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Joshua Báez etched his name into baseball history Saturday at Wrigley Field, becoming the first player ever to launch three home runs in his opening three at-bats during a major league career. The 23-year-old left fielder’s extraordinary debut performance powered the St. Louis Cardinals to an 8-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs and marked a remarkable first day after his promotion from Triple-A Memphis.
Báez connected on the opening pitch he faced, sending it into the bleachers before adding two more homers in subsequent at-bats. His three-home-run barrage drove in five runs and overshadowed a solid pitching performance by St. Louis starter Michael McGreevy, who earned his first win since July 8 after allowing three unearned runs on five hits through six innings.
The Cubs’ Michael Conforto blasted a three-run shot in the second inning to temporarily cut the deficit, but the Cardinals pulled away behind Báez’s heroics. Blaze Jordan and Alec Burleson contributed solo home runs, extending St. Louis’s offensive explosion after the team had dropped Friday’s series opener.
Báez tagged Cubs starter Matthew Boyd for all three homers, including a two-run blast down the left-center field line in the fourth inning and another two-run shot to the opposite field in the sixth. Boyd departed after 5 1/3 innings, having surrendered seven runs on five hits and three walks.
The series concludes Sunday as the Cardinals send Hunter Dobbins to face Cubs right-hander Edward Cabrera, who is making his first start since June 23 following a left hamstring strain.
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