<div><p>St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols won his third National League Most Valuable Player award on Tuesday, becoming the first player since 2004 to capture the honor in consecutive years.</p><p>Pujols, from the Dominican Republic, led Major League Baseball this year with 47 home runs and 124 runs scored and led the National League with a .443 on-base percentage to earn the MVP award in a unanimous vote.</p><p>Not since Barry Bonds won the National League MVP award from 2001 through 2004 has a player won the award in back-to-back seasons. Only Bonds, with seven NL MVP awards, has collected more than Pujols for his career.</p><p>Pujols led the Cardinals to the 2006 World Series title but hopes for more championship rings.</p><p>"I always make a joke - I got 10 fingers, I want to get nine more rings," Pujols said.</p><p>His lone inidividual goal remains a place in the Baseball Hall of Fame.</p><p>"Obviously, there is still a long way to go," he said.</p><p>Pujols, who also won the 2005 MVP award as well as last year's honor, took all 32 first-place votes and 448 total points in media balloting, becoming the first unanimous MVP since Bonds swept the voting in 2002.</p><p>Pujols ranked second in the National League with 45 doubles and third in the league with a batting average of .327 and with 135 runs batted in. He went 10-for-17 with the bases loaded, smashing five grand slams and plating 35 runs.</p><p>"I think it was the most consistent year," he said. "I was pretty much hot April until almost September."</p><p>Pujols, 29, underwent surgery October 21 to remove a right elbow bone spur. He failed to homer in the final three weeks of the season.</p><p>"My elbow was fine. I don't put that as an excuse," Pujols said. "I was still playing every day out there."</p><p>Florida's Hanley Ramirez, another Dominican, was second with 233 points with Ryan Howard of league champion Philadelphia third on 217 points and Milwaukee's Prince Fielder fourth on 203.</p><p>Pujols, set to make 16 million dollars in 2010 and 2011 in the last two years of his contract, became the 17th season MVP from the Cardinals, three shy of the all-time major league leaders, the New York Yankees.</p><img src="http://admatch-syndication.mochila.com/images/ad.gif?aid=64179193&bid=informcom" /></div><div id="copyright"><div>

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