Joshua Báez hits three homers in first three major-league at-bats as Cardinals beat Cubs
Rookie Joshua Báez became the first player in modern MLB history to homer in each of his first three at-bats, helping St. Louis defeat Chicago 8-4.
Rookie Joshua Báez hit a home run in each of his first three major-league at-bats on Saturday, leading the St. Louis Cardinals to an 8-4 win over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The 23-year-old, called up from Triple-A Memphis that day, launched a 449-foot shot on the first pitch he saw from Matthew Boyd, followed by a solo homer down the left-field line and a third blast to right-center that drove in five runs.
"There was a calmness and a smile, like, ‘I’m here,’" Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said, noting the rarity of seeing a debutant enjoy such a moment.
"He hit three different pitches for home runs. He had a great game. He beat us for sure," Cubs manager Craig Counsell said.
Báez, who had 30 family members in attendance, became the first player in modern baseball history to achieve the three-homer debut, a feat MLB could not verify before 1901 due to incomplete records. He joins a short list of Cardinals who have homered in their first at-bat, and he was the sixth in club history to do so on the first pitch. Prior to his promotion, Báez led all Triple-A hitters with 34 home runs, including four games with multiple homers.