Albert Pujols has been on fire for the St. Louis Cardinals during the month of August. He's hitting .452 with six home runs and 13 RBIs, providing an unexpected spark for the Cardinals amid their playoff push.

Pujols has not only been helping the Cardinals, but he's also been making a charge towards the exclusive 700 career home run club. Only three players in MLB history (Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, and Babe Ruth) have hit more than 700 home runs throughout their career. Entering the month, Pujols was 14 home runs away from the mark, but with the six he's hit this month, it may end up happening after all.

Pujols smacked two more home runs last night in the Cardinals 16-7 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks to put him at 692 career home runs. Given that Pujols announced he would be retiring after the 2022 season, one has to wonder if he'd consider suiting up for one more season if he falls short of the 700 mark. Pujols shut those rumors down pretty quickly, though, saying that no matter how many home runs he finishes his career with, he will be driving off into the sunset after this season.

“I’m still going to retire, no matter whether I end up hitting 693, 696, 700, whatever. I don’t get caught up in numbers. If you were going to tell me 22 years ago that I would be this close, I would have told you that you’re freakin’ crazy. My career has been amazing.’’ – Albert Pujols, USA Today

Pujols is adamant that he will retire no matter how many home runs he finishes the season with, but his recent hot stretch has certainly added some intrigue to his situation. As Pujols' career winds down, fans will surely pay close attention to him to see whether he can hit eight more home runs over the remainder of the season to join the 700 home run club.