The St. Louis Cardinals will be beginning the 2023 season without some familiar faces.
Last season marked the end of the line for both Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina, who played out their final seasons as members of the Cardinals.
However, Tuesday marked a special anniversary for the team.
St. Louis had made some moves during the 2022 offseason after the end of the lockout, but there was one piece missing.
They ultimately found that piece and signed Pujols to a one-year deal.
On Twitter, MLB Vault took a moment to remember the day Pujols returned to St. Louis, including a video of him hitting his 700th career home run in Los Angeles.
A year ago today, the @Cardinals signed @pujolsfive for a 1-year deal.
The rest is history…❤️ pic.twitter.com/6aUUqqEQdT
—MLB Vault (@MLBVault) March 29, 2023
Pujols spent the first 11 seasons of his legendary career in St. Louis before signing a more lucrative deal with the Los Angeles Angels.
In 2021, the Halos ultimately gave up on Pujols and designated him for assignment.
The Los Angeles Dodgers took a flyer on him afterwards, but the veteran slugger believed he had one more year left in the tank and chose to return to the place where it all started.
And he certainly did have more left in the tank.
After a difficult start to the season, Pujols got hot in the second half and ended up with 24 home runs and a .270 batting average.
That was enough to earn him Comeback Player of the Year honors in the National League.
And hitting home run No. 700 was ultimately the icing on the cake.
Pujols’ career came to an end when the Cardinals were eliminated by the Philadelphia Phillies in the Wild Card Series, but fans were certainly treated to a historic season.
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