Albert Pujols hit three home runs yesterday against the Pittsburgh Pirates in St. Louis.  Pujols is a baseball freak so this may come as no major surprise. The part that is Ruthian is that Albert is the father of a girl with Down Syndrome and  yesterday was “buddy walk” day at the stadium. A few of the kids had a simple request for Albert.

“Buddy walk” is a day the Cardinals have every year where kids with Down Syndrome can circle the field with the players and stand with them during pre-game introductions. Several of the kids during warmups asked Albert to hit a homer for them. Albert went out and hit home runs in his first three plate appearances.

Children with Down Syndrome circled the field in pregame ceremonies and then stood with players at their positions during “The Star-Spangled Banner.” More than a few asked him to hit a home run for them.

In his fourth trip to the plate Albert hit a long, deep fly ball that was caught on the warning track.

“It’s always good to do something special for those kids, but I don’t try to put pressure on myself,” Pujols said. “It doesn’t matter if they’re there or not. I’m just going to try the best I can to help my team to win.”

Since Pujols became spokesman for the “buddy walk” games in 2002, he’s 9-for-20 with five homers, nine RBI and seven runs scored while the Cardinals have gone 4-1.

Pujols Family Foundation website