Cardinals' Báez becomes 1st player to hit 3 homers in MLB debut

Joshua Báez had an MLB debut for the ages Saturday at Wrigley Field in the St. Louis Cardinals' 8-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs.

The Cardinals' rookie outfielder became the first player in MLB history to hit three home runs in their maiden big-league appearance.

Báez kicked things off with a 449-foot blast to center field on the first pitch he saw from Cubs starter Matthew Boyd. Only home run derby champion Jordan Walker has hit a longer homer for the Cardinals this season, according to ESPN Insights.

Báez is just the 11th player in franchise history to hit a homer in their first career at-bat.

Three innings later, Báez was at it again with a solo dinger to left field to give St. Louis a 4-3 lead.

Báez finished 3-for-4 with five RBIs after lining out in his last at-bat in the top of the eighth inning.

St. Louis selected Báez with the No. 54 overall pick in 2021. The Cardinals called up their No. 3 prospect Friday after a standout campaign with Triple-A Memphis, where he batted .256 with 34 home runs, 90 RBIs, 21 stolen bases, and a .901 OPS across 103 games.