Joshua Báez of the St. Louis Cardinals left a memorable mark in his Major League Baseball debut. In what seemed straight from a script, Báez hit home runs in his first three plate appearances against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
The 23-year-old rookie showcased his power, blasting a 450-foot homer to center field on the first pitch he faced, giving the Cardinals an early 3-0 lead. This first-at-bat heroics electrified his team’s dugout.
In the fourth inning, Báez encountered Cubs pitcher Matt Boyd once more. He faced a full count before launching a 78-mph changeup 382 feet for another home run, putting the Cardinals up 4-3.
The right-handed hitter homered to all three fields on three different pitches in his first career game.
Báez’s third homer off Boyd came from an 83-mph slider, sending the ball 368 feet to the right-field stands for a two-run homer that expanded the Cardinals’ lead to 6-3. The dugout was in awe as the rookie completed a historic feat, homering off a fastball, changeup, and slider.
In his fourth plate appearance, Báez hit a line drive caught by Cubs left fielder Ian Happ. By the ninth inning, the Cardinals maintained an 8-4 lead over the Cubs.
Originally drafted in the second round of the 2021 MLB Draft, Báez led Triple-A in home runs before his call-up, hitting .256 with 34 home runs, 90 RBIs, and 21 stolen bases in 103 games. The team sees potential in him joining a young core alongside JJ Wetherholt, Jordan Walker, and Alec Burleson.
The Cardinals, earlier not favored to contend this season, entered the game with a 61-61 record, trailing by 3.5 games for the National League Wild Card spot. Meanwhile, the Cubs held the top Wild Card position and were three games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central.
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