Joshua Baez became the first player in major league history to hit three home runs in his debut, helping lead the visiting St. Louis Cardinals to an 8-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday afternoon.
Baez hit homers to right, center and left field, driving in five runs as St. Louis won its third game in four tries. Michael McGreevy (5-9) earned his first win since July 8, tossing six innings of three-run (none earned), five-hit ball, striking out six and walking two.
Matthew Boyd (8-2) lost his first game since March 26. The veteran left-hander allowed seven runs on five hits across 5 1/3 frames, walking three and striking out a pair. Michael Conforto hit a three-run homer for the Cubs, who had won nine of their previous 11 games.
Boyd began the game by walking JJ Wetherholt and hitting Ivan Herrera. Two batters later, Alec Burleson drove in the Cardinals’ first run with a groundout, before Baez became the 33rd player in major league history to homer on the first pitch of his first career plate appearance.
The 23-year-old, tabbed as the organization’s third-best prospect, became the fourth visiting player at Wrigley Field to achieve the feat.
Baez’s first blast went 449 feet to dead center, giving the visitors a 3-0 lead.
After McGreevy recorded two quick outs in the second, Nico Hoerner reached on third baseman Blaze Jordan’s fielding error, and Pedro Ramirez followed with a double. Conforto then tied the game with a three-run homer, his 10th of the season.
Baez’s unbelievable debut continued in the fourth, as he belted his second homer off Boyd, a leadoff shot to give the Cardinals a 4-3 edge.
Burleson led off the sixth with a walk, leading to Baez’s historic third home run.
Jordan hit a solo homer two batters later to extend the lead to 7-3 and chase Boyd from the game.
Burleson notched his 20th home run of the season off Chicago reliever Colin Rea in the top of the eighth to make it 8-3. The Cubs then finally retired Baez, as Rea got the rookie to line out to left.
Ryne Stanek threw the bottom of the eighth for St. Louis, allowing Seiya Suzuki’s double and Michael Busch’s single. Alex Bregman’s double play then scored the fourth Chicago run.
Riley O’Brien threw a perfect ninth to seal the St. Louis win.
