St. Louis Cardinals rookie Joshua Báez made baseball history on Saturday, August 15, 2026, by hitting home runs in his first three career major league at-bats during an 8-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
A Historic Debut at Wrigley Field
Joshua Báez needed only three trips to the plate to etch his name into the record books. Recalled from Triple-A Memphis on Friday night, the 23-year-old outfielder earned a spot in manager Oliver Marmol’s starting lineup for Saturday afternoon’s matchup against the Chicago Cubs. He wasted no time announcing his arrival in the majors, stepping up in the top of the first inning with two runners aboard and crushing a 449-foot home run off starting pitcher Matthew Boyd on the very first pitch he saw , driving the ball halfway up the bleachers in center field.
That opening blast set a ferocious tone. The rookie returned to the plate in the fourth inning and greeted Boyd with another long ball, this time sending a changeup down the left-field line. In the sixth inning, Báez struck a third time against Boyd, driving an 83 m.p.h. slider to the opposite field for a two-run shot over the wall in right field. His streak finally came to an end in the eighth inning when he lined out to left field against reliever Colin Rea, finishing his historic afternoon going 3-for-4 with three home runs and five RBI.
Where the Record Stands in Baseball History
Before Saturday, only two players in major league history had homered in their first two career at-bats: Bob Nieman of the St. Louis Browns in 1951 and Keith McDonald of the Cardinals in 2000. Báez not only joined that exclusive group with his second-inning power display, but his third home run in the sixth inning propelled him past them to stand entirely alone as the first player ever to homer three times in his MLB debut.
The distance on his first-inning home run also earned him rare company. According to tracking data, the 449-foot shot ranks as the third-longest home run in a player’s MLB debut since tracking began in 2006, trailing only Jason Heyward’s 476-foot blast in 2010 and Aaron Judge’s 457-foot shot in 2016.
Clubhouse Reaction and Minor League Context
The offensive explosion provided an immediate spark for a Cardinals club trying to climb back into the National League postseason picture. Entering the weekend series, St. Louis sat at 61-61, looking for a catalyst to close the gap in the wild-card race. Báez’s arrival brought visible energy to the dugout.
“Gosh, that was incredible to watch. And this kid really brings something really cool to this clubhouse. For him to come into his first game and show out the way that he did, that was fun. There was a lot of smiling and that was really, really cool to watch.”
Oliver Marmol, Cardinals manager, via CBS Sports
For Báez, the milestone capped a rapid ascent through the Cardinals’ farm system. Selected in the second round of the 2021 draft out of Massachusetts, the outfielder climbed to the No. 59 overall prospect ranking in baseball according to MLB.com. He reported to the majors after a stellar campaign with Triple-A Memphis, where he slashed .256/.328/.573 with 34 home runs and 90 RBI through 103 games.
Looking Ahead in the NL Central
After wrapping up their series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, St. Louis returns to action.
