Joshua Báez Belts 3 Homers in MLB Debut as Cardinals Beat Cubs 8-4

Q: After fulfilling his late father's ultimate dream on day one, what fuels this historic rookie's drive next?

What appears to fuel Joshua Báez now is not simply the emotion of reaching the majors for his late father, but proving he can stay there and help the Cardinals win. Báez said his father’s dream was to play in the big leagues, and that his promise was to do it for him. He fulfilled that promise in spectacular fashion. But the reporting around his call-up shows his motivation runs deeper: he wants to turn elite raw power into a complete, sustainable major league game. That has been the central focus of his development. Cardinals officials and manager Oliver Marmol have emphasized Báez’s work ethic, confidence and resilience more than the three home runs. Assistant GM Rob Cerfolio said the club has pushed Báez to become “more of a hitter rather than simply a slugger,” improving his at-bat consistency, approach and ability to access his power without overswinging. That matters because even amid his breakout Triple-A season — 34 homers, 21 steals and some of the best power metrics in the minors — Báez still carried contact questions, including a high strikeout rate and vulnerability to elevated fastballs and sliders away. His next drive, then, is clear: adjust again, answer major league pitching, and turn a historic debut into a lasting role. The Cardinals also called him up in the middle of a wild-card race, not for a cameo. So beyond honoring his father, Báez is now driven by competition, long-term staying power and the chance to become a core outfielder in St. Louis.

3 articles · Updated · MLB.com · Aug 15

Three home runs from 23-year-old Joshua Báez powered St. Louis to an 8-4 win in Chicago, making him the first player in MLB history to homer three times in his debut.
Matthew Boyd unraveled against the rookie after entering on a 2.43 ERA run over his previous nine starts, surrendering seven runs and four homers in 5 1/3 innings.
Báez's blasts came in the first, fourth and sixth innings — the first a 449-foot drive at 108.6 mph — after he arrived from Triple-A Memphis, where he had already hit 34 homers.
Michael Conforto briefly pulled the Cubs even with a three-run homer, but Pete Crow-Armstrong went 0-for-4 again and is 1-for-21 over his last three games.
The result leveled the Cardinals-Cubs series at 1-1, with Sunday’s rubber match next in one of baseball’s oldest rivalries.