Albert 3K: Pujols gets 3,000th hit, Angels beat Mariners 5-0
SEATTLE — Albert Pujols was going to get a toast in the clubhouse regardless. Still, he wanted to make sure his 3,000th hit came after a win.
“I was really excited, but at the same time you still have a game you need to play and you still need to focus to win that game,” Pujols said. “That’s what I told those guys. Let’s go win that game so it can taste a little better.”
Pujols became the 32nd member of the 3,000-hit club with a broken-bat single in the fifth inning of the Los Angeles Angels’ 5-0 win over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night. He added another hit in the ninth inning to pass Roberto Clemente on the career list, a two-run single that also ensured the Angels would walk away with a victory.
“I think he knows how important it is for our club to continue to put pressure on teams to score runs,” manager Mike Scioscia said. “Those two runs were big, obviously.”