Albert Pujols 3 Home Run Game the Best Ever?

Was Albert Pujols 3 Home Run game the best ever in a World Series? It took place in game three of the 2011 World Series. If you missed it, it might just have been the best individual performance ever from a player in a Championship event. I'm not just talking baseball. Pujols, who is generally considered the best player in baseball, just added another overly impressive moment to his resume.

The spectacular night came on the road in the World Series. If you missed it, here's a link to the Albert Pujols clinic. Many analysts wondered how this Albert Pujols 3 Home Run game matched up to other significant moments in World Series history. My mind began racing as to where this individual performance stacks up against the greatest individual performances across sports history.

It's going to be hard to compare this moment to other similar nights in basketball, football or soccer.
But I'll try. We already know that the Albert Pujols 3 Home Run night stacks up well with similar World Series nights by Hall of Famers Reggie Jackson and Babe Ruth.

But how does it stack up against other incredible sports moments?
In 2008, Ray Allen hit 7 of 9 three pointers during a game clinching NBA Final game six to lead Boston over Los Angeles. That performance left many shaking their heads and wondering why Allen wasn't a dominant player like that night in and night out. Turns out Ray Allen is a bit streaky but his good is definitely way better than his bad ever dreamed of being. But does that compare to a 3 Home Run game by Pujols? Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger have somewhat recent triumphs in the Super Bowl where they led teams during late fourth quarter drives to win titles. Does a 4th quarter drive even seem equivalent to knocking three balls out of the park? It's hard to compare apples to apples when you are looking at sports. Probably the closest thing I can come up with in comparison to the Albert Pujols night in recent memory is the Michael Jordan NBA Finals against the Portland Trailblazers-you know the one where he is hitting so many shots that even he turns at the camera and gives us a look of amazement that every shot just continues to go in.

Other than that, I just don't believe there are many more contemporary moments in sports or individual performances that stack up. Ruth and Jackson are probably the only equivalents as far as baseball is concerned. That's why the Albert Pujols three Home Run night will probably stand as one of the greatest individual performances in sports history. Sure, the Cardinals were already on top and some of the Home Runs were meaningless late in the game. Maybe that's the only thing that will stand between this night being remembered forever as one of the greatest sports moments in modern day history.
The Cardinals still, to this point, haven't won the 2011 World Series either. There is still plenty of baseball to be played but you have to wonder if the Texas Rangers are a bit intimidated after watching that historical moment.

I'd say the performance will inevitably go down as one of the biggest moments in the career of a guy who is destined to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest baseball players of all time. Pujols has already etched his name in the history books for so many other things and will continue to wear down records in his path. He might not even be a St. Louis player when he breaks many of the modern day records if he continues at his blistering pace. The unbelievable thing about the three home run night is that he did it on the biggest stage. The pitchers for Texas were aware he had already blasted one, then two and finally a third shot. My guess is that we, as fans of baseball, won't see too many more individual performances like this in the years to come. It was a once in a lifetime type event for sports fans.