MLB’s current stars showed their respect to a retiring legend during Monday night’s Home Run Derby.
As a way to celebrate his iconic career, Albert Pujols participated in the Derby. When the 42-year-old finished his initial timed hacks, even though he had 30 seconds of bonus time remaining, All-Stars swarmed Pujols to applaud the future Hall of Famer.
Viewers were touched by the heartwarming moment at Dodger Stadium.
At the time, everyone likely thought Pujols was done for the evening. He finished with 13 home runs, a lower tally than the previous six sluggers.
However, Kyle Schwarber also hit 13 long balls, setting up a tiebreaker. Pujols upped his tally to 20, edging out the Philadelphia Phillies slugger.
Schwarber didn’t seem too sad about his elimination.
Pujols improbably advanced to the second round, where he’ll face a young superstar 19 years his junior. The Derby’s No. 8 seed will oppose Juan Soto for a spot in the finals against defending champion Pete Alonso or hotshot rookie Julio Rodriguez.
Can Pujols pull off a miracle in Los Angeles?