When it was announced late last week that the Dodgers had signed 41-year-old first baseman Albert Pujols after he was unceremoniously released by the Angels of Anaheim, it was met with mixed reviews among Dodger fans. After all, their beloved defending World Series champions had finally snapped out of their near monthlong slump and actually had a winning streak going. Why on earth would they need – or even want – an old first baseman who was clearly past his prime when they had guys named Max Muncy, Matt Beaty, and Cody Bellinger to play first base, right?

But let’s be real here … surreal, in fact. The Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native and 13th-round draft pick in 1999 out of Maple Woods Community College in Kansas City, MO by the St Louis Cardinals is absolutely positively a future first-ballot Hall of Famer, with a 21-year career MLB slash line of .298/.376/.545/.921, 667 career home runs, and 2,113 career RBI. What team wouldn’t want a guy with this resume on their roster for an MLB minimum salary of $563,500? (Note: The Angels are on the hook for $30 million due to Pujols).

By the looks – and sounds – of it, Albert Pujols naysayers are far outnumbered by those who are thrilled to have the veteran first baseman in Dodger Blue, as evidenced by the (very) loud cheers he received when he was introduced in his Dodgers debut on Monday night at Dodger Stadium.

“It was pretty awesome,” Pujols said, after his 1-for-4 night that included an RBI single in his second at-bat of the night. “Really high-pumped energy by the fans. I was really excited to take that field and to contribute tonight.

“It felt great, especially your first night wearing this uniform,” Pujols added. “In a key situation like that, with a guy in [Madison] Bumgarner that has a pretty good slider and is pitching pretty well, I was able to get a good barrel and put it through the infield. So yeah, it felt awesome.”

A good barrel indeed. Pujols pushed a hard single up the middle of the Arizona Diamondbacks infield for a huge two-out RBI single on an 0-2 count in the bottom of the third inning in the eventual 3-0 shutout of the snakes.

But it’s what Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters during his postgame Zoom press conference that said what his players – and most Dodger fans – feel about having Pujols in his dugout and clubhouse:

“Surreal. I don’t use that word very often, but it fits,” Roberts said. “Playing against Albert, seeing him on the other side, coaching, managing against him, to see him in our dugout in a Dodger uniform is really surreal.”

Welcome to the Dodgers, Albert! … naysayers notwithstanding.

Play Ball!

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