▲ Joshua Baez hits a home run on the very first pitch of his debut at-bat.
A rookie sensation has emerged in Major League Baseball (MLB).
St. Louis Cardinals rookie hitter Joshua Baez, 23, blasted three consecutive home runs in his big league debut against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois, on August 16 (Korea time).
This marks the first time in Major League Baseball history that a rookie has hit three consecutive home runs, as well as three total home runs, in their debut game.
Starting as the cleanup-hitting left fielder, or rather batting fifth and playing left field, Baez saw his bat explode right from his very first plate appearance.
With the Cardinals leading 1-0 in the top of the first inning with two outs and a runner on first, Baez stepped up to the plate and hammered a 93.4 mph (approx. 150.3 km/h) four-seam fastball on the first pitch from Cubs starting pitcher Matthew Boyd, sending it well over the center-field fence.
The batted ball had an astonishing exit velocity of 177.8 km/h and traveled a distance of 136.9 meters.
Baez launched another home run in his second plate appearance.
Leading off the top of the fourth inning in a 3-3 tie, Baez scooped up a changeup from Boyd this time to hit a solo shot over the left-field fence.
In the top of the sixth inning, Baez pushed a slider from Boyd the other way for a two-run home run to right field.
According to the sports statistics company Elias Sports Bureau, eight rookies had previously hit two home runs in their debut games before Baez.
Earlier this season, Chase DeLauter (Cleveland Guardians) and Jose Fernandez (Arizona Diamondbacks) also left a strong impression with two-home-run debuts.
However, Baez etched his name in history as the first rookie in Major League Baseball to hit three consecutive home runs in a debut.
In his final plate appearance in the top of the eighth inning, Baez was retired on a line drive to left field, finishing the game with 3 hits in 4 at-bats and 5 RBIs.
Selected by St. Louis in the second round of the 2021 amateur draft, Baez earned his call-up to the majors after appearing in 103 Triple-A games this season, where he posted a .256 batting average, 34 home runs, 90 RBIs, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of .901.
Powered by Baez's stellar performance, the Cardinals secured an 8-4 victory on this day.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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