Cardinals fans gave Albert Pujols a standing ovation at the plate in his return

This moment was incredible.

Seven and a half years after he left the St. Louis Cardinals to sign a mega-deal with the Angels, Cardinals legend Albert Pujols returned to Busch Stadium for the very first time on Friday night. Pujols led the Cardinals to a World Series title in his final season with the club, and fans in St. Louis finally got a chance to pay tribute to him for the first time.

Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina cleared the stage at home plate and fans gave Pujols an extended standing ovation before his first at-bat. Pujols said after the game that it was an emotional moment. Pujols also received standing ovations for his other two at-bats during the game, and he finished 1-for-2 with walk.

Via ESPN:

“I was pretty close from dropping a couple tears there, I think, especially when I hugged Yadi. We had that little moment to ourselves right there.”