You can't have a better start to your career than Joshua Báez. Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field, the St. Louis Cardinals left fielder became the first player in major league history to hit three home runs in his MLB debut, and he did it in his first three at-bats, too. The first homer came on the very pitch Báez saw in the show.
Báez hit his first home run, a mammoth 449-foot blast, halfway up the bleachers in center. He hit his second home run to left field and his third to right field. That's impressive all-fields power for any player, let alone a rookie making his MLB debut. Here are Báez's three home runs from the Cardinals' 8-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs:
All three home runs came off Cubs lefty Matthew Boyd and it was surprising that manager Craig Counsell left Boyd in to face Báez a third time. He'd already taken him deep twice in a close game (4-3 Cardinals at the time), and Boyd was approaching 90 pitches. Boyd surrendered another homer to Jordan Walker soon after Báez's third shot. In the eighth, Báez had the chance for a fourth homer, but lined out to left.
Báez is the eighth player in baseball's Modern Era (since 1900) to hit multiple homers in his regular-season MLB debut, and the third this season. Cleveland Guardians outfielder Chase DeLauter did it on Opening Day, though he technically made his debut last postseason. Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Jose Fernandez also hit two homers in his MLB debut on March 31.
Here are the eight players with at least two home runs in their MLB debuts:
| Player | Date |
|---|---|
Joshua Báez, Cardinals (three) | Aug. 15, 2026 |
Jose Fernandez, Diamondbacks | March 31, 2026 |
Chase DeLauter, Guardians | March 26, 2026 |
April 4, 2016 | |
JP Arencibia, Blue Jays | Aug. 7, 2010 |
Mark Quinn, Royals | April 14, 1999 |
Bert Campaneris, Athletics | July 23, 1964 |
Bob Nieman, Browns | Sept. 14, 1961 |
Nieman and Keith McDonald are the only players other than Báez to hit home runs in their first two MLB at-bats. Nieman did it with the St. Louis Browns on Sept. 14, 1951. McDonald hit two homers in his first two at-bats with the Cardinals in 2000, but across two games. He hit a pinch-hit homer in his first at-bat on July 4, then went deep in his first at-bat two days later.
Báez led minor leagues in homers before promotion
Prior to his MLB debut, Báez was leading the minors with 36 home runs, all at the Triple-A level. He was hitting .256/.328/.573 in 103 Triple-A games overall. The promotion was certainly deserved. Baseball America ranked Báez the 56th-best prospect in baseball in their August rankings. They call him one of the best power-hitting prospects in the minors, unsurprisingly.
"There's an edge to it," Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said about Báez on Friday (via MLB.com). "There's a confidence to it, and he has a work ethic that's fun to watch too. He knows how to get after it. He wants to win, and it's fun to inject that into this clubhouse because we have a lot of guys that are that way."
Saturday is an important day for MLB rookies. There are 44 days remaining in the season, meaning players called up Saturday (or later) will not accrue the 45 days of service time necessary to exhaust rookie status. That means Báez will remain eligible to win Rookie of the Year next season, and could net St. Louis a Prospect Promotion Incentive draft pick depending on awards voting.
Báez, 23, was a second-round pick (No. 54 overall) in the 2021 draft. He hit 22 home runs total from 2022-24, then broke out with 20 between High Class-A and Double-A in 2025, then exploded for those 36 home runs in Triple-A in 2026.
