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Albert Pujols can only hope he doesn’t end up in this club

Albert Pujols hits his 500th career home run at Nationals Stadium in Washington on Tuesday night.
(Michael Reynolds / EPA)
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Albert Pujols joined the 500 home run club Tuesday, hitting two in the Angels’ 7-2 victory over the Washington Nationals.

He joined another club, as well. A group of three players who reached career milestones as Angels.

Those three players have two things in common: None helped the Angels win a World Series, and all chose to go into the Hall of Fame wearing another team’s uniform.

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Reggie Jackson belted his 500th home run against the Kansas City Royals in Anaheim Stadium on Sept. 17, 1984. The Angels finished three games behind the first-place Royals that year. Jackson joined the Hall of Fame as a Yankee.

Rod Carew dunked a base hit to left against the Twins in Anaheim Stadium, the 3,000th of his career, on Aug. 4, 1985. The Angels finished the season a game behind the Royals. Carew wears a Twins cap on his Hall of Fame plaque.

Don Sutton did a little better. He beat the Texas Rangers in Anaheim Stadium on June 18, 1986, for his 300th career pitching victory. The Angels won the Western Division championship, but blew a 3-1 series lead against the Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series. Sutton joined the Hall of Fame as a Dodger.

Pujols has a chance to deviate from that milestone path.

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