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Albert Pujols was in the middle of his second MLB season when he was at Wrigley Field and about to learn the worst news of his life.
Pujols St. Louis Cardinals They were in Chicago on June 22, 2002 to face their NL Central rivals, the 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.”
Just before Girardi addressed the crowd, the Cardinals were informed that starting pitcher Darryl Kile died suddenly 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 Pak Gazette Digital of “the first guy who took me under his wing.”
However, nearly 24 years after Kile’s death, the pitcher’s impact on Pujols remains strong. Now, Pujols is doing his part to return the favor.
The future Hall of Famer will join Cardinals legend Adam Wainwright, Kile’s daughter, and pharmaceutical giant Merck, who teamed up last year to raise awareness about the risk of heart disease and high cholesterol.
“What his father did to me,” Pujols said in a joint interview with Sierra Kile, pointing to her, “the impact he had on me during that short period of time that we worked together, was pretty special.”
“A great human being who unfortunately left this earth too soon, but he had that impact, and now we can bring his story to life and use it to really educate people about high cholesterol and this disease and prevent people from having a heart attack if they don’t take care of themselves,” Pujols said. “So I’m very happy to be involved. And I’m very happy to see Sierra here.”
Sierra Kile was thrilled to have Pujols on her team.
“The first thing he said to me was ‘The last time I saw you, you were five years old and you were small,'” Kile said of re-hitting the MLB legend with 703 home runs. “But being a part of this program with Merck, being able to use my father’s story to help raise awareness about the dangers of bad cholesterol and talking to his doctor means a lot to me, and I’m so happy to have Albert and so many people involved in this.”
The St. Louis Cardinals are on the field watching a tribute video honoring Darryl Kile, the Cardinals pitcher who died of heart failure at age 33. (Elsa/Getty Images)
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Sierra was only 5 years old when she lost her father, but she always knew she wanted to keep her father’s legacy alive.
“My mom, when she was raising my brothers and me, did a really good job of telling me about my dad, and I think seeing the players that he used to work with, it tells me nothing but amazing things about him as a teammate, as a player, and just as a guy in general,” Kile said. “And to be able to live in his shoes through the stories I heard from Albert and some of the guys he used to play with has been just incredible.”
Pujols played in 22 MLB seasons and eventually became a mentor to the next generation, namely Mike Trout. Once he became an established veteran, he knew how to pay it forward and knows how to do the same when he retires.
“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 for moments like this, and moments like I did during my 22 years as a professional, guiding others too, and hopefully, who knows where that story will go when you really make a difference for someone,” 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 he had on my life is really special. And it’s nice to see and connect with Sierra, with the family, and just mention her name and use this tragedy for a positive moment.”
