Cardinals rookie hits three home runs in first three plate appearances, MLB first

Joshua Báez made major league history on August 15, 2026, when he hit a home run in each of his first three plate appearances in his Cardinals debut against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. According to Fox News and ABC News reporting, Báez became the first MLB player ever to accomplish the feat.

The 23-year-old Boston native, called up after leading Triple-A in home runs, homered on the first pitch he saw in his professional debut. According to Fox News, Báez blasted the pitch 450 feet to dead center field off Cubs starter Matt Boyd's 93-mph fastball for a two-run homer in his first at-bat.

In his second plate appearance during the fourth inning, Báez hit a 78-mph changeup 382 feet into the left-field seats after working the count full, still facing Boyd. His third home run came off an 83-mph slider on the outside of the plate, also from Boyd, traveling 368 feet into the right-field seats for another two-run shot. According to Fox News, the right-handed hitter homered to all three fields on three different pitch types: off a fastball to center, a changeup to left, and a slider to right.

Báez came to the majors after a strong minor league campaign. In Triple-A, according to Fox News reporting, he batted .256 with 34 home runs, 90 RBI and 21 stolen bases in 103 games. The Cardinals drafted him in the second round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of high school. He was batting fifth in the order and playing left field when he made his debut.

In his fourth at-bat, according to Fox News, Báez hit a line out to Cubs left fielder Ian Happ, ending his historic streak. At the time one source was written, the Cardinals held an 8-4 lead over the Cubs in the ninth inning. The Cardinals entered the game at 61-61, three and a half games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies for the final wild-card spot in the National League, according to Fox News.

Sources provided no prior statistical benchmarks for comparison, no other contemporary rookie debuts for context, and no statement or reaction from Báez himself.