Pujols Creates New Memories in Busch

Albert Pujols hit three home runs, including a winning drive that erased a ninth-inning deficit and put an exclamation point on the St. Louis Cardinals’ first homestand at new Busch Stadium.

Then he did a little dance a few steps in front of home plate before teammates mobbed him.

“Hey, you get a walk-off home run, you get to do whatever you want,” Pujols said after his two-run drive Sunday gave St. Louis an 8-7 win over the Cincinnati Reds. “You need to be excited about it. You don’t get too many of those, so you need to enjoy them when they come.”

Pujols’ eighth homer came on a 1-and-2 fastball from David Weathers (0-1) and traveled an estimated 441 feet, ending a game that had five lead changes. His second career three-homer game and sixth game-ending homer topped off a 4-2 opening homestand at the $365-million ballpark. He matched career highs with five runs batted in and four runs.

“There’s a new memory for new Busch,” Manager Tony La Russa said. “It’ll be tough to top that one.”

Pitcher Jason Marquis, who hit .310 last year with a homer and 10 RBIs, got a chance to pinch-hit because of Jim Edmonds’ sore shoulder, and he led off the ninth with a single. The only doubt on Pujols’ blast was whether it would stay fair, and it ended up about 10 feet fair and in the second deck.

Pujols relished the moment, although he wasn’t interested in comparing it to his other three-homer game, at Chicago on July 20, 2004.

“It doesn’t remind me because that was two years ago,” he said. “I hit three in spring training and I don’t even care. Hopefully, tomorrow I hit three more and forget about today. Who knows?”

Rich Aurilia’s two-run double in the eighth, one batter after right fielder Juan Encarnacion dropped a fly ball, had put the Reds in front.

Aurilia had three hits, and Adam Dunn and Austin Kearns homered on consecutive at-bats in the fifth for Cincinnati, which lost consecutive games for the first time this season.

Weathers said Pujols hit a pitch that wasn’t inside enough.

He refused to work the NL most valuable player carefully.

“Not at all, not at all, I don’t pitch that way,” Weathers said. “He’s a great hitter, but if you make your pitch, you can get a double play. It was just a bad pitch and he hammered it.”