Albert Pujols reaches milestones, helps Angels beat Twins, 8-5

MINNEAPOLIS — Only 70 players in major league history have scored at least 1,500 runs, and 98 players have amassed 2,500 hits or more. Albert Pujols achieved both of those career milestones on one memorable Saturday night in Target Field.

The Angels first baseman’s 1,500th run came in the third inning, when he hit a towering home run to left field, his 517th.

His 2,500th hit had far more significance. It came in the ninth inning, when Pujols laced a tiebreaking two-run double into the left-field corner to push the Angels to an 8-5 come-from-behind victory over the Minnesota Twins and help them maintain a six-game lead over Oakland in the American League West.

“It was pretty special,” Pujols said of his game winner. “I thought about it when I came to bat. I was like, ‘Man, it would be nice to get it here.’ It’s special that I was able to help the team win. To me, at the end of the day, that’s what’s important. That’s why I play the game.”

Pujols also sparked a two-run, eighth-inning rally with a leadoff single. He scored from first base on Howie Kendrick’s triple to center field, and Erick Aybar’s sacrifice fly tied the score, 5-5.

The winning rally in the ninth started when C.J. Cron flared a one-out single to center against Jared Burton and was replaced by pinch-runner Tony Campana.

Kole Calhoun lined out to second base, but Mike Trout walked, and Pujols smoked his double to left field to drive in both runners. Kendrick had a run-scoring single to right field, his fourth hit of the game, to make it 8-5.

Pujols is the 16th player with 2,500 hits, 1,500 runs and 500 home runs, and he joins Jimmie Foxx, Hank Aaron and Alex Rodriguez as the only players to reach those milestones by his age-34 season.

And for good measure, Pujols turned a nifty double play to end the game, fielding Brian Dozier’s one-hopper in the hole and firing to Kendrick at second.

Kendrick threw to closer Huston Street covering first, as the Angels won for the ninth time in 11 games. It was also the second consecutive game and ninth time this season the Angels won when trailing after seven innings.

“This was an exciting win,” said third baseman David Freese, who had two hits. “We could have folded and tried to come back and win tomorrow, but we didn’t. We kept fighting. Teams that win the division win games in so many different ways. This late in the year, coming through in close games is huge.”

Freese was a teammate of Pujols in St. Louis, where the two helped the Cardinals win the 2011 World Series, and he has seen the slugger with the Hall of Fame resume reach a number of milestones.

“Those are amazing accomplishments, and he’s still got some time left to climb those ranks,” Freese said. “But that’s not what he’s about, and he’ll tell you that. He loves being part of teams that win, and he loves helping his team.”

The Angels needed every ounce of production they could squeeze out of their offense on a night Cory Rasmus, making a second start in place of the injured Garrett Richards, and Michael Roth combined to give up five runs and five hits in the first four innings.

“That’s a huge win as a team,” Pujols said. “We took the lead, they came back and tied us, we fell behind, and we just kept pressing. Every game is important, especially toward the end of the season, when you don’t have many games left. We just have to continue to push.”