If you are not a fan of 41-year-old Dodgers first baseman/pinch-hitter Albert Pujols by now, there’s a pretty good chance that you never will be. There’s an even greater chance that if you are not a fan of Albert Pujols by now, you are probably not a fan of baseball at all.

Yes, the future Hall of Famer is that good.

But what about his teammates? What do they think of the energy and intensity the Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native and 21-year MLB veteran brings to the team?

“I don’t think anyone can match it,” said Dodgers 2021 All-Star first baseman Max Muncy following the Dodgers four-game sweep of the Nationals at Nationals Park. “From the moment he got over here a month or two ago – however long it was – the guy’s been non-stop energy, non-stop smiles, he loves being out there every single day, he loves working, he just loves the game of baseball, and that’s going to rub off on a lot of people. He’s been huge for us. I don’t know if there’s enough words to describe how much of an impact he had for us.

“And then on top of that, you look at what he’s been able to do at the plate,” Muncy added. “The guy, that guy, he can still hit, he’s unbelievable. He’s still got so much juice left in that bat. He goes out there and puts up a professional at-bat every single time. It’s been a lot of fun to watch.”

This coming from a guy who went 4-for-15 (.267) with nine RBI in the just-concluded four-game series with the Nationals that included a grand slam home run on Thursday and a two-run double on Sunday.

“I feel like every time he’s in the box, something good’s gonna happen,” Dodgers infielder Gavin Lux echoed. “He always has really professional at-bats. He gets down 0-2, and you’re like, well, you know he’s going to end up in a 3-2 count here for sure. It always seems like he comes through, and it’s been a lot of fun having him around.

This coming from a guy who went 3-for-4 (.750) on Sunday and 4-for-9 (.444) in the series.

If you are not a fan of Albert Pujols by now, you really need to be.

Play Ball!

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