Dodgers: Albert Pujols’ walk-off hit in Dominican Winter League was stuff of legends

And we thought for a second this guy was going to retire?! Come on now.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are about to enter a tumultuous offseason that could feature some back-breaking free agent departures, and Albert Pujols, after his successful 2021 stint with the team, seemingly joined that short list because of his influence in the clubhouse and effectiveness off the bench.

Can’t lose Tío Albert! We gotta keep this locker room intact as best we can.

So when news broke that he’d be headed to the Dominican Winter League for the first time in his legendary career, Dodgers fans exhaled that a possibility of his return was as real as it gets. That move doesn’t indicate he’s about to retire.

And now that he notched a walk-off hit early on in his offseason ventures, we can pretty much chalk up a 2022 return, right?

Dodgers free agent Albert Pujols hit a walk-off single in the Dominican Winter League.

Full count. Two outs. Runner on third. Tie game. Bottom of the 10th. Pujols’ first game with Leones del Escogido. Time to take one for a ride.

He got jammed, squibbed one down the third base line, and forced the defense to make a run on the ball and accompany it with a hasty throw. The relay to first base was wide, Pujols was safe, the game-winning run scored, and the future Hall of Famer recorded his first hit and RBI in the Dominican Winter League.

Even better than this moment was the epic celebration that followed in the locker room:

What?! That’s The Undertaker’s music! What an entrance followed by a dance party for the 41-year-old.

You can’t tell us this is a man who’s not looking for a proper farewell after 21 MLB seasons. The Dodgers’ premature elimination due to injuries and exhaustion was not the exit Pujols was hoping for. It’s not what baseball fans were hoping for, either.

In the meantime, we’ll enjoy every bit of Albert Offseason Content as we patiently wait for him to make a decision for 2022. Maybe this experience in the Dominican Republic will help him rediscover his youth within.

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