Joshua Báez announced his arrival in the most spectacular way possible Saturday at Wrigley Field.
The 23-year-old left fielder, called up from Triple-A Memphis earlier in the day, became the first player in major league history to homer in his first three at-bats. He went 3-for-4 with three home runs and five RBI, powering the St. Louis Cardinals to an 8-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs and evening the three-game series.
Báez wasted no time. After JJ Wetherholt walked and scored on Alec Burleson’s RBI groundout in the first, Báez crushed the very first major-league pitch he saw — a 93.4 mph fastball from Matthew Boyd — 449 feet into the center-field bleachers for a two-run shot. The Cardinals led 3-0.
Michael Conforto answered with a three-run homer in the second that tied the game at 3-3 (the runs were unearned after an error by Blaze Jordan). Báez restored the lead in the fourth, leading off with a solo shot to left on a full-count changeup. Then in the sixth he went opposite field, launching a two-run homer to right that made it 6-3. Jordan followed with a solo shot of his own off Boyd, pushing the lead to 7-3. Burleson added a solo homer in the eighth for the final margin.
Báez’s three blasts (to center, left, and right) came off Boyd, who allowed seven runs on five hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings. The three homers combined traveled an estimated 1,199 feet. Báez is also the first Cardinal to homer in his first career plate appearance since Lane Thomas in 2019.
Michael McGreevy (5-9) earned the win with six strong innings, allowing three runs (all unearned) on five hits while striking out six. The Cubs, who had won nine of 11 entering the day, dropped to 72-52. The Cardinals improved to 62-61.
The series wraps up Sunday afternoon at Wrigley, with Hunter Dobbins scheduled for St. Louis against Edward Cabrera.
Báez, a 2021 second-round pick who mashed 34 home runs at Triple-A this season, delivered one of the most memorable debuts in baseball history on a gray afternoon in Chicago. The Cardinals’ lineup and bullpen did the rest.
