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WASHINGTON -- Heading toward the plate after the 500th homer of this career, Albert Pujols glanced ahead and saw a throng of Los Angeles Angels teammates waiting right there to greet him. Tyson Alualu Jersey . He was pleased by the outpouring of support. He also had a message. "I was pretty emotional running the bases and when I ... looked at all these guys coming out, it was hard," Pujols said. "But I just told them, Weve got a game to win." Not a problem, especially with Pujols hitting like the Pujols of old. Continuing a strong stretch, the Angels first baseman became the first major leaguer to hit his 499th and 500th homers in the same game, driving in five runs Tuesday night to help Los Angeles beat the Washington Nationals 7-2. "I knew this year, it was going to happen, whether it was tonight, tomorrow, two months from now," Pujols said. "So my goal was just to prepare myself every day to try to help this organization win." The three-time NL MVP connected twice off right-hander Taylor Jordan (0-3) -- a three-run homer in the first inning and two-run drive in the fifth. Hes the 26th player in big league history to reach the milestone. Pujols also hit his 400th homer at Nationals Park. "I admire the man. I admire his ability and the way he goes about playing the game, and I have for some time," said Washington manager Matt Williams, who also played against Pujols. "I just wish hed do it against somebody else." Pujols is the first player to collect his 499th and 500th homers in the same game, according to STATS. About three months past his 34th birthday, hes also the third-youngest to get to 500; Alex Rodriguez and Jimmie Foxx were 32. Making a recent surge, Pujols has eight homers in the past 13 games. He leads the Angels with 19 RBIs. "Thats the Albert Im used to seeing," Angels outfielder Mike Trout said. "Full, healthy, 100 per cent healthy." The 500th homer went to left-centre field at Nationals Park, on an 89 mph pitch with the count at 1-2. The ball was grabbed -- and later given to Pujols -- by a man who identified himself as Thomas Sherrill, a 29-year-old Air Force staff sergeant from Pomona, Calif. "That pitch was supposed to be low and away," Jordan said, "and I guess I tried too hard to get it there." Pujols clapped his hands together a few strides before trotting home, then pointed both index fingers to the sky. Fans gave Pujols a partial standing ovation, and he acknowledged it by tipping his red batting helmet as he approached the dugout. After heading down the steps, he came back out for a curtain call. "Thats something you tell your kids when you get older. I dont know the next guy whos going to hit 500," said Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs (2-0), who gave up two runs in seven innings. "Nobody knows how to react. You dont see it too much." Teammates said that Pujols told shortstop Erick Aybar before the game he was going to hit two homers. "Alberts Albert. If he tells you something, hes going to do it," Trout said. "Im not surprised he said that, because Ive seen it before. Hes told me, Im going deep tonight." Jordan allowed six runs and eight hits in five innings. Washington entered the game with a majors-worst 22 errors and third baseman Anthony Rendon added two more. After a couple of down-for-him years with the Angels following 11 transcendent seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, Pujols appears ready to reclaim his spot among the games elite hitters. He homered Friday and Saturday at Detroit to lift his total to 498, and now hes reached the round number of 500 -- a total that remains hallowed despite losing lustre lately because so many players surpassed it. Of the 26 members of the 500-homer club, 11 reached the mark in the last 15 years, according to STATS. Gary Sheffield was the previous player to do it, hitting No. 500 in April 2009. "You dont see 500, obviously, every night," Pujols said. "Its been a great career." The Cardinals selected him in the 13th round of the 1999 draft, with the 402nd overall selection -- a steal if ever there was one. Pujols won a batting title in 2003, National League MVP awards in 2005, 2008 and 2009, and World Series titles with the Cardinals in 2006 and 2011. Pujols was the first player to hit 30 homers in each of his first 12 seasons and the second -- after Al Simmons in 1924-34 -- to reach 100 RBIs in each of his first 10. A nine-time All-Star, Pujols hit 455 homers with the Cardinals. After his decade-plus of excellence in St. Louis, Pujols signed a 10-year deal worth $240 million with the Angels following the 2011 season. Almost immediately, the 6-foot-3 slugger appeared to be slowing down. He hit .285 with 30 homers in 2012 -- impressive numbers for most players, but career lows at that point for Pujols. Things got even worse in 2013. Injuries limited Pujols to 99 games, and he was sidelined from July 26 on. He ended up hitting .258 with 17 homers and 64 RBIs. But not surprisingly, Pujols bat did not stay quiet for long. Sitting at a news conference with the balls he hit over the fence Tuesday resting near his left elbow, Pujols smiled as he said: "Now weve got to start on the next milestone, I guess." NOTES: Washington RHP Doug Fister threw 44 pitches in three innings at extended spring training in Florida on Tuesday. ... Angels manager Mike Scioscia on Pujols defence this season: "Hes played first base at the Gold Glove-caliber that you would expect. Well have to monitor it; if he needs a day to refresh, well give it to him." Authentic Marcedes Lewis Jersey . Maria Silvia Bastos Marques, president of the EOM (Municipal Olympic Company), will be leaving her post but will remain as an advisor, a city hall statement said Tuesday. Red Bryant Jacksonville Jaguars . Even after the late injury dramas within the All Blacks squad, with captain Richie McCaw, Dan Carter and Mils Muliaina dropping out of the match, they were still far too superior to a second-string Japan.The Rangers force Game Seven, the Blackhawks hold on home ice; notes on Martin St. Louis, Sidney Crosby, Rick Nash, Ryan Suter, Jonathan Toews, Bryan Bickell and more. RANGERS PUSH BACK Facing elimination once again, the New York Rangers took a 3-1 decision against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game Six, forcing the series to Game Seven. In the wake of his mothers sudden passing this week, Rangers RW Martin St. Louis has been put more in the spotlight, particularly with Sundays game falling on Mothers Day, and St. Louis got the Rangers on the board first, scoring 3:34 into the game. It hasnt been a glorious run for St. Louis with the Rangers, scoring four goals and 15 points in 32 (regular season plus playoff) games, but this was his first goal since Game Three against Philadelphia. If hes able to perform through this adversity, thats a real credit to him in what is surely a difficult time. Pittsburghs lone goal of Game Six came from C Brandon Sutter, who now has five goals in the playoffs; only Evgeni Malkin and Jussi Jokinen, both with six, have more for the Penguins. Penguins C Sidney Crosby was held off the scoresheet again, despite playing 24:23. Crosby has been a dominant player in the playoffs, even though his point totals havent followed. He has three points in the series, and one goal in a dozen playoff games, but the Penguins ultimately need goals when Crosby is on the ice and, to this point in the postseason, Crosby has been on the ice for eight goals for and eight goals against during 5-on-5 play. That frustration appeared to boil over in Game Six, with Crosby getting into a confrontation with Rangers C Dominic Moore, which then led to Rangers G Henrik Lundqvist squirting Crosby with a water bottle in the ensuing pile-up. The best of the Rangers in terms of Game Six possession stats was D Kevin Klein, on for 11 5-on-5 shot attempts for and five against. Klein is getting limited ice time, ranking sixth among Rangers defencemen in the postseason, but he has the best possession stats among Rangers blueliners and the second-best on the team. The one player with better possession stats than Klein, RW Rick Nash, maintains that lead despite getting overrun Sunday. With Nash on the ice, at 5-on-5, the Rangers had four shot attempts for and 22 against (15.4%); with Nash off the ice, the Rangers had 52.1% of the 5-on-5 shot attempts. A bad possession game puts the exclamation mark on Nashs postseason struggles -- he has no goals in his 51 shots on goal. Hes now seven away from the playoff record for most shots on goal without scoring, set last year by Jaromir Jagr. That the Rangers are taking this series to Game Seven, despiite Nashs ongoing struggles and limited production from St. Allen Hurns Jersey. . Louis, is a testament to the rest of the club but, to some degree, the same can be said for the Penguins, who are still waiting for Crosby to break out offensively. With Game Seven all thats left to decide which team goes to the Eastern Conference Final, its a prime opportunity for the stars on either side to make the difference. BLACKHAWKS HOLD HOME ICE After a slow start at home in Game Five, the Chicago Blackhawks picked up their game, and won 2-1 over the Minnesota Wild, taking a 3-2 lead in a series in which the home team has won every game. Minnesotas first-period goal came from rookie C Erik Haula, who has been a nice playoff contributor with three goals and six points in a dozen games, and the line of Haula, Matt Cooke and Justin Fontaine had the best possession stats among Wild forwards. D Jared Spurgeon had the best possession stats for the Wild, on the ice for 19 5-on-5 shots for and and nine against (67.9%). On the other hand, Wild D Ryan Suter, who played a game-high 28:32, was on the ice for 14 shot attempts for and 28 against (his most against in the playoffs). Suter gets charged with facing both of the Blackhawks top scoring lines but, on this night, he was getting stuck in his own end all too often. Chicagos second-period rally brought goals from LW Bryan Bickell and C Jonathan Toews. Bickell scored his team-leading sixth goal of the playoffs, on the power play, but was part of a very effective line with Peter Regin and Kris Versteeg; all three were on the ice for at least 68.8% of the 5-on-5 shot attempts. The game-winner came from C Jonathan Toews, who was re-united with LW Patrick Sharp and RW Marian Hossa, as Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville was shuffling lines. Toews had a dominant game, with 76.0% of shot attempts. Chicago set the pairing of Niklas Hjalmarsson and Johnny Oduya out, primarily, against Zach Parise, Mikael Granlund and Jason Pominville, and Oduya had the games best possession stats, on the ice for 16 shot attempts for and four against. The Blackhawks controlled play significantly, but the win didnt come easily for them, and isnt really a surprise given how the first four games of the series played out. Theyll have a chance to finish off the Wild in Minnesota for Game Six but, considering that the Wild are 5-0 at home in the playoffs, outscoring opponents 16-5, it will come as no surprise if this series has to go the distance.   Scott Cullen can be reached at [e-mail] and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. 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