Cardinals rookie makes MLB history with three homers in debut

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Joshua Báez made Major League Baseball history on Saturday, August 15, 2026, hitting a home run in each of his first three plate appearances during his major league debut against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The 23-year-old rookie became the first player in MLB history to homer three times in his first career game, powering the Cardinals to an early lead.

Báez set the tone immediately, launching the first pitch he saw in the majors, a fastball from Cubs starter Matthew Boyd, 450 feet to center field for a two-run homer in the first inning. He struck again in the fourth, homering to left field on a changeup after working a full count. In the sixth, he completed the historic hat trick by driving a slider into the right-field seats for another two-run shot, giving the Cardinals a 6-3 lead at the time and accounting for five RBI.

The feat was unprecedented. According to MLB data, Báez is the first player to hit three home runs in his debut, surpassing previous marks for multi-home run debuts. He is also only the second player to hit his first three career home runs in a single game, joining Seby Zavala of the Detroit Tigers, who accomplished the...