Five years of grinding through the minors, and it took Joshua Baez all of one pitch to prove the St. Louis Cardinals made the right call. Called up from Triple-A Memphis the day before, Baez stepped into the box at Wrigley Field on Saturday and launched the first pitch he saw 463 feet over the wall, driving in Alec Burleson and staking the Cardinals to an early 3-0 lead.
But he wasn't done. After the Cubs clawed back to tie it at 3-3, Baez took the sixth pitch of his second at-bat and sent it 392 feet into the left-field bleachers for a solo shot, putting St. Louis back on top. Two innings later, he struck again—this time a 399-foot blast to center that brought Burleson home again and stretched the lead to 6-3.
With that third dinger, Baez etched his name into the record books: he became the first player in MLB history to hit a home run in each of his first three career at-bats. The feat had fans and analysts alike scrambling for superlatives on social media.
"Random drug test coming immediately after this game," one fan joked on X. "How can you not be romantic about baseball?" another asked, echoing the sport's enduring charm. "Annnnndddd…He's on the Dodgers," a third quipped, poking fun at the perennial contenders' knack for acquiring stars.
Baez's historic day nearly got even better. In the eighth inning, he lined out on a slider, falling just short of a four-homer game. Still, the Cardinals cruised to an 8-4 victory, and the rookie's debut will be remembered for a long time.
The 23-year-old's power surge isn't a fluke. In 103 games with the Memphis Redbirds this season, Baez smashed 34 homers, drove in 90 runs, and collected 105 hits while batting .256. That kind of production made his promotion inevitable, and he's already making a case to stay in the big leagues.
Fans are already dreaming of what's next. "Joshua Baez is on pace to pass Vladimir Guerrero Jr in homers tomorrow," one tweet read, while another joked, "Someone's getting a UT tomorrow." The hype is real, and the Cardinals' faithful have every reason to be excited about their new slugger.
Baez's debut also adds to a week of dramatic storylines around the league, from preseason injury scares to quarterback controversies. But for one afternoon, all eyes were on a rookie making history in the Friendly Confines.
As for the Redbirds, they might not see Baez again anytime soon—unless it's on a rehab assignment. After a debut like this, the Cardinals have no reason to send him back down.
