On Saturday, Joshua Báez made history by hitting three home runs in his first three at-bats in Major League Baseball. This remarkable debut powered the St. Louis Cardinals to an 8-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

The 23-year-old left fielder was called up from Triple-A Memphis on the same day. He sent the first pitch he faced into the bleachers and succeeded the task in his following two at-bats. Báez contributed significantly to the Cardinals’ win, driving in five runs.

Blaze Jordan and Alec Burleson added solo home runs, aiding their team’s success after a loss in the previous game of the series. Báez is the first player from St. Louis to hit a home run in his initial career plate appearance since Lane Thomas achieved this milestone in June 2019.

For the Cubs, Michael Conforto responded with a three-run homer. The Cubs had won nine out of their last 11 games prior to the loss.

The Cardinals’ pitcher, Michael McGreevy, improved his record to 5-9. He allowed three unearned runs on five hits, adding two walks and striking out six over the first six innings. This win marked his first since July 8. Báez succeeded in hitting his three home runs off Matthew Boyd, who now holds an 8-2 record. The first one was a two-run hit into the left-center bleachers in the first inning.

Conforto’s home run in the second inning tied the game at 3-3. However, Báez led off the fourth inning and hit a full-count pitch down the left-field line, followed by another two-run homer down the opposite side in the sixth.

Jordan’s home run ended Boyd’s day, as he conceded seven runs on five hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings, striking out two. Burleson added a home run off Colin Rea in the eighth inning.

The series concludes on Sunday afternoon when the Cardinals will field Hunter Dobbins (2-3, 3.40 ERA) against the Cubs’ right-hander Edward Cabrera (5-4, 5.10 ERA), who will be making his first start since June 23 due to a left hamstring strain.

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