Pujols Post - 2012 Topps

Albert had signed with the Angels by the time that 2012 Topps Series 1 dropped. I was not really thrilled with the decision and Pujols cards were being sold out of my collection.  

Pujols still had several Cardinals cards in the early 2012 Topps releases. Several of those cards were the result of the team's 2011 Postseason run. While most will remember those playoff games for the Halladay/Carpenter Game 5 duel in the National League Division Series Game 5 and for David Freese having the best two weeks of his life, Albert Pujols had some great moments too. 

Most notable was Albert's 3 home run World Series game against the Rangers.   

At the time, Pujols was just the third player to hit three home runs in a World Series game, joining Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson. Pablo Sandoval hit three home runs in Game 1 of the 2012 World Series against the Tigers. Pujols deservedly got a few cards for this feat, including a Highlights card in Series 1, which is my card for this Pujols Post.  

Front of the card.  

Great photo of the first home run hit off of Rangers pitcher Alexi Ogando. Very unique angle on the picture looking down the first base line at Pujols swinging.  The first base umpire in the bottom right corner takes away a bit, but I like that Topps found something that looked a little different.  

The crowd in the background looks a little bit off. I cannot find and matchup one of the people shown on this card to anyone in the video shown above. Is that Valerie Bertinelli over the umpires shoulder?  

Back of the card.  

It's simple, but I really like it. Topps could have gone with a box score, but those never work too well on the back of the baseball cards in terms of spacing. The line score showing the Cardinals win and the short paragraph looks nice. Some elaboration on the RBI record would have been nice. I did not even remember him setting that record. During the game Pujols drove in 6 runs, which tied Bobby Richardson (1960) and Hideki Matsui (2009) for the most in a World Series Game.  

Overall, this is a quality Pujols card. Sad that it was the end of his time in St. Louis for a big chunk of his remaining career, but it also marked one of his better career accomplishments.  

Let's face it, every 2012 Topps card is fighting for second best behind Skip Schumaker.  

I think this Albert card has an argument to be there.