The St. Louis Cardinals are in the midst of their Saturday afternoon matchup against the Chicago Cubs, but rookie Joshua Báez stole the show.
Today marked his MLB debut, and he went on to smack three homers. Per Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via X), he is now the first player to homer three times in an MLB debut. History was made.
MLB World Reacts to Joshua Baez’s Homers
GettyJoshua Báez of the St. Louis Cardinals made history on Saturday afternoon during his MLB debut
When history is made at a stadium these days, social media quickly erupts. Today was no different after Báez stamped his name into history books.
Here’s what the baseball community is saying on X:
@SlangsOnSports: “JOSHUA BAEZ IS THE FIRST PLAYER IN MLB HISTORY WITH 3 HOME RUNS IN HIS MLB DEBUT!!!!”
@MLB: “JOSHUA BAEZ, ARE YOU KIDDING?! 2 at-bats, 2 HOMERS in his MLB debut!”
@JeffPassan: “Since this, Joshua Báez has homered two more times. Three major league plate appearances, three home runs — the first player in big league history to go deep three times in his first game. One to left, one to center, one to right. Best debut for a hitter in big league history.”
@JomboyMedia: “HISTORY FOR JOSHUA BAEZ! HE’S THE FIRST PLAYER IN MLB HISTORY TO HOMER IN HIS FIRST THREE CAREER AT-BATS!”
Báez, a 23-year-old outfielder from Boston, Mass., was selected 54th overall in the second round of the 2021 MLB draft. Aug. 15 marked his official debut.
While playing down in the minor leagues this year, he is slashing .256/.328/.573 with a .901 OPS and 34 homers through 103 games. Along the way, he’s posted 22 doubles, three triples and 90 RBIs.
At this rate, if this is how Báez is going to show up at the plate, fans should be eager to watch him develop into a pivotal player for his franchise. He was granted a chance to prove himself, and needless to say, he capitalized on it right off the bat.
Where the Cardinals Stand Right Now
GettyJoshua Báez is a promising young star for the St. Louis Cardinals
The three homers hit by Báez surged St. Louis ahead on Saturday afternoon. However, the organization still has room for improvement, as they’re third in the National League Central at 61-61 overall.
They’ve been edged out by the Cubs (72-51) and the Milwaukee Brewers (75-48). However, the Cardinals sit atop the Cincinnati Reds (59-62) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (60-64).
Following Saturday’s clash, St. Louis will play one more game against Chicago on Sunday, Aug. 16, at 3:15 p.m. ET.
From there, they will play a long five-game set against the Reds, which will commence on Monday, Aug. 17, at 6:40 p.m. ET.
It’s unclear how often Báez will be utilized for the remainder of the summer, but fans should expect to continue seeing him around from time to time. This is undoubtedly a player worth holding onto and developing.
With this young hitter on board, the future could start looking quite bright for the Cardinals. At the very least, Báez is on the right track and is carving out an imposing name for himself.
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