ST. LOUIS — Albert Pujols hit three home runs, including a winning drive that erased a ninth-inning deficit and put an exclamation point on the St. Louis Cardinals' first homestand at new Busch Stadium.

Then he did a little dance a few steps in front of home plate before teammates mobbed him.

"Hey, you get a walkoff home run, you get to do whatever you want," Pujols said after his two-run drive yesterday gave St. Louis an 8-7 win over the Cincinnati Reds. "You need to be excited about it. You don't get too many of those, so you need to enjoy them when they come."

Pujols' eighth homer came on a 1-2 fastball from David Weathers (0-1) and traveled an estimated 441 feet.

Pujols and Scott Rolen connected on consecutive at-bats in the fifth and Pujols also homered in the seventh.