ST. LOUIS -- Before Sunday's game, Albert Pujols was smiling, taking pictures and shaking hands of some of his fans.
These fans, though, members of the St. Louis Down Syndrome Association, also provide a good luck charm for El Hombre. On three of the five Down Syndrome sponsored "Buddy Walk" days, Pujols has cracked a homer.
Sunday was no different. The contest yielded one of the best games of his career, helping the Cardinals defeat the Reds, 6-3.
"Too much Albert Pujols today," Pirates manager Jim Tracy said. "That's simply what the game boils down to. He accounted for five of the six runs they scored. He was their offense."
The reigning National League MVP -- who has a daughter with Down Syndrome -- continued his case for another trophy, blasting three homers for the third time in his career and his first since April 15, 2006 against Cincinnati.
"It always is good to do something special for the kids," he said.
The three blasts -- his 40th, 41st and 42nd of the year -- helped him reach 40 homers for the fourth straight year.
"I don't try to hit homers," he said. "I try to go out there and have good at-bats."
He also crossed 100 runs, becoming the first player in Major League history to reach triple figures in that statistic for six straight years.
As usual, though, he downplayed the homers and the offensive output.
"It's not about me," he said. "It's about the St. Louis Cardinals."
And the Cardinals benefited from the offensive explosion. With the game scoreless in the first inning, Pujols belted a 1-0 pitch from Ian Snell into the Pirates' bullpen, giving the Redbirds a 1-0 lead.
Two innings later, he took Snell deep again, lining a shot down the left-field line, giving the Cards a 3-0 lead -- and Pujols the first of two curtain calls. He replicated the feat in the fifth, smoking a fastball from Snell over the left-center-field fence.
"That's unreal. That's like freakin' Superman playing baseball," Snell said. "The third one, I thought it was going to hit the St. Louis arch. He's the best hitter in baseball. You've got to give him a tip of the cap. I wanted to go high-five him. Next year, I'll get him."
With the fans on their feet, Pujols nearly had a fourth homer in the seventh. Facing Brian Rogers, Pujols lofted a long fly ball down to left that fell a few feet short.
"The fly ball was a great swing, too," La Russa said. "He is a hungry hitter who always has a chance
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