Albert Pujols became the third player to join that rare pantheon: Hitting three home runs in a World Series game. In fact, Pujols' mesmerizing performance in Game 3 might just be the best of all time in the long history of the Fall Classic.

All that means he'll be back next season in a ... gulp, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim uniform?

Yep, Pujols might very well be will be the next World Series hero to switch teams immediately after the season. The Yankees' Hideki Matsui did that two years ago. After hitting over .500 and winning the series MVP, Matsui felt unwanted in the Bronx and opted to sign with the Angels. A couple of other Yankees World Series headliners did that in the late '90s as well, as both John Wetteland and David Wells departed after winning it all.

But before you feel too sorry for the Yankees (is that even possible?), let's set the record straight. The Yankees started this very trend themselves. At the dawn of free agency in the 1970s, it was new Yankees owner George Steinbrenner who routinely raided the best available players right off World Series-winning teams. That strategy did pay off, as the Bombers ended their championship drought by winning back-to-back titles in 1977-78.

Would Pujols be following the money after his World Series glory? We'll know in a couple of months. While he ponders that, here are our Top 10 Departures of a World Series Hero: