Albert Pujols hits first HR as Angel

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ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Albert Pujols hit his first home run as a member of the Los Angeles Angels Sunday afternoon.

The homerless drought ended with a two-run shot in Pujols' 111th at-bat with his new team in a 4-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

Facing Toronto right-hander Drew Hutchison in the fifth inning, Pujols golfed a low pitch over the left-field wall, ending the longest stretch of his career without a home run.

Fans in Anaheim gave Pujols a standing ovation, which spilled into Kendrys Morales' at-bat, but he did not emerge from the dugout to acknowledge the crowd.

Pujols heard some boos Friday night after an 0-for-4 night sank his batting average to .194. Angels manager Mike Scioscia gave Pujols Saturday's game off to regroup from his month-long struggles.

The Angels signed Pujols to a 10-year, $240 million contract in December after 11 seasons in St. Louis.

Entering Sunday, only two qualifying batters in the American League, the Angels' Erick Aybar and the Chicago White Sox's Alexei Ramirez, had a lower OPS than Pujols' .506.

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Mark Saxon

ESPNLosAngeles.com

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Mark Saxon is a staff writer for ESPNLosAngeles.com. He spent six years at the Orange County Register, and began his career at the Oakland Tribune, where he started an 11-year journey covering Major League Baseball. He has also covered colleges, including USC football and UCLA basketball.