{
  "id": 1276520,
  "title": "Joshua Báez of the Cardinals hits 3 homers in his first 3 at-bats in a historic major league debut",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/16/joshua-baez-of-the-cardinals-hits-3-homers-in-his-first-3-at-bats-in",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-16T13:41:22.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/joshua-b-ez-cardinals-hits-134122225.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a historic debut, Joshua Báez of the Cardinals blasted three home runs in his first three at-bats during a game against the Chicago Cubs. Manager Oliver Marmol marveled at Báez's calm demeanor and beaming smile upon stepping up to the plate for the first time in the majors. Trailing 4-8 after six innings, Báez's powerful performance propelled the Cardinals to an 8-4 victory. Called up from the Triple-A Memphis team, the 23-year-old Báez was joined by 30 family members, including his mother, Yris, at Wrigley Field for the occasion. Báez captured the moment with flair, hitting the first pitch from Matthew Boyd an estimated 449 feet into left-center field. The left fielder followed with a solo shot down the left-field line, and the third homer sailed in the opposite direction, contributing to Báez's impressive five RBI total. Major League Baseball confirmed Báez's feat as the first of its kind in modern baseball history, though a definitive record before 1901 remains uncertain due to limited game logs. The Cubs' Craig Counsell acknowledged Báez's impressive display, stating that he \"beat us for sure.\" Báez's minor season had already showcased his power, leading all Triple-A hitters with 34 home runs, including four games with multiple homers. With this remarkable debut, Báez becomes the ninth player to make his major league debut for the Cardinals in 2023 and the 11th St. Louis player to homer in his first career at-bat. Former Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright last achieved the feat in 2006.",
  "summary": "Báez became the first player to hit a home run in each of his first three at-bats in the majors.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Associated Press",
        "title": "Joshua Báez of the Cardinals hits 3 homers in his first 3 at-bats in a historic major league debut",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/15/joshua-baez-of-the-cardinals-hits-3-homers-in-his-first-3-at-bats-in-1142233",
        "published": "2026-08-15T22:53:01.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}