Cardinals rookie Joshua Báez hits three homers in first three MLB at-bats
Joshua Báez became the first player in major-league history to homer in each of his first three plate appearances, doing so in his debut for the St. Louis Cardinals against the Chicago Cubs.
Joshua Báez made his major-league debut for the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field on Saturday, hitting a home run in each of his first three at-bats. All three shots – to center, left and right field – came off Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd, and the Cardinals beat Chicago 8-4. Báez’s first blast traveled 449 feet, and his third came in the seventh inning; he struck out in the eighth while attempting a fourth homer.
Báez joins a short list of players with multiple home runs in their debut; he is the eighth since 1900 to achieve the feat and the first to do so in his first three at-bats. The other recent multi-homer debuts this season were by Cleveland’s Chase DeLauter and Arizona’s Jose Fernandez.
Before his promotion, Báez led Triple-A baseball with 36 home runs and posted a .256/.328/.573 slash line in 103 games. Baseball America ranked him the 56th-best prospect in its August list, noting his power potential.
"There's an edge to it. There's a confidence to it, and he has a work ethic that's fun to watch too. He knows how to get after it. He wants to win, and it's fun to inject that into this clubhouse because we have a lot of guys that are that way," said Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol.
At 23, Báez was a second-round pick in the 2021 draft. His performance keeps him eligible for rookie status next season and could help St. Louis earn a prospect-promotion draft pick depending on award voting.