The St. Louis Cardinals will spend Independence Day in 2013 remembering the day Albert Pujols became independent from their team.
This week’s three-game series against the Anaheim Angels will mark the first time ever that the Cardinals will take the field against the man once deemed to be the organization’s successor to Stan Musial.
His departure sent Cardinals Nation reeling as fans wondered how the team would get by without their superstar first baseman. The answer to that question has been quite obvious: just fine.
The Cardinals weathered not only the loss of Pujols, but the absence of iconic manager Tony La Russa and longtime pitching coach Dave Duncan as well.
No one could have predicted that in the year after those three losses and during the rookie season of manager Mike Matheny, the Cardinals would come to within one win of their second World Series appearance in as many seasons.
Despite the fact that there were seriously hurt feelings on both sides when Pujols left, the chance to play against him for the first time should bring about a sense of nostalgia.
Sure, most were upset to see him go, but at the same time, we should remember that during the Pujols era, the Cardinals saw more amazing feats accomplished than some organizations see in a lifetime.
Following are 10 of the top highlights from Pujols’ career as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals.