It’s time again for Baseball Roundtable’s Trivia(l) Tidbit Tuesday. I hope you are enjoying this weekly presentation of baseball occurrences that for some reason caught The Roundtable’s eye. (I’m particularly fond of unexpected performances and statistical coincidences.) These won’t necessarily be momentous occurrences, just events, statistics or coincidences that grabbed my attention. I’m also drawn to baseball “unicorns,” one-of-a-kind MLB accomplishments or statistics.
This week, I was all set to do a Trivia(l) Tidbit focused on players who have stolen six bases in a single MLB game (watch for that topic next week), but Cardinals’ rookie OF Joshua Baez’ “unicorn” three homers in his first three MLB at bats in an August 15, 8-4 win over the Cubs was impressive enough to send me off in a different direction.
For example, I was impressed by the fact that Baez’ homers went to all fields – center, left and right (in that order) – and that they were hit off a fastball, changeup and slider (also in that order).
It also struck me that as I write this, Baez has a share of the record for the most major- league hits by any player whose every major-league hit was a home run. (In three games since his three-homer debut, Baez has gone 0-for-14, with six strikeouts.) So, for now, Baez shares this record with another Cardinal, C/PH Keith McDonald.
Three MLB Career Hits … All Home Runs
I’ll digress for a minute to look at McDonald’s record, which I am sure will soon once again be his alone. McDonald got his first taste of MLB action on July 4, 2000 (in St. Louis), pinch-hitting (for SS Edgar Renteria) in the bottom of the eighth inning – with the Cardinals ahead by a 13-3 score. After hitting just one home run in 177 at bats at Triple-A that season, McDonald sent a 2-2 pitch out of the park to left-center. McDonald did not play in the Reds/Cardinals July 5 tilt, but on July 6, he started at catcher against the Reds, batting in the number-eight spot. He got his first at bat of the game in the bottom of the second, with the Cardinals trailing 3-2. He tied the game with a home run on a 1-0 pitch – becoming just the second MLB player ever to homer in their FIRST TWO plate appearances. McDonald, who ended up with a total of only 11 MLB plate appearances (in eight games in 2000-01), had one other hit (also a home run) and is the only player to retired with more than one MLB hit whose every MLB hit went the distance., McDonald’s final MLB stat line . .333-3-5.
Now back to my main topi , Baez’ MLB debut and some three-homer game trivia.
Let’s start with a deeper look at Baez’ inaugural MB game. Baez made his first trip to the plate as a major-leaguer in the top of the first – with one on and two out – and hit the first pitch he saw (a fastball) from Cubs’ starter Matthew Boyd for a (449-foot) home run to center. In the process, Baez became just the thirty-third player to hit the first major-league pitch he ever saw for a home run.
He came up again leading off the fourth and made more (and rarer) history. Baez worked a 3-2 count and again homered off Boyd – this time to left (off a changeup). This made him the ninth MLB player to homer twice in his first MLB game, the third to homer in his first two major-league plate appearances and just the second to homer in his first two MLB plate appearances in the same (MLB debut) game.
In the sixth, with Boyd still on the bump, there was more history to be made. Baez hit a 1-0 slider for a two-run home run to right. At this point, the Cardinals had a 6-3 lead and Baez had driven in five of the six tallies. This made him the first player to homer in his first three MLB trips to the plate. As noted earlier, he also joined, albeit surely temporarily, McDonald as the only MLB player with more than one MLB hit, whose every career MLB hit was a home run.
Baez came up once more in his inaugural game and flied out to left off Colin Rea.
Now a few more tidbits:
- Baez is the 34th youngest player to have a three-homer game. The youngest is Al Kaline at 20 year-119 days (April 17, 1955). The only other player to have a three-dinger contest before age 20 is Eddie Mathews at 20 years – 350 days (Sept. 27, 1952). Side note: I never miss a chance to mention Mathews, my childhood hero and all-time favorite player.
- Baez is one of only six MLB players with five or more RBI in their MLB debut game. The Cubs’ Starlin Castro holds the debut-game record at six RBI (May 7, 2010). Castro also is the youngest player with five or more RBI in an MLB debut (20 years – 44 days).
Three Made Baez A Unicorn
Before Joshua Baez, the only two players to homer in their first TWO MLB plate appearances were: St. Louis Browns’ LF Bob Nieman, who homered in his first two MLB at plate appearances in his debut game (against the Red Sox in Fenway – on September 14, 1951) and the Cardinals’ Keith McDonald in the July 4 and July 6, 2000 games (as noted earlier in this post).
For those who like a little background, Baez was a second-round pick (54th overall) in the 2021 MLB draft – out of Southfield High School in Brookline Massachusetts (signing for $2.25 million). Baez was hitting .256, with 34 home runs, 90 RBI and 21 stolen bas s in 103 games at Triple-A Memphis. In six minor-league seasons, Baez has gone .251-78-275, with 149 steals in 452 games. He seemed to find his power stroke in 2025 (as a 22-year-old), going .287-20-79 at High-A and Double-A. Previously, he had not hit more than 11 home runs in any minor-league season.
Baez Showcases His Power at Triple-A
On June 16 of this season, Joshua Baez, playing for the Triple-A Memphis Red Birds smacked four home runs in a 12-5 win over the Nashville Sounds. He famished the game four-for-five, with the four home runs, four runs scored and seven RBI.
The oldest player to hit three or more home runs in a game was Stan Musial, with three homers in a July 8, 1962 Cardinals’ 15-1 win over the Mets.
That Was Fun … Let’s Do It Again
No one put together two three-homer games in a shorter span of time than the Angels’ Doug DeCinces. He smacked three homers in an August 3, 1982 5-4 loss to the Twins, then just four days and four games later (August 8) launched a trio of dingers in a 9-5 win over Seattle.
That season, DeCinces went .310-30-97 and reached what would be his career highs in: average (.301); home runs (30); RBI (97); runs scored (94); hits (173); doubles (42); triples (5); and total bases (315). The performance was driven by a sterling second half. At the All Star break, DeCinces (who did not make the AL All Star team) was hitting .268-10-47 (in 85 games). In 68 games after the break, he hit .340-20-50.
Over a 15-season MLB career (1973-87 … Orioles, Angels, Cardinals), DeCinces went . .259-237-879.
A final chart:
Final (side) Note: Only nine players have hit two or more home runs in their MLB debut game and three of those occurrences have come this season: Joshua Baez, Cardinals; Chase DeLauter, Guardians; and Jose Fernandez, Diamondbacks. The others: Bob Nieman, 1951 Browns; Bert Campaneris, 1964 Athletics; Mark Quinn, 1999 Royals; J.P. Arencibia, 2010 Blue Jays; Trevor Story, 2016 Rockies; Charlie Reilly, 1889 Columbus Solons (American Association).
Primary Resources: Stathead.com; Baseball-Almanac.com; Three Homers in 1st three at bats?! Baez first to accomplish feat in epic big league debut, by Zach Sweet, MLB.com
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