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.

"There was a calmness and a smile, like, 'I'm here,'" Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol told reporters postgame, per The Associated Press. "It's rare for me to pick my head up to enjoy parts of it. He didn't exactly give us an option but to actually take a step back and enjoy the heck out of what was going on there."

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.

"It's just unreal," Báez said. "To not only get a hit, but three home runs? It's crazy."

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.