Joshua Báez spent five years chasing his first Major League at-bat.
He needed just one pitch to make it memorable. Then, somehow, he kept adding to it.
Báez homered on the first pitch he saw in the Majors, went deep again in his second at-bat and then stepped into the box in the sixth inning and did something no player in Major League history had ever accomplished.
He homered again.
Three at-bats. Three home runs. One historic debut.
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, on Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field.
“It’s just unreal,” Báez said. “For me to not only get a hit, but hit three home runs is just crazy.”
Crazy might not even describe it.
Hours before Báez made his first Major League plate appearance, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol was asked why the arrival of St. Louis’ No. 3 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, had him so excited.
Marmol highlighted Báez’s physical talent, along with the confidence and mindset that come with it.
“It doesn’t quietly whisper,” Marmol said. “It screams at you when you watch this kid for any length of time.”
By the end of Saturday, Báez had made his presence impossible for Wrigley Field to ignore.
A Historic First Swing
Báez’s introduction came in the opening inning.
With two outs and a runner on base, Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd challenged him with a 93.4 mph fastball near the top of the zone. Báez jumped on the first Major League pitch he saw and sent it a Statcast-projected 449 feet to dead center.
The ball came off his bat at 108.6 mph. The Cardinals suddenly had a 3-0 lead, and Báez had already hit a Major League home run without seeing a second pitch.
“I was pretty much calm,” Báez said. “Just being able to carry it to the game, I feel like that was the key thing for me.”
The swing alone was impressive. But Marmol was equally intrigued by what happened immediately afterward.
As Báez rounded the bases and neared the Cardinals’ dugout, he turned toward his new teammates and flashed a smile.
“There’s a calmness and a smile to, ‘I’m here,’” Marmol said. “That was pretty cool to be a part of.”
One home run would have been enough to make the debut special.
Báez was nowhere near finished.
Then He Did It Again
Báez faced Boyd again in the third inning and worked the count full before getting a changeup down in the zone. He ripped the pitch 382 feet down the left-field line.
The solo shot put St. Louis ahead, 4-3, and made Báez just the ninth player in MLB history to hit two home runs in his first regular-season game.
He also became only the second player since 1900 to homer in each of his first two career at-bats in the same game, joining Bob Nieman on Sept. 14, 1951.
At that point, the Cardinals knew they were watching something extraordinary.
Then Báez turned extraordinary into unprecedented.
In the sixth, Báez saw Boyd for the third time and drove a pitch the other way, sending a 99.8 mph line drive toward right field.
For a brief moment, even Báez wasn’t sure it was gone.
“I was just really glad that the ball went over the wall,” Báez said. “I had no idea. So I just started running, and then I seen that it went over and I was like, ‘This is insane.’”
The ball traveled 368 feet.
With that swing, Báez officially went somewhere no Major Leaguer had gone before.
“The second and third is just, holy [crap],” Marmol said.
Báez had become the first player in MLB history to hit three home runs in his debut.
Even his first homer carried a piece of Cardinals history. Báez became the first St. Louis position player to homer on the first Major League pitch he saw since Chris Richard did so on July 17, 2000.
Wrigley Wanted No. 4
By Báez’s fourth plate appearance in the eighth inning, there was no way to ignore what was happening.
Wrigley Field rose to its feet.
Cubs pitcher Colin Rea even cupped his hand to his ear as he tried to hear the PitchCom call through the deafening noise. Cardinals fans were hoping for a fourth homer, while even the opposing crowd appeared invested in the possibility.
Báez ultimately lined out to left field.
The crowd applauded him anyway.
“I did not know that they were standing up,” Báez said. “I was just trying to take deep breaths and just enjoy the moment and just compete.”
Marmol noticed the atmosphere immediately.
“It became must-watch TV,” Marmol said. “No matter what you were doing, you were going to stop to watch it. That in itself is pretty cool.”
Marmol is usually consumed by matchups, bullpen decisions and the next move during games. But Báez managed to briefly pull his manager away from that routine.
Marmol said it is rare for him to stop during a game and simply appreciate what he is watching.
Saturday was different.
“He didn’t give us an option but to actually take a step back and just enjoy the heck out of what was going on there,” Marmol said.
The last time Marmol remembered doing something similar?
Watching Albert Pujols hit career home run No. 700.
Even His Teammates Were Stunned
Báez’s starting pitcher also had to appreciate the spectacle.
“I love when history gives me run support,” Michael McGreevy joked.
McGreevy spent parts of his outing underneath the dugout trying to escape the humidity while watching Báez’s second and third homers on a monitor.
Once his afternoon was over, he approached Báez with perhaps the only reaction that made sense.
“Dude, holy crap.”
“You’re enthusiastic, but because it’s history, you don’t really know what to say because it’s never been done before,” McGreevy said.
On the opposite side of history was Boyd, who surrendered all three of Báez’s home runs.
The veteran left-hander was already aware of the power Báez had displayed while leading Triple-A with 34 home runs, but that did not change his approach against the rookie.
“He’s a good player. There’s a reason why he’s called up,” Boyd said. “He’s talented. He’s a good hitter. My mentality: You don’t attack anybody any differently. He just, he got the better of me today.”
The Power Was No Surprise
While the outcome was unprecedented, Báez’s power was anything but unexpected.
The Cardinals had been watching it throughout the season.
Báez arrived in Chicago after batting .256 with 34 home runs, 90 RBIs, 21 stolen bases and a .901 OPS over 103 games with Triple-A Memphis. His 34 homers led Triple-A and were tied for second-most in the Minors.
“No one is ignorant enough to say that they haven’t been seeing what he’s been doing down there,” McGreevy said. “We’re shocked that three homers in three at-bats happened, but we know the power. We know the hit tool’s there.”
But getting that talent to the Major Leagues required far more than raw power.
Báez always believed he would eventually make it.
At 18 years old, shortly after St. Louis selected him in the second round of the 2021 MLB Draft, he visited Busch Stadium and confidently predicted that he would reach the Majors within two years.
It took a little longer.
Five years brought adjustments, setbacks, successes and more struggles. Báez had to learn how to navigate every part of the journey.
“It’s a roller coaster,” Báez said before Saturday’s game. “You have to go through so many things on and off the field. It’s not just baseball. It’s the mental side of it. … I was just an 18-year-old, and I had no idea.”
Marmol believes that difficult path helped prepare Báez for what happened Saturday.
He has watched prospects progress through Minor League systems in a relatively predictable manner, checking off developmental boxes before eventually reaching the Majors.
Báez’s journey was far less straightforward.
“I like that path way more than the checkboxes to get here,” Marmol said. “They get to experience a little bit of what it’s going to be like up here. That is the big leagues. You’re going to go through some real downs, and he has something to point back to as far as being able to get through it.”
There will still be adjustments ahead.
Marmol said nearly every player goes through the same cycle after reaching a new level: They arrive, the league adjusts to them and then they must find a way to counter.
Báez experienced that process in Triple-A.
Eventually, the Major Leagues will present the same challenge.
One historic afternoon does not change that.
But it does provide an exciting glimpse of what Báez could bring to a Cardinals lineup trying to stay in the National League postseason race.
“Anytime you can lengthen the lineup, that’s the key to this game,” Marmol said. “Adding that type of power threat, it’s definitely an advantage. You get some of those guys ahead of him going the way we know they’re capable of, and it becomes pretty fun to watch.”
Saturday was certainly that.
Before his debut, Báez was asked how he planned to handle the nerves, the adjustment and everything else that came with finally reaching the level he had spent five years pursuing.
His answer was simple.
“Just play baseball.”
Then he did something nobody in the history of the sport had ever done.