Taylor Crouse takes his passion for the St. Louis Cardinals on the road at least once every year.

This year, the St. Joseph man’s annual road trip reaped a reward to bring back home: a home run ball hit by Cardinals star Albert Pujols.

“I’ve never been a big foul ball person,” the 31-year-old South Side resident said. “But I always thought that if I could get a home run ball, that would be great. That it was Pujols makes it even sweeter.”

Crouse and his wife, Kari, made the trip to Cleveland for the June 13 game.

The couple sat in left-center field and witnessed plenty of action. Pujols hit a home run in the fourth inning, and the ball, after traveling about 396 feet, landed just a few rows in front of the Crouses. The man who caught it — an Indians fan — tossed it back onto the field.

“I was kind of bummed when I watched that,” Crouse said. “I thought I should have tried harder to get the ball.”

But Pujols, who has hit 26 home runs this season, gave Crouse another opportunity. He drove the ball an estimated 435 feet, and it landed nearly at Crouse’s feet.

“Me and another guy went for the ball,” said Crouse, who dove after the ball as it landed. “He really had a better shot at it than me. He kind of let me have it because he saw I was a Pujols fan. I bought him a couple of beers.”

Pujols’ 27th-multihomer performance gave the Cardinals a 3-1 victory and provided Crouse with a lasting souvenir from his annual Cardinals pilgrimages.

“I’ve just always been a huge Cardinals fan, and the trips are always great,” said Crouse, who also has taken trips to watch the team in Chicago, Pittsburgh and San Francisco. “The (home run ball) just makes this one even a little more special.”

Crouse, for now, keeps the ball hidden away in a safe place. At least until he can get a special display case made for it.

“I plan to take good care of it,” Crouse said. “I probably should just keep it in a safe deposit box.”