Albert Pujols ties Willie Mays for 5th on the all-time home run list

Only four players in major league history have hit more home runs than Albert Pujols. The Angels first baseman hit the 660th homer of his career on Sunday against the Rockies, tying Willie Mays for fifth on the all-time list.

The milestone home run for Pujols, who started at designated hitter on Sunday, came in the eighth inning against Carlos Estévez, a two-run shot that turned a one-run deficit into an Angels advantage.

“For him personally and his family, that’s pretty special, because Willie Mays is one of the best of all-time, and Albert is going to be spoken about in those same terms,” manager Joe Maddon said in a postgame conference call.

Pujols has four home runs in 31 games this season, hitting .239/.294/.410. The home run on Sunday was Pujols’ first since Aug. 4, snapping a span of 22 games and 93 plate appearances without.

Estévez is one of 426 pitchers Pujols had homered against in his career, trailing only Barry Bonds, who homered against 449 different pitchers, per ESPN Stats & Info. It was the 487th homer for Pujols against a right-handed pitcher in his career.

Pujols has 215 of his 660 homers with the Angels, fifth all-time in Angels history and seven home runs behind Brian Downing for fourth place.

Of the six players who’ve hit 660 home runs in the majors, only Mays was older at the time they reached the milestone. Mays was 42 years, 103 days old when he hit his 660th homer, in 1973. Pujols is 40 years, 241 days old.

In addition to tied for fifth on the all-time home run list, Pujols is third in RBI (2,097), fifth in total bases (5,911; 65 from fourth), and fifth in doubles (669; having just passed Craig Biggio on Saturday).