Marcus Smart was adamant Thursday that Kyrie Irving isn't to blame for the Boston Celtics' failure to meet expectations this postseason.

The Celtics were eliminated by the Milwaukee Bucks, 116-91 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Wednesday night.

"Bulls---. That's bulls---," Smart said when asked Thursday if Irving's leadership skills were behind the Celtics' lack of chemistry. "Not one of us on this team knows what Kyrie has been through. Probably a few amount of people in this world know what Kyrie goes through. It was hard for him as well.

"He was forced into a situation where it was business over the friendships. He had to come into a situation knowing this is a group of guys that had something going before [he came] here. 'How will I fit in?' He didn't want to disrupt that. That says a lot. This is Kyrie Irving we're talking about it, and he's worried about coming in and disrupting us. We took him in with full arms. We tried to understand. But like I said, we never really understood because we're not in his shoes. That's just a bulls--- statement to say his leadership skills killed us."

Irving went 25-for-83 (30.1 percent) from the floor in the Celtics' four losses to the Bucks -- including 6-for-21 shooting in their final game Wednesday.

"We just couldn't find a way to do it. It's nobody's fault. It happens," Smart said Thursday. "... It's four other guys out there, 13 other guys on the team. Coaches and everything. To just blame it on one guy is bulls---."

Celtics guard Jaylen Brown is was "an up and down season from all of us" and acknowledged that it was a struggle to put all the pieces together.

"I don't think anybody was prepared for this year in terms of what the circus was going to be like," Brown said. "The media and everything. The expectations and balancing. The rotations, we didn't know what it was going to be like."

Smart said he has not talked to Irving, who can become a restricted free agent this offseason, about a possible return next season.

"If he wants to talk about it, he will," Smart said. "That's his decision. Not for me to ask. Not really my business. I love Kyrie as a brother. I talk to Kyrie. I wish nothing but the best if he decides to stay. If he decides to go, I wish nothing but the best for Kyrie. It's my brother. But I have not talked to him and I do not plan to. It's his decision."

WASHINGTON -- NBA commissioner Adam Silver wants half of all new referees joining the league to be women -- and he would like to see teams hire female coaches, too.

In an appearance Thursday for The Economic Club of Washington, D.C., Silver said two of the past five refs added from the developmental G League were women, bringing the total number of female officials to three.

"It's an area, frankly, where I've acknowledged that I'm not sure how it was that it remained so male-dominated for so long. Because it's an area of the game where physically, certainly, there's no benefit to being a man, as opposed to a woman, when it comes to refereeing," Silver said.

"The goal is: Going forward, it should be roughly 50-50 of new officials entering in the league. Same for coaches, by the way. We have a program, too. There's no reason why women shouldn't be coaching men's basketball."

There has never been a female head coach in the NBA.

Becky Hammon of the San Antonio Spurs was the league's first full-time female assistant. Kristi Toliver worked as an assistant coach for the Washington Wizards this season; she also still plays for the WNBA's Mystics in the same city.

In December, the Indiana Pacers made Kelly Krauskopf the first woman to hold the title of assistant general manager in the NBA.

Among the other topics Silver was asked about Thursday was the NBA's one-and-done rule, and he reiterated that he has changed his stance on the issue and is willing to let 18-year-old players enter the league.

"I have changed my position. It's a tough one, because not all the teams agree with me on this," Silver said, estimating that about half of the league's clubs are in favor of the switch.

He said the NBA and the players' union are "in active discussions" about that policy and he said any change probably wouldn't happen before the 2022 season. That's because some teams already have traded away picks in upcoming drafts, and because that is the year current freshmen in high school would be eligible to head to the pros.

HOUSTON -- Golden State Warriors superstar Kevin Durant will not play in the rest of his team's Western Conference semifinals series against the Houston Rockets because of a right calf strain, but Warriors coach Steve Kerr says he is confident Durant will be able to return in the conference finals if Golden State can close out this series.

"I think it's good news," Kerr said Thursday night after the Warriors landed in Houston. "Calf strain, he's had them before. He's responded well. Obviously, we're disappointed he won't be able to play in this series. If we're able to win the series and move on, looks good for his return in the not-too-distant future."

Durant injured his calf in the third quarter of Wednesday night's 104-99 Game 5 win over the Rockets. With 2:11 left in the quarter, Durant went up for a jumper over Rockets swingman Iman Shumpert and landed awkwardly. Initially, Warriors personnel were concerned that Durant had suffered an Achilles injury, but an MRI on Thursday confirmed the calf strain.

Durant will be reevaluated in a week. He stayed behind in the Bay Area with a member of the Warriors' training staff to get treatment on his calf.

Kerr said he hadn't spoken to Durant since late Wednesday night, but the feeling of relief from within the Warriors organization is palpable. Kerr says he is confident his team can find a way to win one more game against the Rockets and advance to the Western Conference finals, setting up Durant's potential return in that round. Game 6 of the semis is Friday night in Houston with the Warriors leading the series 3-2.

"It's the playoffs, it's the ultimate test," Kerr said. "We're in a great spot, we're up 3-2. Got championship rings on our fingers. Lot of experience and a lot of confidence that comes from that. So let's go out there and let it rip."

Kerr said he had a pretty good idea of how he wanted to set up his rotations without Durant in the fold, but he wouldn't reveal that until closer to Friday night's game time. The Warriors were expected to have a film session upon arrival in Houston, and Kerr liked the way his team was feeling.

"There's an advantage to have championship experience," Kerr said. "To have rings on your fingers. This group will never be doubted. This group has nothing to prove. There is a freedom with that. We're being hit with injuries, which is a part of it. One of the reasons it's so hard to win a championship because things like this happen. We've been with injuries in the past during this run. This is probably the hardest we've been hit with DeMarcus [Cousins] and Kevin. The challenge is here, right there in front of our guys. We just have to win one game, so let's do it."

Kerr reiterated that point several times during his news conference with reporters, maintaining a sense of humor in the wake of another tough injury setback in the postseason. While discussing the impact of Durant's injury, Kerr drew a few chuckles from the assembled media.

"Just find somebody on the bench who can give us 35 points," Kerr said. "Two blocks and 11 boards and 9 assists.

"He's been the best player in the NBA in the playoffs; he's been phenomenal. And so -- it's obviously a huge loss, but our team has a lot of confidence. They trust each other; they've won championships together. So we come out and we give it our best shot, and we try to mix and match the lineups and find some minutes and some contributions where we haven't had them so far in this series. Guys'll get opportunities who haven't had an opportunity yet. So it'll be a little different, but no reason why we can't go get a win."

PHILADELPHIA -- The Process continues.

Facing elimination and an offseason rife with speculation were the Philadelphia 76ers to lose, Joel Embiid bounced back to lead a 112-101 win over the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night and force a decisive Game 7 in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

After slogging through Philadelphia's losses in Games 4 and 5 as the Sixers fell behind in the series 3-2, Embiid looked as if he hadn't quite shaken his upper respiratory infection in the first half of Game 6.

He was 1-for-8 from the field, and while the Sixers held a 15-point lead at the break, he hadn't put his stamp on the game.

Then the third quarter came. Embiid put up 10 points on 3-for-5 shooting, six rebounds and two blocks -- both of them coming on Kawhi Leonard -- and played 11 of the 12 minutes. The Sixers led by 20 heading into the fourth, and were well on their way to earning a series split and embracing their All-Star big man's return to form.

"Coming in -- knowing that this was a do-or-die situation," Embiid said, "I knew that I had to come in with high spirits. ... That's what I got to keep on doing -- do the little things, and everything's going to follow."

Embiid finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds in 36 minutes (the most he has played in a game this postseason), as well as a plus-minus of plus-40, the best mark by a player in this season's playoffs.

"It's the playoffs," Embiid said. "I got to play. If I got to play 45 minutes and push myself out there, that's what I got to do. If that's what it takes to win, if my presence on the court is needed, I got to be there. It doesn't matter if it takes the whole game and I'm fine with it. Going to keep on pushing myself, and in Game 7, we're going to need it. I'm going to need to be on the court and I intend to be ready for anything. If I have to play a whole game."

Acknowledging the pressure his team faced Thursday, Sixers coach Brett Brown -- who has heard his owner's expectation to advance further than the second round loud and clear -- said the collective mindset was apparent.

"The mood in the locker room as we went through sort of an early shootaround -- our version of shootaround -- before, you could sense the serious side," Brown said. "They got the moment."

And Ben Simmons seized that moment early, registering eight of his 21 points and five of his six assists in the first quarter, as the Sixers raced out to a 29-21 lead after the first quarter. The Sixers improved to 3-0 in the series when Simmons dished out five or more assists.

"What he did today was lots of the reasons he was an NBA All-Star at age 22, as an NBA point guard with the ball," Brown said. "I really loved his no turnovers and I really loved his offensive rebounds. I thought those two things, amongst all those comments I just made, are what stood out the most. It's the evolution of a 22-year-old, 6-10 point guard [who] used to be a college 4 man."

Simmons and Embiid -- Philadelphia's two tantalizing young talents who often receive as much criticism for their drawbacks (Simmons' shooting deficiency and Embiid's broken-down body) as they do praise for their skills -- heard compliments Thursday.

"He's such a force. He draws a lot of attention so for us we can make plays," Simmons said of Embiid. "He's been doing well for the circumstances he's been under."

Added Jimmy Butler about Simmons: "That's how we need him to be. Along with Jo and everybody else, you can't key in on one or two guys on this team because we have so many guys that can put the ball in the basket."

They'll play again Sunday with a chance to bring the Sixers franchise to the conference finals for the first time in 18 years.

"Basketball is fun," Embiid said. "I understand that it's Game 7, but got to come in and fight -- just like we did tonight. Our backs were on the line tonight; I feel like our backs are still on the line. So we just got to do the same thing."

PHILADELPHIA -- From the moment Kawhi Leonard touched the ball Thursday night in the Toronto Raptors' 112-101 loss at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers, he encountered multiple bodies.

This seems like an obvious response to an attacking wing who has assembled one of the most prolific individual runs in NBA postseason history, but for the past two weeks in an Eastern Conference semifinals that is now knotted at 3-3, the Sixers have been selective in sending traps and quick help at Leonard. Philadelphia's decision not to throw the kitchen sink at Leonard as a matter of course has been a surprise to Raptors' players and staff, who had gleefully ridden Leonard in this series.

The Raptors also were well aware that, facing elimination, the Sixers would almost certainly intensify their attention on Leonard in the half court in Game 6. That could disrupt the Raptors' offensive rhythm, but there would be a steady diet of open looks for everyone else. The Raptors' willingness to take those shots and drain them would largely determine whether the Raptors would be traveling on Sunday to Milwaukee for the Eastern Conference finals or to downtown Toronto for a decisive seventh game against Philadelphia.

As the Sixers ramped up their double-teams in the post, those shots were readily available for the Raptors -- and they missed them at an exceptional rate on Thursday. Overall, Toronto missed 13 of its 20 uncontested field goal attempts in the first three quarters of Game 6, including seven of its nine uncontested 3-pointers. For contrast, the Raptors ranked seventh in the league this season on uncontested 3-pointers at 41.4 percent, per Second Spectrum.

"We had a lot of open looks early and we missed them," Raptors guard Kyle Lowry said. "We didn't play well tonight."

Actions trigger outcomes, and just as the attention on Leonard created shot opportunities for Toronto, the corresponding misses by the Raptors ignited the Sixers' transition attack, which has been their single biggest offensive imperative.

"It was just making a point of actually doing it and not [just] talking about it," Sixers point guard Ben Simmons said. "Obviously, I'm pretty quick, so I'm able to push the ball. I think it was just being aggressive downhill and just playing my game."

For all the flak Jared Dudley took about his evaluation of Simmons as a lethal transition threat but an "average" half-court player, the diagnosis is fairly on point -- and nobody is more aware of it than the Simmons and the Sixers. Absent an outside shot, Simmons thrives best in a brisk tempo, and the barrage of Raptors' clankers was the accelerant he desperately needed after struggling in the series. He broke out with 21 points on 9-for-13 shooting from the field, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, without a turnover.

The Raptors, meanwhile, have relied on their solid transition defense throughout the season and playoffs, but they stumbled a step slow into too many early offense situations on the Sixers' end of the court. Even when the Raptors caught up to the action, they were exposed on the glass, where they were again bothered by the Sixers' size. Toronto allowed Philadelphia to collect 39 percent of their missed shots for additional possessions, and the Raptors continue to have the worst rebounding rate of the remaining teams by a considerable margin.

"We've got to rebound the basketball better and just kind of limit the transition," Raptors forward Pascal Siakam said. "We've got to limit them to one shot and make them play in the half court."

Siakam's comment underscored a reality revealed in Game 6 that will inform Sunday's Game 7: Structure favors Toronto in this matchup. That's not to say the Raptors necessary want a half-court game; they're incredibly effective on the break, leading the league in points per transition possession in the regular season.

But the Raptors are a team that relies on collective intelligence to execute heady actions. Even when Leonard is working up top in a pick-and-roll or in isolation, he is a surveyor who is timing gaps and watching the help defenders, while his teammates move with purpose to be in the best position to maximize a potential pass.

Jimmy Butler (an efficient 25 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds in Game 6) and Joel Embiid (17 points, 12 rebounds and a gaudy plus-40) provide Philadelphia release valves on the wing and in the post, respectively. But despite their individual skill sets, the Sixers' offense gums up against the Raptors' sturdy base defense. Even on Thursday, the Sixers managed a meager 87.3 points per 100 possessions in the half court, according to Cleaning the Glass. It's possible the Sixers can pick-and-roll their way to the conference finals through Butler, with Embiid hitting multiple 3-pointers, but it's likely not the path of least resistance.

Whether Game 7 is an open-court affair, a shooting exhibition courtesy of double-teams and scrambling defense or a sequence of fits and starts, it represents one of the most high-stake games we've seen in recent years.

At the NBA's Final Table, which is now down to seven participants, Toronto and Philadelphia are the two swashbucklers, the teams that assumed the biggest gambles to assemble their stack of chips. Both made their blockbuster trades over the past year with the expectation they would play past the conference semifinals. On Sunday, they will go head-to-head in Toronto, both all-in.

NEW YORK -- Whatever was smeared under the hat of Seattle Mariners pitcher Yusei Kikuchi, it hasn't turned into a sticky situation for the M's, New York Yankees or Major League Baseball.

A day after a dark substance -- possibly illegal pine tar -- was spotted under the bill of Kikuchi's cap in a win at Yankee Stadium, all sides kept cool.

MLB issued no penalty or even a statement on the matter Thursday.

"It'll work itself out," Mariners manager Scott Servais said before the series wrapped up.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said his team looked at the tape and that even though he "had thoughts about it," he wouldn't make them public.

"We'll kind of handle it behind the scenes, how we think it's proper," he said.

Pitchers across the majors are known to use a bit of pine tar to get a better grip; that's not a secret. And hitters are generally OK with that, preferring balls are thrown with control.

For the most part, pitchers keep the sticky substance out of sight. In 2014, then-Yankees starter Michael Pineda was suspended 10 games after umpires easily spotted pine tar slathered on his neck during a chilly night at Fenway Park.

Crew chief Dana DeMuth said Thursday that the umpires didn't see anything under Kikuchi's cap and that no one on either side mentioned it during the game.

"Nobody said a thing," he said. "He wasn't doing anything suspicious. In fact, he kept getting a new ball, and he'd throw the old one out toward the Yankees' dugout. It wasn't like he was trying to hide anything."

Kikuchi held the Yankees to three hits in 7 2/3 innings. The 27-year-old Japanese rookie has a four-year, $56 million contract with the Mariners that could be worth up to $109 million over seven seasons if options are exercised.

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump honored the World Series champion Boston Red Sox -- well, some of them -- at the White House on Thursday, but made no mention of the controversy that shadowed the visit.

The team's manager, Alex Cora, did not attend the ceremony after citing his frustration with the administration's efforts to help his native Puerto Rico recover from a devastating hurricane. And nearly a dozen members of the team, all players of color, skipped the opportunity to shake Trump's hand. Meanwhile, every white player on the team -- as well as outfielder J.D. Martinez, who is of Cuban descent -- attended.

The Red Sox repeatedly denied that there was any sort of racial divide caused by the White House visit, which has been transformed from moment of celebratory ritual to hyper-politicized event under Trump. And there was no sign of discord during the rained-upon ceremony on the White House South Lawn.

The U.S. Marine Corps band played versions of "Dirty Water" and "Sweet Caroline," two unofficial Red Sox anthems. A derogatory shout about the Red Sox's rival, the New York Yankees, was heard. Trump was presented with a Red Sox jersey with the number 18 on the back.

The day was not without mishaps: The White House first incorrectly labeled the team the "Red Socks" on its website and then later, in an email, dubbed the Red Sox the champions of something called the "World Cup Series." But Trump himself stuck to the correct script, honoring the team's dominant run to the title.

"Frankly, they were unstoppable. I watched," said Trump, who noted that the squad now has won more World Series titles than any other franchise this century. He laughed when Martinez teased him for being a Yankees fan.

The president was accompanied by two of the team's stars, Martinez and pitcher Chris Sale, from the Oval Office and joined the rest of the team assembled under the South Portico. The team's third-base coach, Carlos Febles, who is from the Dominican Republic, stood two rows behind the president. And dozens of administration officials and members of government, many of whom hail from the six New England states, stood on the lawn to cheer.

Tom Werner, the team's chairman, downplayed the no-shows, saying it was each player's personal decision whether to attend.

"We don't see it as a racial divide," he said after the team received a post-ceremony tour of the Lincoln Bedroom. "I think, to the extent that we can, baseball is apolitical."

A championship team's coach rarely, if ever, misses the White House visit, a tradition that began in earnest in 1924 when then-President Calvin Coolidge invited the Washington Senators. Cora had considered attending Thursday's White House event to call attention to the plight of those in Puerto Rico, where Hurricane Maria is estimated to have caused nearly 3,000 deaths. But in the end, he opted not to go.

"Unfortunately, we are still struggling, still fighting," Cora said in a statement. "Some people still lack basic necessities, others remain without electricity and many homes and schools are in pretty bad shape almost a year and a half after Hurricane Maria struck. I've used my voice on many occasions so that Puerto Ricans are not forgotten, and my absence is no different. As such, at this moment, I don't feel comfortable celebrating in the White House."

Before the visit, Trump defended his stance on Puerto Rico, falsely asserting once again that the territory received $91 billion in hurricane relief money, which he claimed was "the largest amount of money ever given to any state."

In fact, Congress has allocated Puerto Rico just a fraction of that figure. The White House has said Trump's $91 billion estimate includes about $50 billion in speculated future disaster disbursements that could span decades, along with $41 billion already approved. Actual aid to Puerto Rico has flowed more slowly from federal coffers, with about $11 billion given so far. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 cost the U.S government more than $120 billion -- the bulk of it going to Louisiana.

Trump nonetheless told reporters, "the people of Puerto Rico should really like President Trump."

Those around the Red Sox locker room stressed that a player's decision to attend was a personal choice and not, in many cases, political.

"Politically, it didn't matter who was in the White House. If I have an opportunity to go to the White House and meet the president, I'm going to go," relief pitcher Heath Hembree said Wednesday. "Nobody tried to persuade me. They have their reasons why not to go."

For some players, it might be their only chance for a White House invite. It also reflects a larger trend across baseball: A number of players hail from Trump-friendly states such as Texas and Florida, while the sport has also seen a surge in Latino players and a decline in African Americans.

Having also won World Series titles in 2004, 2007 and 2013, the Red Sox -- who also visited wounded veterans at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Thursday -- have been honored at the White House under both Republican and Democratic presidents. But the events have taken on sharp political overtones since Trump took office.

When the New England Patriots visited in 2017, Trump's first year in office, far fewer players attended than when the franchise won a title under President Barack Obama. After several players on the Philadelphia Eagles and Golden State Warriors publicly declared that they would skip White House ceremonies, Trump disinvited the teams. Trump has also instituted a new tradition for the ceremonies, scrapping gourmet meals in favor of offering plates of fast food to athletes. The Red Sox were not at the White House for a meal, Werner said.

Moreover, the optics of the Red Sox visit are certain to receive additional scrutiny due to the history of racially charged moments for both the team and the city it calls home.

The Red Sox infamously held a failed tryout for Jackie Robinson before he broke the sport's color barrier. They were the last team in the major leagues to integrate. And an Elks Club in the team's former spring training home of Winter Haven, Florida, invited only white players to events, a practice that stopped only in the 1980s, when black players complained.

NEW YORK -- Some tight pitching from New York Yankees starter J.A. Happ on Thursday left Seattle Mariners second baseman Dee Gordon fuming.

Specifically, it was seeing two fastballs inside during one plate appearance -- the second of which was a 90 mph four-seamer that hit Gordon's right wrist and forced him to leave the game -- that had the leadoff hitter enraged.

"I was pissed off. It was the second time he threw up by my head," Gordon said, according to The Seattle Times. "You've got to get the ball down. You can't throw that pitch. I got a family. You need to get the ball, you need to get the ball the f--- down. That's twice. If you can't throw that pitch, don't throw it."

The third-inning fastball that hit Gordon's wrist caused immediate and visible discomfort. He removed his helmet and started walking around the area behind home plate at Yankee Stadium, shouting in obvious pain as a team trainer rushed out of the dugout to evaluate him.

After several moments spent determining whether Gordon would stay in the game -- an eventual 3-1 win for the Yankees -- the decision was made to remove him.

Initial tests were inconclusive. The Mariners will conduct further testing on Gordon's wrist Friday, when they open a weekend series at Boston.

Following the injury, Gordon was replaced by Dylan Moore, who also has a wrist injury after getting hit by a pitch Wednesday. Moore played from the third inning until the eighth, when he was pinch hit for by Jay Bruce. In the next half inning, Edwin Encarnacion took Moore's place in the field at second base, making his first career appearance there.

Encarnacion, too, had an injury scare when he dove for a ground ball that got by him in the inning. He remained in the game.

Gordon's comments hadn't become public when the Yankees' clubhouse was open. For the few minutes Happ spoke to reporters, he wasn't questioned about hitting Gordon with the pitch.

Still, Happ admitted to pitching Thursday with a little extra intensity and emotion as he came off a disappointing four-run, seven-hit outing in his previous start last Saturday against Minnesota. He came into Thursday trying to make up for that effort.

"I just held some frustration from that last start," Happ said. "So I don't know. Pitching with an edge or whatever you want to call it, but I was [definitely] focused out there, and I feel like that helped a little bit."

He felt that edge helped him enjoy his best start of the season, a scoreless, five-plus-inning outing in which he gave up only one hit.

"He was pretty intense throughout that game," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "He's been fighting hard, I feel like. Really grinding, and even from late in spring training to early in the season, really just trying to find that way."

Gordon has gotten off to a solid start, batting .304 with 19 RBIs, 14 runs scored and 10 stolen bases in his first 38 games.

During his first plate appearance Thursday, Gordon saw five pitches from Happ. Each one either stayed off the plate outside, or sat in the middle of the strike zone. He walked, and was later thrown out trying to steal second base.

The only two pitches he saw in his second plate appearance were inside. The first was an 89 mph two-seam fastball just below the belt that was called a strike. The second was the one up that hit him.

Albert Pujols recorded his 2,000th career RBI with a solo home run in the third inning of the Los Angeles Angels' game against the Detroit Tigers on Thursday.

Pujols is only the third player in Major League Baseball history to drive in 2,000 or more runs in a career, joining Alex Rodriguez (2,086) and Hank Aaron (2,297) in achieving the feat.

Pujols belted a fastball from Tigers left-hander Ryan Carpenter into the right-field seats during the Angels' 13-0 victory. He received an ovation by the sparse crowd at Comerica Park, where his accomplishment was recognized on the videoboards and by the public address announcer.

"He's one of the greatest hitters ever to walk the planet, without question," Angels manager Brad Ausmus said recently. "For about 10 years, he was the best. He was the Mike Trout of his time. Really, it went from Pujols to [Miguel] Cabrera to Trout, but Albert's body of work is clearly the best."

RBIs became an official statistic in 1920. Prior to that, it is likely that Babe Ruth and Cap Anson also had 2,000 RBIs, but their exact totals are disputed.

The fan who caught Pujols' home run ball said he wasn't opposed to giving it back to Pujols, but he decided to keep it. The Tigers announced the ball can't be authenticated by Major League Baseball.

Pujols told reporters he wasn't upset that the fan kept the ball.

"He can keep it," Pujols said. "It's a great memory for him. I mean we play this game for the fans, and it's a piece of history that he's going to have for the rest of his life."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

There are three old scouting reports of Albert Pujols on the Baseball Hall of Fame website. The first is from a Royals scout named Gary Johnson, filed in November 1998 after Pujols had gone undrafted out of high school in Missouri. This was the most positive of the reports. "Good bat spd. with very strong hands," Johnson wrote. "Can hit up the middle but tends to pull. Competes well & battles at the plate." Johnson gave him a future grade of 5 for his hitting and 6 for power and gave him a value of $80,000 and thought him worthy of a pick from Round 8 to Round 10 in the 1999 draft.

The second report is dated March 26, 1999, when Pujols was playing shortstop for Maple Woods Community College in Kansas City. This was from a White Sox scout named John Kazanas. He gave Pujols a 45 grade for future hitting and 75 for power. He predicted a rookie average of .220. "Outstanding power, raw to all fields," he wrote. "Needs a lot of work w/ set-up approach, shorten stroke, quiet body down during swing -- could be drafted higher because of pop. Feel he needs work." Kazanas apparently didn't like Pujols' crouch position in his stance and wrote that he had "loud feet" in the box, whatever that meant.

The third report came in May 1999, from Brewers scout Russ Bove. He gave future grades of 40 for hitting and 55 for power, predicting major league totals of a .240 average with 24 home runs. His value: $20,000. "Aggressive hitter with mistake HR power," Bove wrote. "Tends to be a hacker. Chases."

None of those three teams drafted Pujols, of course. The Royals, despite their scout's $80,000 tag on Pujols, passed on him 17 times before the Cardinals finally took him in the 13th round. Now, don't go giving the Cardinals too much praise here: They passed on Pujols 15 times before finally selecting him.

In fact, they initially offered Pujols a $10,000 signing bonus. He turned that down and played in the summer amateur Jayhawk League and hit .343. The Cardinals increased their offer to something close to $60,000, and Pujols signed.

His professional career began in 2000 and he had obviously impressed the Cardinals in spring training because he started in the Midwest League. He hit .314 with 19 home runs in the minors. In 2001, slated for Double-A, he instead hit his way onto the big league roster in spring training. He hit .329 with 37 home runs and 130 RBIs as a 21-year-old rookie.

I guess he made the crouch work.

Pujols' first RBI in the majors came in his fourth game, a two-run home run in the fourth inning off Armando Reynoso of the Diamondbacks. His 2,000th RBI in the majors came on Thursday and it too, fittingly, came on a home run, off Ryan Carpenter of the Tigers in a 13-0 victory for the Angels:

2,000.@PujolsFive | #TheHaloWay pic.twitter.com/ejakVObGXV

— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) May 9, 2019

Yes, we know Pujols isn't really helping the Angels much these days -- and hasn't for a few seasons now. He's hitting .208/.285/.408, and with the return of Shohei Ohtani as the full-time designated hitter, Pujols will be sharing first base with Justin Bour.

Still, we can step away from his current value to the team and appreciate this milestone -- and remember what an amazing career Pujols had to get to this point. Since RBIs became an official stat in 1920, Pujols is just the third player to reach 2,000:

Henry Aaron: 2,297
Alex Rodriguez: 2,086
Albert Pujols: 2,000
Barry Bonds: 1,996
Lou Gehrig: 1,994
Babe Ruth: 1,992

Ruth actually topped 2,000 in his career. Baseball-Reference.com, using data from Retrosheet, credits him with 2,214 RBIs. And if you care about 19th century baseball, Cap Anson topped 2,000 as well.

Pujols is tied with A-Rod for most 100-RBI seasons with 14. (Gehrig and Jimmie Foxx had 13.) He topped 100 the first 10 seasons of his career, but this fact is surprising: Pujols never led the majors in RBIs (and he led his league just once, with 118 for the Cardinals in 2010). Here he is year by year:

Pujols has company in this regard: Barry Bonds, Stan Musial (1,950 RBIs) and Eddie Murray (1,917 RBIs) also never led the majors in RBIs.

RBIs, of course, have become widely disparaged in the sabermetric era since they are somewhat context-dependent -- you need runners on base in front of you to collect a lot of them. Case in point to the anti-RBI argument was Pujols' own 2017 season, when he hit .241/.286/.386 with 23 home runs but still drove in 101 runs. While he did improve with runners in scoring position (.264/.323/.448), he drove in 100 runs because of his spot in the lineup and his RBI opportunities.

Still, Pujols has been a great RBI man in his career. Check his career splits:

Overall: .301/.381/.552
RISP: .313/.434/.569
Men on: .309/.405/.553
Late & close: .300/.416/.523
High leverage: .316/.414/.567

As those last two numbers indicate, Pujols was pretty good in the clutch. Brad Lidge would certainly agree:

Remember as well that peak Pujols would draw a lot of intentional walks -- not as many as peak Bonds, but he is second all time in intentional walks (which were first counted in 1955).

Pujols' career high in RBIs came in 2006 with 137. He hit .397/.535/.802 with runners in scoring position that year. He finished second in the MVP voting to Ryan Howard ... who drove in 12 more runs, apparently enough to sway the MVP voters.

Pujols still managed to win three MVP Awards while finishing second in the voting four times. As the 2,000-RBI milestone reminds us, this was one of the greatest hitters in the history of the game.