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Albert Pujols was in the midst of his second MLB season when he was at Wrigley Field and about to find out some of the worst news of his life.
Pujols’ St. Louis Cardinals were in Chicago on June 22, 2002, to take on their NL Central rival Cubs when catcher Joe Girardi announced to the Wrigley Field crowd that their game had been canceled due to a “tragedy in the Cardinals family.”
Right before Girardi addressed the crowd, the Cardinals were informed that starting pitcher Darryl Kile had suddenly died at age 33.
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Albert Pujols and Darryl Kile of the St. Louis Cardinals walk on the field during a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, on May 10, 2001. (Elsa/Getty Images)
“I mean, it was devastating, and you start crying, it was a bad experience for us,” Pujols recalled to Fox News Digital about “the first guy to take me under his wing.”
Nearly 24 years after Kile’s death, though, the pitcher’s impact on Pujols remains strong. Now, Pujols is doing his part to return the favor.
The future Hall of Famer is joining Kile’s daughter to raise awareness of the risk of heart disease and high cholesterol with their “Playing With Heart” program after Cardinals legend Adam Wainwright joined the fight last year.
This year, a total of nine ballclubs have joined the cause, including Pujols’ and Kile’s Cardinals, the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Angels, Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves.
“What her father did to me,” Pujols said in a joint interview with Sierra Kile, pointing to her, “the impact that he made on me for that short period of time that we worked together, it was pretty special.”
“Great human being who unfortunately left this earth too early, but he had that impact, and now we get to kind of bring to life his story, and use his story to really educate people about high cholesterol and this disease and prevent people from having a heart attack if you don’t take care of yourself,” Pujols said. “So I’m really happy to be involved. And I’m really happy to see Sierra here.”
Sierra Kile was thrilled to have Pujols on her team.
“The first thing he said to me was ‘Last time I saw you, you were 5 years old and tiny,'” Kile said of reconnecting the MLB legend with 703 home runs. “But being a part of this program with Merck, getting to use my dad’s story to help spread awareness on just the dangers of bad cholesterol and getting to your doctor is, it means a lot to me, and I’m really happy to have Albert and just so many people involved in this.”
The St. Louis Cardinals stand on the field watching a video tribute honoring Darryl Kile, the Cardinals pitcher who died of heart failure at age 33. (Elsa/Getty Images)
Sierra was just 5 years old when she lost her father, but she always knew she wanted to keep her dad’s legacy alive.
“My mom, when she was raising my brothers and I, just did a really good job of telling me about my dad, and I think seeing players that he used to work with, just tell me nothing but amazing things about him as a teammate, a player, and just a guy overall,” Kile said. “And I’ve just been able to live in his shoes through the stories that I’ve heard from Albert and some of the guys that he used to play with has just been amazing.”
Pujols played in 22 MLB seasons, eventually becoming a mentor to the next generation, namely Mike Trout. Once he was an established veteran, he knew to pay it forward, and he knows to do the same in retirement.
“I remembered why he took me under his wing, why he wanted to help me, why he wanted to teach me different things, why he wanted to guide me. It was because of moments like this, and moments like I did during my 22 years as a professional, guiding others as well, and hopefully, who knows where that story will go when you really make a difference on somebody,” Pujols said.
A Darryl Kile jersey hangs in the St. Louis Cardinals dugout days after his death. (Elsa/Getty Images)
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“Here I am, you know, 26 years later, 27 years later, talking about him like it was yesterday. The impact that he made in my life, it’s really special. And it’s good to see and get connected with Sierra, with the family, and just mention his name, and use this tragedy to a positive moment.”
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