ATLANTA - Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols didn’t dismiss the significance of winning the ninth Player of the Week award of his nine-year career. Along with the reward comes an engraved watch from retailer Tourneau. Pujols keeps his previous eight in a trophy case and says he will add the ninth to the collection after being recognized for a monster week in which he batted .450 with three home runs, 11 RBI, seven runs and three steals.
“I think the same of each one. I want to win one this week again,” El Hombre said before Monday’s nationally-televised game against the Atlanta Braves.
“He’s got nine,” manager Tony La Russa said. “He could probably have 19.”
What Pujols truly enjoys is a body that is now cooperating. He insists the nerve transposition he sought last October has left him freer at the plate, a dangerous thought given he is coming off an MVP season.
“I had to make adjustments with the elbow,” Pujols said about last season, when the nerve issue left him with numbness and tingling in his right hand for much of the second half. As a result, he struggled to drive the ball to the opposite field. “It’s to the point where I feel pretty good. I’m capable of doing things without laying in bed at night wondering if my arm is going to hurt or my fingers are going to tingle. Those are things I had to deal with that are gone.”
The thought may make the Braves nervous. Pujols reached Los Bravos for a .565 average, three home runs and 15 RBI last season.