In Game 5 of the 2005 NLCS, the St. Louis Cardinals were one out away from elimination.
They were trailing the Houston Astros in the series, 3-1.
However, Albert Pujols saved the day with his epic home run off of Brad Lidge that gave St. Louis a 5-4 lead.
St. Louis held on to win and force Game 6.
Now retired from baseball, Pujols has joined MLB Network as an analyst.
On Tuesday, he spoke with former MLB pitcher Al Leiter and discussed his epic home run off of Lidge, explaining his thought process in the moment and what worked for him.
The video can be found on Twitter.
.@PujolsFive hits the #MLBCentral Skybox to break down some of his legendary Postseason moments! 👀 @AlLeiter22 | @Cardinals pic.twitter.com/4FRQ3eEq2Q
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) June 6, 2023
Pujols swung at a first-pitch slider from Lidge in his at-bat in the top of the ninth inning of Game 5.
The future Hall-of-Famer said that he knew Lidge’s best pitch at the time was his slider, despite him being able to touch the upper 90s with his fastball.
Pujols recalled being completely fooled by the first pitch, but ultimately coming to realize that Lidge would go back to it.
The three-time MVP said at that point, he knew what was coming and that he had Lidge right where he wanted him.
Of course, everybody knows what happened next.
Pujols received an 0-1 slider from Lidge and hit one of the most legendary home runs in Cardinals history, saving them from the brink of elimination.
The ball hit the train tracks in the rafters at Minute Maid Park and left the crowd stunned in disbelief before the Cardinals completed their comeback to force Game 6.
NEXT: Adam Wainwright Discusses The Cardinals' Current Struggles
