RetroSimba

(Updated May 5, 2018)

On July 29, 2011, Albert Pujols became the first right-handed batter in 85 years to achieve 2,000 hits as a Cardinal. Pujols got his 2,000th hit, a double, against Cubs reliever Carlos Marmol.

Pujols became the fifth player to collect 2,000 hits as a Cardinal. Pujols finished his Cardinals career with 2,073 hits before becoming a free agent and joining the Angels after the 2011 World Series.

Stan Musial (3,630), Lou Brock (2,713), Rogers Hornsby (2,110) and Enos Slaughter (2,064) also achieved 2,000 hits as Cardinals. Of those four, only Musial played his entire big-league career with St. Louis. The career hit totals of the others: Brock (3,023), Hornsby (2,930) and Slaughter (2,383). Pujols achieved his 3,000th career hit on May 4, 2018.

Here is a look at the 2,000th Cardinals hit for each of the four who achieved the feat before Pujols did:

ROGERS HORNSBY

At age 30, Hornsby became both the youngest and the first to reach 2,000 hits as a Cardinal.

The player-manager achieved the milestone with a single against Don Songer of the Pirates on June 23, 1926, at St. Louis.

Hornsby, playing second base and batting third, received greater attention for his 2,001st hit _ a grand slam off Songer in the seventh inning, lifting St. Louis to a 6-2 victory. Boxscore

The Cardinals, who entered the game in third place, went on to win the pennant and their first World Series title that year.

STAN MUSIAL

With a fourth-inning single against the Phillies’ Curt Simmons on Sept. 9, 1952, at Philadelphia, Musial became the first of three left-handed batters to achieve 2,000 hits as a Cardinal.

Batting third and playing first base, it was Musial’s only hit in five at-bats that Tuesday night, but it extended his hitting streak to 14 games. The Cardinals overcame a 4-2 deficit with a five-run ninth inning, winning 7-4. Boxscore

Musial, 31, went on to earn his sixth National League batting championship (.336) that season.

ENOS SLAUGHTER

In his last season with St. Louis, Slaughter, 37, still was a productive everyday player.

Batting cleanup and playing right field, Slaughter’s 2,000th hit as a Cardinal was a RBI-single that scored Red Schoendienst from second, snapped a 2-2 tie in the third and knocked out Dodgers starter Russ Meyer on July 18, 1953, at Brooklyn. The Dodgers erupted for nine runs in the fourth and won, 14-6. Boxscore

The loss was the sixth in a row for the Cardinals, who fell eight games behind the first-place Dodgers. Slaughter was traded to the Yankees the following April.

LOU BROCK

In 1974, Brock, 35, seemed to set a record a day for the Cardinals.

On July 28, 1974, his leadoff single in the seventh inning against Cubs reliever Oscar Zamora gave the left fielder his 2,000 hit as a Cardinal. St. Louis scored a run in the eighth to tie and another in the ninth to win, 5-4, at Chicago. Boxscore

The next day, Brock stole his 700th career base in a game the Cardinals won, 11-4, against the Cubs. Boxscore

Watching Brock excel had to be torment for Chicago. Brock began his big-league career with the Cubs in 1961 and had 310 hits for them before being traded to St. Louis in June 1964.

Brock achieved his 2,000th major-league hit _ a single against Larry Gura of the Cubs to lead off the 15th inning _ on Sept. 30, 1972, at Chicago. The Cardinals won, 2-1, in 16. Boxscore

As a Cardinal, Brock batted a career-best .334 against the Cubs, with 342 hits and 103 RBI.