Pujols homers, gets 3 hits to propel Cards

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Albert Pujols homered for the first time since returning to St. Louis and Andrew Knizner hit a three-run shot as the Cardinals defeated the Kansas City Royals 6-5 on Tuesday night.

Nolan Arenado also went deep for St. Louis, which has won 20 of 27 interleague games against the in-state Royals since 2017.

Salvador Perez homered twice and Michael A. Taylor also connected for Kansas City, which has allowed 33 runs in losing its last three games.

The 42-year-old Pujols, who also singled twice in a 3-for-4 performance, signed with St. Louis on March 28 for his final season. The star slugger played for the Cardinals from 200111, helping them win two World Series.

In the first inning, Pujols slammed the first pitch he saw from Daniel Lynch over the wall in left field, much to the delight of the crowd, which chanted his name before he stepped out of the dugout for a curtain call.

Pujols has 680 home runs and 3,304 hits over a 21-year career.

His drive came on the very next pitch after Arenado clocked a two-run shot. Arenado has three homers and nine RBIS this season.

Knizner, making his first start of the season, ripped a long drive just inside the left-field foul pole in the fourth to put the Cardinals ahead to stay, 6-3.

Jordan Hicks (1-0) picked up the win with two innings of hitless relief. St. Louis starter Dakota Hudson permitted three runs and five hits over four innings in his second start since undergoing Tommy John surgery in September 2020.

Giovanny Gallegos got his first save of the season.

Lynch (0-1) allowed six runs and nine hits over five innings. He struck out seven and walked one.

Perez hit solo shots in the second and eighth for his 13th career multi-homer game.

St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol returned after missing the previous two games with the flu.