Joshua Báez delivered an MLB debut for the ages on Saturday.
With his family watching from the stands at Wrigley Field, Báez launched three home runs, beginning with a 449-foot blast on the very first pitch he saw. It is hard to imagine a better introduction to the Major Leagues.
MLB Issues seven remarkable stats and facts from Báez’s historic debut
• Báez became the first player in MLB history to hit three home runs in his debut. Considering more than 23,000 players have appeared in the league, that is an incredible accomplishment.
• Báez didn’t simply hit three homers. He went deep in each of his first three career at-bats, becoming the first player ever to accomplish that feat. His second home run also made him just the second player to homer in his first two career at-bats in the same game, joining Bob Nieman, who did it for the St. Louis Browns on Sept. 14, 1951. Keith McDonald later accomplished the same feat for the Cardinals from July 4-6, 2000. That means all three players to homer in their first two career at-bats have done so for St. Louis teams. Baseball really is something else.
• Báez also became just the second player ever to hit each of his first three career home runs in the same game. The only other player to do it was Seby Zavala, who accomplished the feat on July 31, 2021, in his 18th career game.
• Before Báez, the earliest a player had recorded a three-homer game in his career was his 10th game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Aristides Aquino did it on Aug. 10, 2019, while Bobby Estalella accomplished it on Sept. 4, 1997. Báez has now completely rewritten that record by doing it in his very first game.
• Even hitting two home runs in an MLB debut is extremely rare. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Báez became just the ninth player in MLB history to hit at least two homers in his first career regular-season game. Remarkably, he is also the third player to accomplish that this year, joining José Fernández on March 31 and Chase DeLauter on March 26 after DeLauter had debuted in the postseason. Before 2026, the feat had been achieved by just six players: Trevor Story, J.P. Arencibia, Mark Quinn, Bert Campaneris, Bob Nieman and Charlie Reilly. Yet none of them hit three in their debut game.
• Báez’s debut would have been noteworthy even with just one home run. He became the 11th player in Cardinals history to homer in his first career at-bat. He also became the first Cardinals player to hit a home run on the first pitch of his first career at-bat since Adam Wainwright did it on May 24, 2006.
• And then there is that first home run. Báez crushed the opening pitch 449 feet. Among the five players to homer on the first pitch of their first career at-bat during the Statcast era, which began in 2015, Báez’s blast traveled the farthest.
That is quite an introduction to the Major Leagues.
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Báez has historic MLB debut surrounded by family and a special bee
At first, Joshua Báez was a little uneasy about the bee.
It kept finding him in left field Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field. In inning after inning, Báez noticed it buzzing around him, occasionally circling back toward his Cardinals cap.
Eventually, he stopped being bothered by it. Instead, another thought crossed his mind.
Maybe it was his dad.
“I kind of took that as if he was the bee, because it was right on me every single inning,” Báez said. “I’ve never had any type of bees or any animals or flies. So I just know that he’s super proud and that he’s here with me right now in spirit.”
José Manuel Báez wasn’t among the roughly 30 family members who traveled to Wrigley Field to watch Joshua make his Major League debut Saturday.
Still, for several hours, Joshua felt as though his father was right there with him.
And he had quite a day to witness.
A Debut Unlike Any Other
Báez became the first player in MLB history to hit three home runs in his debut, going 3-for-4 with five RBIs as the Cardinals defeated the Cubs 8-4.
But for Báez and his family, the afternoon meant far more than making baseball history.
His father, affectionately known by the family as “El Bronco,” died three years ago. José Manuel had once dreamed of playing professional baseball himself, but never received the opportunity to sign.
Joshua made him a promise.
“My dad, his dream was to play in the big leagues,” Báez said Saturday morning. “The only promise that I made to him was that I was going to be able to do that for him.”
His Mother Watched It All
Hours later, Yris Báez watched her son step into a Major League batter’s box for the first time.
The first pitch he saw disappeared an estimated 449 feet, according to Statcast.
For Yris, watching from the stands, years of sacrifice, work and progress seemed to come together in one unforgettable moment.
“Since he started playing when he was 12 years old, seeing all the work that he made, all the progress and everything, this is something that God gave me,” Yris said through team interpreter and bullpen catcher Kleininger Teran. “That is a really satisfying feeling that I have right now.”
She had already experienced a glimpse of her son producing the extraordinary.
Earlier this season, Yris was in Memphis when Joshua hit four home runs in a single game.
The date made that performance even more meaningful.
It happened on the third anniversary of José Manuel’s death.
So perhaps it was fitting that on the day Joshua finally fulfilled his promise and became a Major Leaguer, one home run wasn’t enough.
Neither were two.
With the third, Báez created a debut unlike anything baseball had ever seen.
For his mother, it represented the payoff from all the days, months and years that few people ever witnessed.
“She’s seen me working hard every day, every month, trying to make it here,” Báez said of his family’s support.
Tears, Rain and a Family Celebration
After the game, mother and son finally found each other.
They cried.
Then came the photographs.
Around 30 family members and friends gathered on the Wrigley Field grass, surrounding Báez as rain fell around them.
Nobody seemed eager to leave.
“The rain didn’t matter,” Báez said. “I was just happy just to be there, and that just made it more special. They’re so happy and so excited to be here.”
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol watched from nearby and made sure to embrace his young player.
“No one gets here on their own,” Marmol said. “You have to have such a support group to keep you sane, because there’s so many ups and downs in this game.”
Marmol later approached Yris because he wanted her to understand just how special the afternoon had been.
Then he gave her a simple message.
“Enjoy it,” Marmol told her. “Take it in. Sit out there for as long as you want.”
So they did.
Amid three home runs, 30 family members, tears and rain, Báez continued thinking about the one person who couldn’t be there for the photographs.
José Manuel.
A Promise Finally Fulfilled
“El Bronco,” Báez said, was a stubborn man who possessed tremendous strength and power.
Years ago, his son promised him that he would make it to the Major Leagues.
On Saturday, Báez kept that promise in a way no player had ever done before.
And every time he looked toward the outfield, that bee seemed to find its way back to him.
“It was circling back and forth,” Báez said. “It was on my brim the whole time I was there.
“I’m just taking it that he was here with me today.”
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