Joshua Báez made sure his major league debut somehow exceeded the wild expectations that preceded it.
Báez's emotional journey to the St. Louis Cardinals' lineup culminated Saturday, Aug. 15 when he hit a towering two-run home run on the first pitch he saw from Chicago Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd at Wrigley Field, sending the visiting dugout into padding-pounding pandemonium and the more than two dozen family members on hand from around the USA and Dominican Republic into unabashed glee.
Báez, 21, was already sporting a wide and disbelieving grin as he rounded first base, the perfect welcome-to-the-big-leagues moment for the Cardinals' No. 3 prospect. After all, Báez had already shown his flair for the emotional.
Báez was a third-round pick of the Cardinals in 2021, out of Dexter School in Brookline, Mass. He was midway through his second full pro season, at Class A Palm Beach, when his father, Jose Manuel, who'd had a profound impact on his baseball development, passed away.
Báez continued climbing the Cardinals' system and the prospect charts, rising to No. 56 in Baseball America's top 100 ratings this summer. And then came June 16, and the third anniversary of his father's death.
#cardinals #Baseball #Third
Báez's emotional journey to the St. Louis Cardinals' lineup culminated Saturday, Aug. 15 when he hit a towering two-run home run on the first pitch he saw from Chicago Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd at Wrigley Field, sending the visiting dugout into padding-pounding pandemonium and the more than two dozen family members on hand from around the USA and Dominican Republic into unabashed glee.
Báez, 21, was already sporting a wide and disbelieving grin as he rounded first base, the perfect welcome-to-the-big-leagues moment for the Cardinals' No. 3 prospect. After all, Báez had already shown his flair for the emotional.
Báez was a third-round pick of the Cardinals in 2021, out of Dexter School in Brookline, Mass. He was midway through his second full pro season, at Class A Palm Beach, when his father, Jose Manuel, who'd had a profound impact on his baseball development, passed away.
Báez continued climbing the Cardinals' system and the prospect charts, rising to No. 56 in Baseball America's top 100 ratings this summer. And then came June 16, and the third anniversary of his father's death.
#cardinals #Baseball #Third
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