CHICAGO (AP) — Joshua Báez smashed the first pitch he saw in the majors about 450 feet, then flashed a grin to the St. Louis dugout as he began his home run trot.
“There was a calmness and a smile, like, ‘I’m here,’” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “It’s rare for me to pick my head up to enjoy parts of it. He didn’t exactly give us an option but to actually take a step back and enjoy the heck out of what was going on there.”
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St. Louis Cardinals' Joshua Baez (22) gets dunked after defeating the Chicago Cubs in a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
St. Louis Cardinals' Joshua Baez, right, gets a hug from his mother Yris Carmen Baez after defeating the Chicago Cubs in a baseball game in Chicago, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
St. Louis Cardinals' Joshua Baez (22) celebrates with teammate Masyn Winn (0) after hitting a three-run home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
St. Louis Cardinals' Joshua Baez poses after setting an MLB record with three home runs during his MLB debut after defeating the Chicago Cubs in a baseball game in Chicago, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
St. Louis Cardinals' Joshua Baez, right, celebrates with his mother Yris Carmen Baez, left, after defeating the Chicago Cubs in a baseball game in Chicago, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
There has never been a show quite like it.
Báez became the first player to hit a home run in each of his first three at-bats in the majors, leading the Cardinals to an 8-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday.
Called up from Triple-A Memphis before the game, Báez had 30 members of his family in attendance at Wrigley Field. The traveling party, which included his mother, Yris, gathered on the field for photos afterward in spite of rain.
“It’s just unreal,” the 23-year-old Báez said. “To not only get a hit, but three home runs? It’s crazy.”
He did it with flair, too. The first came on the first pitch he saw from Matthew Boyd and landed an estimated 449 feet away in the bleachers in left-center. The left fielder's next at-bat ended with a solo shot down the left-field line and the third, on his ensuing at-bat, went the opposite way, giving him five RBIs.
Major League Baseball said Báez was the first player in modern baseball history to hit three home runs in his debut. The league cannot say with certainty whether the feat happened before 1901 due to a lack of game logs.
“He hit three different pitches for home runs. He had a great game. He beat us for sure,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said.
Báez showed plenty of power in the minors this season. When he was called up, he was leading all Triple-A hitters with 34 home runs, including four multihomer games.
He’s the ninth player to make his major league debut for the Cardinals this season.
Báez also is the 11th St. Louis player to homer in his first career at-bat (the last was Lane Thomas in 2019) and sixth in club history to homer on the first pitch. Former pitcher Adam Wainwright last did it in 2006.
See AP’s full MLB coverage here
St. Louis Cardinals' Joshua Baez (22) gets dunked after defeating the Chicago Cubs in a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
St. Louis Cardinals' Joshua Baez, right, gets a hug from his mother Yris Carmen Baez after defeating the Chicago Cubs in a baseball game in Chicago, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
St. Louis Cardinals' Joshua Baez (22) celebrates with teammate Masyn Winn (0) after hitting a three-run home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
St. Louis Cardinals' Joshua Baez poses after setting an MLB record with three home runs during his MLB debut after defeating the Chicago Cubs in a baseball game in Chicago, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
St. Louis Cardinals' Joshua Baez, right, celebrates with his mother Yris Carmen Baez, left, after defeating the Chicago Cubs in a baseball game in Chicago, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
Indiana authorities said at least five people have died as a result of severe storms and flooding across the state this week, as first responders used boats to rescue more people Saturday from rising waters in neighborhoods along the White River in Indianapolis.
The state has been hammered over the past week by heavy rains, resulting in rivers reaching record levels and sending residents in search of higher ground. More than a dozen counties have declared local disasters, with much of the latest damage concentrated along river corridors from Hamilton County heading into the northern Indianapolis suburbs.
Gov. Mike Braun confirmed Saturday that President Donald Trump intends to approve his request for federal resources to help in response to the flooding and the recovery.
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said the city was experiencing its most severe flooding in more than 30 years, noting that conditions were shifting rapidly. Hundreds of homes in neighborhoods that were located between the river and parallel canals were evacuated Saturday, as first responders used boats to rescue people who were already stranded.
Rita Reith, a spokesperson with the Indianapolis Fire Department, put the number of rescues at 95 people and 45 pets as of late afternoon. Dispatchers had received hundreds of calls for service throughout the day.
The governor’s office reported more than 350 evacuations have occurred in Delaware County and that a senior mobile home community in Tipton County was being evacuated. Rescues and welfare checks also were happening in Fayette County.
Indiana authorities said Saturday at least five people have died as a result of the severe weather over the past week. That includes a boy killed when a tree fell on his home, a woman who was swept away after driving into floodwaters and a teen who was reported missing after jumping in to a river on Wednesday.
“My heart is with the families and loved ones of the five Hoosiers we have lost and every family whose life has been changed by these storms,” Braun said in a statement issued Saturday. “Please continue to take flooding seriously and stay away from floodwaters.”
Jacob Spence, director of Marion County Emergency Management, called it a once-in-a-lifetime type flood.
“This is an unprecedented event, and unfortunately we’re setting some new records,” he told The Associated Press.
The National Weather Service reported that more than 11 inches (28 centimeters) of rain fell over a two-day period in some areas. The White River crested at more than 24 feet (7.32 meters) in the communities of Anderson and Noblesville, surpassing records set in 1913.
While some floodwaters were receding north of Indianapolis, flash-flood warnings and watches remained in place Saturday across a swath of central Indiana.
Forecasters expected the White River to crest Saturday evening in the Indianapolis area, where National Guard vehicles were among those helping with the rescue efforts. Rita Reith, a spokesperson with the Indianapolis Fire Department, put the number of rescues at 95 people and 45 pets as of late afternoon.
Earlier this week, severe storms wreaked havoc across other parts of the Midwest, causing tornadoes, heavy rains and flash flooding. Storm damage was reported from the Chicago area all the way to western Pennsylvania. Power had yet to be restored for some residents in other parts of Indiana.
Residents posted videos on social media that showed submerged homes, vehicles stranded in high water, a power pole being toppled by rushing water and roads being washed away.
There were ominous clouds over Noblesville on Saturday morning, but the river already had marked its historic crest the night before, leaving homes standing in water, parking lots flooded and corn fields saturated. The community's historic covered bridge — Potter's Bridge — was still standing.
“This is crazy for all of us,” said Matt Doudt, the city's photographer, who was out early to document the aftermath. He pointed to a grassy commons area that usually hosts farmers' market and concerts. That was under water. So was a brand new memorial and flower garden recently installed by the city.
He said Noblesville, with its historic charm and brick streets, didn't get much rain in recent days but that the flooding was caused by the downpours that happened in communities upstream. All that water had no where to go but rush down to Noblesville — and now Indianapolis, he said.
Still, Doudt and others are thankful.
“We have a lot of damage,” he said, “But we didn’t lose any lives and everybody got rescued and our city is taking care of people pretty well.”
Montoya Bryan reported from Albuquerque, New Mexico.
This aerial photo provided by the Indianapolis Fire Department shows flooding in northern Indianapolis, Ind., Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (Indianapolis Fire Department via AP)
This photo provided by the Indianapolis Fire Department shows flooding in northern Indianapolis, Ind., Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (Indianapolis Fire Department via AP)
This photo provided by the Indianapolis Fire Department shows flooding in northern Indianapolis, Ind., Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (Indianapolis Fire Department via AP)
This aerial photo provided by the Indianapolis Fire Department shows flooding in northern Indianapolis, Ind., Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (Indianapolis Fire Department via AP)
This aerial photo provided by the Indianapolis Fire Department shows flooding in northern Indianapolis, Ind., Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (Indianapolis Fire Department via AP)
