck in the smaller lockers next to the rookies and journeymen are almost as impressive: There’s 40-year-old Adam Wainwright, a right-handed pitcher with 193 career wins and three All-Star appearances. Louis Cardinals' Nolan Arenado hits an RBI-single against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first inning during a baseball game, Sunday, Aug. The jumbo digs were eventually assigned to Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina, and who could really argue? They’re two veteran superstars in their 40s nearing the end of Hall of Fame-caliber careers. Louis Cardinals are one of the few teams with too many options. PHOENIX (AP) - There are two lockers in the visitors’ clubhouse at Arizona’s Chase Field - bigger than all the others - that are usually reserved for veteran stars who have earned a little extra room to spread out.