Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

Angel Stadium, Anaheim.

During night games, usually around 4PM every afternoon here in Anaheim, when the Angels are playing at home, manager Mike Scioscia speaks to the media, and around that same time Albert Pujols and other Angels players also come out to the field for practice.

Albert Pujols is leading the American League with 23 Homeruns, and currently is #16 in the All-Time Homerun list with 543 Homeruns. This interview took place around 4:30PM, prior to the game on Wednesday night that took 13 innings and the Angels won 2-1 over the first place Houston Astros. The Angels won the 3-game series and now are 4.5 games behind the Astros.

Sat in the corner of the Angel dugout with Albert Pujols.

Q: What you have been doing these past two weeks is really remarkable, and especially during this month of June, you have been hitting Homeruns with great frequency.

Pujols: I do not think much of that, I just want to help this team win, that has been my mission which I have been focused since I signed with the team four years ago.

Q: I see you always hanging with shortstop Erick Aybar(also Dominican like you) and you are always talking with him. What do you guys talk about?

Pujols: Everything…but mostly baseball all the time, we are always talking about the game that day, what do we see in a particular, the pitcher we are facing, some other times we just talk about our approach at the plate, Erick is a great competitor and he always gives this team a great at bat.

Q: What is your best advice for a young hitter?

Albert: If he is lucky to make it to this level, he has to keep working all the time, stay in good shape(I have been hurt in the past here in Anaheim, but the trainers here do a sensational job)and I have been blessed to have the good people around me. But basically you need to play the game correctly and always have a good approach and work very hard to accomplish what you want for you and for your team.

Q; You have seen for the first time in this series the young Astros shortstop Carlos Correa, (born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, same town as Orlando Cepeda)the #1 pick of the draft, he has been here just for a couple of weeks, and he has impressed everybody. What can you tell me about him?

Pujols: He is already a very good player and at his age of 20 years, he looks like a guy that is going to be here for a long long time, I like the way he swings the bat and his approach at the plate, he is a great young talent.

Q: You have 543 Homeruns as of today, this season you have passed a bunch o great sluggers, guys like Ted Williams, Willie McCovey, Mickey Mantle and others, and today you are just a handful of Homeruns behind Mike Schmidt for the 15th place on the All Time Homerun list. Can you talk about that?

Pujols: I really do not like to talk about that. When I am finished and I retired we can talk about that, but not now, I really do not follow that stuff, I try to play and approach every game the same way…I will talk about that when I am done playing.

Q: Tony LaRussa was here last homestand with the Arizona Diamondbacks, you once said you have a special place for Tony in your life. Can you expand on that?

Pujols: He has been my favorite manager, he was like a father to me in St Louis, I was very happy last year when he went into the Hall of Fame, everytime I see him we talk about the times there and also about our families and all that, Tony is a special person for me.

Q: Your young 14-year old son A.J sits with us in the Fox Sports Spanish TV booth here at Anaheim, and we see him before the games shagging balls in the outfield during batting practice. Do you want him to follow your steps?

Pujols: He knows that as long as he does well in school, he can come here, and sometimes he travels with me, but it all depends on his grades in school. If he wants to be a player, I would help him and always be there for him, but whatever he wants to do in life, I will support him.

Albert Pujols is the ultimate professional, usually if somebody wants to interview him, you would have to ask the media relations person for the team, and usually if you ask in advance you can get an interview. Here in Anaheim Mike Trout is the player(reigning MVP)that gets more demands for interviews, and we have talked before prior to our telecast in the past, but during the past few weeks, Albert Pujols, whose 23 Homeruns to lead the league, prior to the All Star Game is the most he ever had since the 2009 season in St Louis when he won that year the MVP.He is getting a lot of attention, even from reporters that are coming from out of the area. Pujols has done it all, MVP, Gold Gloves, hitting records, All Star games, World Series and he shall be someday after he retires(5 years after he retires)a unanimous choice for Cooperstown.

Tomorrow, Thursday, the Angels have the day off, and Friday they will host the first of a three game series against division rival Seattle Mariners.

This Angels homestand is the last one prior to the All Star Break, and the team will finish the first half of the season on a roadtrip to Texas, Colorado and Seattle.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish TV voice for the Angels and the Spanish radio voice for the A’s and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Reply, Reply All or Forward | More

Click to reply all

Send



           

