700 Home Runs for Albert Pujols!

St. Louis Cardinals star Albert Pujols has entered baseball’s most exclusive club, slugging the 700th home run of his storied career to join Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds as the only players to reach that milestone.

Pujols, 42, playing the final season of his storied career, clobbered No. 699 and No. 700 in back-to-back innings against his former team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, triggering a warm celebration that swept teammates, opponents and fans to their feet in tribute.

“This is like the Mount Rushmore of sluggers, so to reach that 700-home run mark, it’s remarkable,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

Pujols, a certain Hall of Famer, joins Aaron as the only two hitters in Major League Baseball to reach 3,000 hits and 700 homers.

He humbly accepted the showering of respect, sending a hug to the  fans in the stands but saying afterwards winning for his teammates has always been more important to him than reaching personal milestones. 

Giants Lose to Dallas, 23-16

The New York Giants lost to the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night, 23-16.

New York (2-1) won its first two games off second-half scoring, but this week it was Dallas leaving the Giants in the dust in the fourth quarter.

Saquon Barkley’s 36-yard touchdown run in the third quarter broke a 6-6 tie, but the Cowboys (2-1) answered with two consecutive touchdown drives. Both of those scores were from the 1-yard line: a run from Ezekiel Elliott and a one-handed grab by CeeDee Lamb. 

The Giants got the ball back on their own 9-yard line with 1:45 to play, but Daniel Jones threw his only interception of the game to seal New York’s fate.

The Cowboys have now won 10 of their past 11 games against the Giants. 

Pass rush was the deciding factor. Daniel Jones was sacked six times — including three times by Demarcus Lawrence — and was pressured constantly. The Giants defense did not record any sacks.

The Giants will host the Chicago Bears in Week 4. The 2-1 Bears, like the Giants, have a record that exceeds preseason expectations of the team. Can New York stay above .500?

Joe Burrow Leads Bengals Over Jets

Joe Burrow threw three touchdown passes and the defending AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals got their first victory of the season, rolling past the New York Jets 27-12 on Sunday.

The Bengals came out aggressive against the Jets, who fell flat after a stunning comeback win last week at Cleveland.

Burrow finished 23 of 36 for 275 yards, leading the Bengals to a decisive victory.

Joe Flacco, who led the Jets’ 13-point rally in the final 1:55 last Sunday, struggled against the Bengals in what will likely be his final start with the injured Zach Wilson expected to return next week. Wilson, who was injured in the preseason opener, is recovering from a bone bruise and arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.

Flacco was 28 of 52 for 285 yards and two interceptions, and was under pressure all game. The fans at MetLife Stadium chanted a few times to play backup Mike White — who rallied the Jets to a 34–31 win over the Bengals last season.