Joshua Báez of the St. Louis Cardinals etched his name into baseball history on Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field by becoming the first player in major league history to hit three home runs during his MLB debut, and he did so in his first three at-bats of the game. His first blast traveled 449 feet into the bleachers in center field, followed by homers to left field and right field, demonstrating impressive power across the field for a player making his professional debut.
All three home runs came off Chicago Cubs left-handed pitcher Matthew Boyd in a Cardinals victory. The Cubs manager Craig Counsell drew scrutiny for allowing Boyd to face Báez a third time after the pitcher had already surrendered two home runs in a close contest and was approaching 90 pitches. Boyd subsequently gave up another home run to Cardinals batter Jordan Walker immediately after Báez’s third blast.
Báez becomes the eighth player in baseball’s Modern Era, dating back to 1900, to hit multiple home runs in a regular-season debut. This season has been particularly notable for rookie power displays, as Cleveland Guardians outfielder Chase DeLauter and Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Jose Fernandez each homered twice during their debuts earlier in the year. Only two other players in baseball history, Bob Nieman and Keith McDonald, had previously hit home runs in their first two at-bats.
The 23-year-old arrived at his debut following a remarkable minor league season. Báez led all minor league players with 36 home runs at the Triple-A level while maintaining a .256/.328/.573 batting line across 103 games. Baseball America ranked him as the 56th-best prospect in baseball in their August rankings, highlighting his status as one of the minors’ premier power hitters. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol praised Báez’s approach, noting his confidence, work ethic, and competitive drive.
Báez was originally selected in the second round (54th overall) of the 2021 draft. His power numbers have escalated significantly in recent years, progressing from 22 total home runs across 2022-24 to 20 during his stint in High Class-A and Double-A in 2025. The timing of his promotion on Saturday carries additional significance for service time purposes, as players called up on or after this date will remain eligible for Rookie of the Year voting and could potentially earn St. Louis a Prospect Promotion Incentive draft pick.
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