Cardinals Rookie Joshua Báez Hits Three Home Runs in His MLB Debut, a First in Major League History

Joshua Báez faced Chicago Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd on the first pitch of his major league career on Saturday and hit it 449 feet. He wasn’t done. By the time his debut was over, the 23-year-old Cardinals outfielder had gone 3-for-4 with three home runs, five RBIs and three runs scored, helping St. Louis beat the Cubs 8-4 at Wrigley Field on August 15, 2026. This Báez is a different player from Javy Báez, the longtime Cubs and Tigers infielder — no relation.

Key facts

Final score: Cardinals 8, Cubs 4 (Wrigley Field, August 15, 2026)
Debut stat line: 3-for-4, three home runs, five RBIs, three runs scored
Historic first: the first player in MLB history to hit three home runs in his debut, per MLB — more than 23,000 players had come before him without doing it
Age and position: 23-year-old Cardinals outfielder
Pitcher: all three home runs came off Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd
Draft: selected 54th overall by St. Louis in the 2021 MLB Draft

The record, and the numbers behind it

MLB says Báez is the first player in its history to hit three home runs in his major league debut. More than 23,000 players had appeared in the majors before him without doing it.

Two more numbers, credited to the Elias Sports Bureau and reported by MLB.com, put the day in context. By that count, Báez is the ninth player in league history to hit at least two home runs in his first career game. And he reached a three-homer game faster than anyone else on record: the previous mark for earliest three-homer game in a career belonged to Aristides Aquino (2019) and Bobby Estalella (1997), who each needed 10 games to get there. Báez did it in his first.

Home run by home run

First at-bat, first pitch: A two-run shot sailed to the center-field bleachers, putting St. Louis ahead 3-0.
Second at-bat: A home run down the left-field line.
Sixth inning: An opposite-field drive to right field, roughly 368 feet — his third hit off Boyd in as many trips to the plate, pushing his RBI total for the day to five.
Eighth inning: His only other plate appearance ended in a line-out to left.

Every one of Báez’s three home runs came off Boyd. The Cardinals also got solo home runs from Blaze Jordan and Alec Burleson; Chicago’s offense included a three-run homer from Michael Conforto.

Reactions from both dugouts

Cardinals starter Michael McGreevy earned the win and credited his rookie teammate afterward: “I love when history gives me run support.”

“It’s just unreal,” Báez said. “For me to not only get a hit, but hit three home runs is just crazy.”

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said the dugout could feel the game shift. “It became must-watch TV,” he said. “No matter what you were doing, you were going to stop to watch it.” He added: “There was a calmness and a smile, like, ‘I’m here.'” Cubs manager Craig Counsell had a similar read from the other side: “He hit three different pitches for home runs. He had a great game. He beat us, for sure.”

A rare feat in three swings

Homering in each of his first two career at-bats also makes Báez only the third player ever to do that — and only the second to do it within a single game, joining Bob Nieman, who did it for the St. Louis Browns on Sept. 14, 1951. The third, Keith McDonald, homered in his first two career at-bats for the Cardinals too, but on two different dates, July 4 and July 6, 2000. His third home run pushed him past both of them, into a record no other player in MLB history has matched: three home runs in as many career at-bats to open a career.

Who is Joshua Báez

The Cardinals drafted Báez in the second round, 54th overall, in the 2021 MLB Draft out of Dexter Southfield School in Brookline, Massachusetts. Born in Boston, he spent part of his childhood in the Dominican Republic before his family settled in Dorchester, about five miles from Fenway Park. He spent roughly five seasons working through the Cardinals’ minor league system and led all Triple-A hitters in home runs at Memphis this season with 34, per MiLB’s own game log, before St. Louis called him up on August 15. He wasn’t a consensus top prospect: ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel had him as the Cardinals’ No. 4 prospect and No. 93 overall, while Baseball America ranked him 56th.

Family in the stands

About 30 members of Báez’s family, including his mother, Yris, made the trip to Wrigley Field for the debut. Rain began falling after the final out, but that didn’t stop them from gathering with him on the field for photos.