Pujols notches his historic 3,000th hit
Angels slugger Albert Pujols got his 3,000th hit, reaching the mark with a broken-bat single Friday night against the Mariners and becoming the 32nd player in major league history to join the exclusive club.
Pujols dumped the single into shallow right field in the fifth inning against Mike Leake. It came on Pujols’ sixth attempt after getting to 2,999 a day earlier.
Pujols received a standing ovation from the crowd at Safeco Field and was given the baseball and first base as mementos. His teammates all greeted him on the field before action resumed.
The 38-year-old Pujols nearly got the mark in the first inning, but his hard liner was right at shortstop Jean Segura. Pujols walked on a 3-2 pitch leading off the fourth inning after fouling off four two-strike pitches.
Pujols joined Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Alex Rodriguez as the fourth player in baseball history with 3,000 hits and 600 homers. He’s the first player to reach the mark since Adrian Beltre last year against Baltimore.
Pujols reached the precipice of the milestone earlier this week in Anaheim, getting two hits against Baltimore on Wednesday night — including his 620th career homer — before getting No. 2,999 on a second-inning double Thursday night.
Dodgers staff combines for no-no
The Dodgers have the most no-hitters in the majors — and now the most in Mexico, too.
Walker Buehler and a trio of relievers combined for the franchise’s 23rd no-hitter in a 4-0 victory over the Padres in the opener of a neutral-site series .
Mexico had waited since 1999 to host a regular-season major league game, and it got a historic one: the first no-hitter outside the U.S. or Canada and the 12th combined no-hitter in major league history.