ST. LOUIS -- Albert Pujols is back in St. Louis, nearly eight years after celebrating a World Series crown in the city that made him famous.

The Hall of Fame-bound slugger has accomplished a lot during his time with the Los Angeles Angels, with whom he signed after 11 stellar seasons with the Cardinals. He has had three 30-homer seasons. He has driven in 100 or more runs four times. He has reached historic career milestones -- 3,000 hits, 500 and 600 homers, 2,000 RBIs. But he had never been back to Busch Stadium.

That is, until Friday, when Pujols' Angels were slated to begin their first interleague series in St. Louis since he left. Pujols said that not only had he never returned to the scene of his old glories as a player -- he hadn't been back to the park at all since he and the Cardinals beat the Texas Rangers 6-2 to clinch the 2011 World Series title.

"I drove by it once," Pujols said. "Because I had an event [nearby].

Players change teams and revisit old stomping grounds every season, but this one is special, both because of Pujols' status as one of the greatest Cardinals ever and because of the special connection to the city he has maintained to this day. Pujols' foundation still operates in St. Louis and he still owns a house in the city's suburbs.

"It hasn't hit me yet," Pujols said. "I'm pretty sure when I take the field, if we get a chance to play tonight, it will be [special]. I'm not really an emotional guy. But it's probably going to get to me. It's getting to me now."

Thunderstorms passed through St. Louis on Friday, canceling batting practice before the scheduled 8:15 p.m. ET start. Yet, as the Busch Stadium grounds crew rolled up the tarp and began preparing the rain-soaked field, early-arriving fans crowded along the rail next to the Angels' side of the field, hoping to catch a glimpse of Pujols.

Meanwhile, inside the ballpark, Pujols exchanged hugs and handshakes with numerous familiar faces from the old days. If anyone was still raw about the fact that Pujols left the club for a 10-year, $240 million contract, you'd never guess it by the scene inside the ballpark. In fact, Pujols said that in all of the years since he changed teams, he has never encountered anyone who has expressed resentment over his decision.

"The reality is here," Pujols said of the long-awaiting return. "It's just amazing. Started my career here, 11 years, the success that I had here, nine playoffs, two World Series, the best fans in baseball. I use the [saying] that I came here as little boy and I left as a really strong and grown man."

It's no wonder Pujols is expected to receive a thunderingly positive response when he steps to the plate for the first time. He's the all-time leader in batting average, homers and extra-base hits at the current Busch Stadium, the third venue in St. Louis to bear that name. Though it has been eight years since he toiled for the Redbirds, Pujols ranks second all time in the franchise's history in homers (445), RBIs (1,329) and extra-base hits (915).

Yet despite the Cooperstown-worthy numbers, the nine trips to the postseason and the two World Series crowns, Pujols says it still comes back to the friendships he has built over the years. That's especially true of the two remaining Cardinals players from his St. Louis days, pitcher Adam Wainwright and catcher Yadier Molina, whom Pujols has many times referred to as his little brother.

"I think the best things you build in this game is the relationships," Pujols said. "Nobody can take that away from you. And you play this game for 20 years or whatever -- hopefully you live longer than what you play.

"That's why you build these great relationships. That is why it's more important to me than what I have accomplished."