St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Joshua Báez had arguably the best debut in baseball history on Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field. He went 3 for 4 with three home runs, all in his first three at-bats, including a monster 449-foot blast to center field on the very first pitch he saw as a big leaguer.
You only get one debut, and I'm not sure anyone has done it better than Báez. But where does he fit historically? Listed chronologically, here are 10 of the most impressive MLB debuts after Báez's historic performance.
Oct. 15, 1892: Bumpus Jones, Reds
Line: 9 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 3 K vs. Pirates
Jones is the only pitcher in baseball history to throw a no-hitter in his MLB debut. He did walk four and allow an unearned run, but zero hits, and that's all that matters. Despite that impressive debut, Jones did not have a long career. He spent only two years in the big leagues and finished with a 7.99 ERA in 41 ⅔ innings with the Reds and New York Giants.
July 30, 1959: Willie McCovey, Giants
Line: 4 for 4, 2B, 2 3B, 2 RBI vs. Phillies
Fewer players have hit two triples in their MLB debut (four) than have hit two home runs in their MLB debut (eight). McCovey was the third of the four to do it, joining Bill Irwin (1912), Roy Weatherly (1936), and John Sipin (1969). Although he didn't debut until his team's 101st game of the season, McCovey went on to win Rookie of the Year that season thanks to a .354/.429/.656 line in 52 games.
July 19, 1960: Juan Marichal, Giants
Line: 9 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 12 K vs. Phillies
Marichal was four outs away from becoming the second pitcher to throw a no-hitter in his MLB debut. Clay Dalrymple broke up the no-hit bid with two outs in the seventh, then Marichal recovered and retired the next four batters to complete the one-hit masterpiece. That was the first of the Hall of Famer's 457 career starts.
July 23, 1964: Bert Campaneris, Kansas City Athletics
Line: 3 for 4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB vs. Twins
At the time, Campaneris was only the second player in history to hit two home runs in his MLB debut, joining Bob Nieman (1961). He also singled, walked, and stole a base for good measure. Both home runs came off Hall of Famer Jim Kaat, too. Beginning in 1965, Campaneris led the league in stolen bases for four straight years.
Sept. 6, 1971: J.R. Richard, Astros
Line: 9 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 15 K vs. Giants
Richard's 15 strikeouts remain the record for an MLB debut (tied with Karl Spooner) and, impressively, he struck out Hall of Famer Willie Mays three times. Despite his incredible debut, Richard bounced between MLB and the minors the next few years and did not become a rotation mainstay until 1975. A stroke ended his career at age 30 in 1980.
Aug. 6, 1983: Danny Cox, Cardinals
Line: 10 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K vs. Phillies
Thirty-three players have thrown at least 10 innings in their MLB debut, most way back in the 1920s and earlier, but only Cox has thrown 10 scoreless innings in his debut. He even outdueled Hall of Famer Steve Carlton, who exited after nine scoreless innings. Alas and alack, Cox took the no-decision, then the Cardinals lost the game when Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter allowed a run in the 11th inning.
April 3, 2008: Johnny Cueto, Reds
Line: 7 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 10 K vs. Diamondbacks
It was not until Justin Upton's sixth-inning solo home run that Cueto allowed a baserunner as a big leaguer. He went 15 up, 15 down to begin his debut, then retired the final six batters he faced after Upton's home run. Cueto became the first pitcher since at least 1900 to strike out 10 batters without issuing a walk in his MLB debut.
June 8, 2010: Stephen Strasburg, Nationals
Line: 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 14 K vs. Pirates
In perhaps the most anticipated debut in baseball history, Strasburg more than lived up to the hype. The 14 strikeouts are the third most in an MLB debut behind J.R. Richard's and Karl Spooner's 15. Strasburg would require Tommy John surgery a few months later, but he returned in late 2011 and was dominant. The 2019 World Series MVP is one of the greatest postseason pitchers in baseball history.
Aug. 13, 2016: Tyler Austin and Aaron Judge, Yankees
Lines: 2 for 4, 1 HR, 1 RBI vs. Rays
Austin and Judge finished the afternoon with identical batting lines, and, in the second inning, they slugged back-to-back home runs. That made them the first set of teammates to hit a home run in their MLB debut in the same game, and they did it back-to-back. Judge has become one of the greatest hitters ever. Austin carved out a long and productive career in Japan before signing with the Cubs this past offseason.
Aug. 15, 2026: Joshua Báez, Cardinals
Line: 3 for 4, 3 HR, 5 RBI
You can't do any better than three homers in your first three at-bats. Báez became only the third player to hit two homers in his first two MLB at-bats, then he hit a third. At the time of his promotion to the big leagues, Báez was leading the minors with 36 home runs.
