2022 has been a year of continued change for St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols. After an 11-year divorce from the redbirds, he made the decision to rejoin them this offseason after spending his career out west. As he’s facing a reunion on the field, he’s facing an unfortunate divorce off of it. Days after his now ex-wife, Deidre, underwent a procedure to remove a brain tumor, Albert made the decision to divorce her citing irreconcilable differences.
The two had been married since 2000 and have five children together. The announcement comes just days before he’s slated to begin the final season of his career. In a statement released by his agent, Dan Lozano, Pujols said, “I’ve been asked a lot of questions over the past few days regarding what’s been going on at home and sadly, after 22 years of marriage, I have made the decision to file for divorce from my wife, Deidre.”
He continued by saying, “I realize this is not the most opportune time with Opening Day approaching and other family events that have recently taken place. These situations are never easy and isn’t something that just happened overnight. As a devout Christian, this is an outcome that I never wanted to see happen. For many long days and nights I prayed, asking the Lord for His guidance.” Later on in the statement, he ended by reaffirming his commitment to raising their children in a loving and safe environment. Since Pujols’ numbers have been steadily declining as his career draws to a close, it’s safe to assume he’s hoping this doesn’t hang over his head to start the season. He finished last season hitting .236 with 17 home runs and split the season with the Dodgers and the Angels.
