St. Louis Cardinals: The Albert Pujols home run that turned out the lights

With a swing of the bat, St Louis Cardinals star Albert Pujols sent a mammoth HR onto the tracks at Minute Maid Stadium, effectively shuttering Lights Out on Lidge.

The Houston Astros were one out away from the World Series in 2005 when then-St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols stepped to the plate to face Brad Lidge. The capacity crowd at Minute Maid was on their feet hooting and hollering.

In a matter of seconds, the place went from chaotic to calm, as Lidge left a pitch over the middle half of the plate and Pujols obliterated it. With one swing of the bat he collectively punched every fan in the stomach leaving them speechless.

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The ball rocketed out to left field well above the Crawford Boxes and onto the train tracks. As soon as Pujols made contact with the ball, Lidge crouched down on the mound (Clayton Kershaw did the exact same maneuver when Juan Soto took him deep in this year’s NLDS Game 5. Must be the go-to for pitchers who give up moon shots with the game on the line).

Lidge was on to protect a two-run lead, and there were two runners on when Pujols homered. The Cardinals would hold the lead and go on to win 5-4. Had there not been anyone on base, Pujols should have still been credited a three-run homer with as hard and far as he hit the ball.

The Astros as a team would recover and defeat the Cardinals in the next game, setting up their matchup in the World Series with the Chicago White Sox.

Brad Lidge would not recover. The Astros would get swept at the hands of the Sox, and their lockdown closer would surrender two game-winning runs in the process. Their All-Star, who saved 42 games with a stingy 2.29 earned run average in the regular season would lose half of the four World Series games.

The following season Lidge was 1-5 with a 5.28 ERA, surrendering a career-high number of home runs to that point and uncorking a career-high number of wild pitches. By the end of the year, he had been unseated as Astros closer, by Dan Wheeler.

It is almost as if Lidge were a broken man. Broken by the gargantuan ding-dong Albert Pujols teed off of him. The closer formally known as Lights Out Lidge was now the spokesperson for Motel 6, he’ll leave the lights on for you. All thanks to Pujols.

Lidge did recuperate to have another All-Star season in 2007 with the Philadelphia Phillies. He saved two games in the World Series that year to finally earn his ring. One has to wonder though if Lidge still sees that home run when he closes his eyes at night.

Pujols has hit 675 career regular season and postseason home runs. If he calls it a career when his contract expires next year, he can hang his hat on at least one of them jarring the opposing pitcher.