Joshua Baez didn't ease into the big leagues on August 15. The Cardinals' No. 3 prospect stepped in against Cubs lefty Matthew Boyd and crushed the first pitch he ever saw as a professional 449 feet into the center-field bleachers at Wrigley. Welcome to the show.
Baez's first career at-bat left the yard at 108.6 mph off the bat, 449 feet, with the Cardinals up 3-0.
The Cubs answered fast. Michael Conforto tied it right back up with his 10th homer of the season, and Barstool Chicago caught the ball landing in the bleachers as Wrigley erupted for the home side.
That's when the game stopped being a normal ballgame. Baez came back up and did it again — second at-bat, second home run, 97.6 mph off the bat, 382 feet — and Barstool Baseball's account could barely keep up with the graphics.
Baez rounds the bases at Wrigley after his second homer in as many at-bats, Cardinals up 4-3.
Two home runs in two at-bats would've been the story on its own. Baez wasn't done. He came up again in the sixth and took Boyd deep for a third time — 99.8 mph, 368 feet — becoming, per MLB.com, the first player in major league history to homer in each of his first three career at-bats. All three came off Boyd, and the Cardinals rode it to an 8-4 win, with Baez finishing 3-for-4 with 5 RBIs. Big Cat summed up the room's mood as well as anyone: "3 at bats 3 homers to start your career. That's insane. What a debut. But seriously fuck this guy."
I already hate him. But holy shit. 3 at bats 3 homers to start your career. That’s insane. What a debut. But seriously fuck this guy
Baez was a second-round pick back in 2021 and, according to MLB.com, told people at 18 he'd be in the majors within two years. It took five, and a run through Triple-A where he hit.256 with 34 homers, before this Wrigley afternoon happened. Barstool's accounts weren't shy about calling it what it looked like in real time — the greatest debut in MLB history — and for once the hyperbole and the record book actually agree.
Baez rounds third after his third homer of the day, Cardinals up 6-3 on the scoreboard.
The Cardinals will need a lot more from their rotation to keep pace — Eric Hubbs noted the pitching staff was doing its part while the bats stayed quiet elsewhere in the game — but for one afternoon, none of that mattered. Baez turned his first three trips to the plate into a piece of baseball history, and Barstool's timeline turned into one long highlight reel because of it.