he was named the 2008 winner of the Roberto Clemente Award. He considered having Tommy John surgery after the season but underwent nerve transposition surgery on his right elbow instead to ease discomfort. Later Cardinals career and second World Series (2009–2011) On April 25, 2009, Pujols picked up his 1,000th career RBI with a 441-foot grand slam against David Patton in an 8–2 victory over the Cubs. "I hit that ball as good as I can hit a ball," he said after the game. On July 3, he hit his 10th career grand slam against Weathers in a 7–4 victory over the Reds, breaking Musial's record for most grand slams by a Cardinal. The grand slam was also his 350th career home run, making him the third-fastest player to reach the milestone, behind Alex Rodriguez and Ken Griffey Jr. He received the highest number of votes in NL history for the All-Star Game that year. Pujols had four hits, scored three runs, and knocked in five RBI on August 4, including a grand slam against Sean Green that tied the NL record for most grand slams in a season (five), in a 10-inning, 12–7 victory over the Mets. In 160 games, Pujols batted .327 (third, behind Ramírez's .342 and Pablo Sandoval's .330) with 186 hits (sixth), 45 doubles (second to Miguel Tejada's 46), 47 home runs (first), 135 RBI (third behind Fielder and Howard's 141) and 124 runs scored (first). He was unanimously named the NL MVP for the third time, tying Musial as the Cardinals' leader in that category. For the fifth time in his career, he won the Silver Slugger Award. He won the Sporting News MLB Player of the Year award for the second consecutive year, joining Williams and Joe Morgan as the only players to win it in back-to-back years. For the fourth year in a row, he won the Fielding Bible Award for first base. Aided by the mid-season acquisition of Matt Holliday (who replaced Ryan Ludwick as the cleanup hitter) and the emergence of Adam Wainwright (who led the NL in wins), the Cardinals returned to the playoffs after a two-year hiatus. In the NLDS against the Dodgers, Pujols batted .300 with one RBI as the Cardinals were swept in three games. Following the postseason, Pujols had surgery to remove five bone spurs from his right elbow. The Cardinals called the surgery a "success,"