Pujols becomes 32nd member of 3,000-hit club

Albert Pujols, already one of the greatest players to ever set foot on a diamond, became the 32nd member of baseball's 3,000-hit club Friday with a single off Seattle Mariners right-hander Mike Leake.

The single at Safeco Field also made Pujols one of just four players with at least 3,000 hits and 600 home runs, joining Alex Rodriguez, Willie Mays, and Hank Aaron.

The Los Angeles Angels first baseman is the second Dominican-born player to reach 3,000 hits after Adrian Beltre did it last July.

The 38-year-old started his illustrious career with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2001. In his first season, he hit .329 with 37 home runs, winning NL Rookie of the Year honors and announcing the arrival of "The Machine."

Pujols went on to win Most Valuable Player (2005, 2008, 2009) three times over his tenure with the Cardinals, and was part of two World Series championship squads (2006, 2011). He narrowly missed hitting .300 in each of his first 11 seasons, finishing 2011 with a batting average of .299.

If the postseason counted toward Pujols' totals, he would have reached 3,000 a while ago. Over 77 career playoff games, he owns a 1.030 OPS with 19 home runs.

He left the Cardinals after the 2011 season and signed a 10-year, $240-million contract with the Angels. While Pujols hasn't quite been able to maintain the torrid pace he set with the Cardinals, he still brings the lumber. In parts of seven seasons in Anaheim, he's hit .261/.317/.458 with 175 home runs and 606 RBIs.