Cardinals’ Baez sets MLB record with three home runs in debut

St Louis Cardinals rookie left fielder Joshua Baez has made history in his major league debut, becoming the first player in Major League Baseball to hit three home runs in his first three at-bats. The 23-year-old, who was called up from Triple-A Memphis earlier on Saturday, led the Cardinals to an 8-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Baez launched the first pitch he saw in the big leagues into the Wrigley Field bleachers, a two-run shot that travelled 449 feet into the left-center field stands in the first inning. He followed this with home runs in his subsequent two at-bats, all off Cubs starter Matthew Boyd. The feat included a full-count pitch down the left-field line in the fourth inning and another two-run homer down the opposite field line in the sixth.

The 449-foot blast marks the third longest home run in a player’s MLB debut since ESPN began tracking distances in 2006, trailing only Jason Heyward’s 476-foot shot in 2010 and Aaron Judge’s 457-foot homer in 2016. Baez also drove in five runs, providing immediate offensive impact for a Cardinals side that had dropped the opener of the series the previous day.

Boyd, who entered the game with an 8-2 record, struggled significantly against the rookie, allowing seven runs on five hits and three walks over 5 1/3 innings while striking out only two. While Michael Conforto hit a three-run homer for the Cubs, who had won nine of their previous 11 games, the St Louis lineup was bolstered by solo home runs from Blaze Jordan and Alec Burleson.

Baez arrives in the majors with a potent track record, having led all of Triple-A with 34 home runs this season and hitting four in a single game in June. Ranked as the fourth-best prospect in the Cardinals system and No. 93 overall by ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel, Baez is now eligible for the Rookie of the Year award, with his performance potentially triggering draft incentives for the club. He will make his next appearance in the series finale on Sunday.