Pujols a blast from past for radio broadcaster

SEATTLE — AutoZone Park in Memphis, Tenn., home to the Memphis Redbirds team that has long served as the Cardinals’ Triple-A affiliate, recently replaced its right-field seats with grass. But one chair remains, painted bright red and stationed in the middle of the new lawn-seating area, to commemorate the landing spot of the Albert Pujols home run that won the Pacific Coast League championship in 2000.

Steve Klauke, called up from Triple-A to serve as the Angels’ radio play-by-play man in Seattle this weekend, was on the other side.

Klauke was calling games for the Redbirds’ opponent, the Salt Lake Buzz. It would be their last year as the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate, before spending the next 16 seasons, and counting, as the top affiliate for the Angels. Klauke’s Buzz trailed that best-of-five series, 2-1, but scored three ninth-inning runs in Game 4 to force extra innings.

Then, in the bottom of the 13th, with one out and none on, a 20-year-old Pujols — drafted in the 13th round the prior summer and crushing his way through the Cardinals’ system in what would be his only Minor League season — clinched the title with an opposite-field home run.

Klauke and his temporary color analyst on AM 830, Mark Langston, brought that up as Saturday’s game unfolded.

“I haven’t gotten over that yet,” Klauke told Langston, to which Langston responded: “We have people who can help.”

Moments later, Klauke called the biggest home run of Pujols’ Angels career. It came in the top of the ninth, with two on, one out and the Angels trailing by a run. Pujols turned on a sinker …

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