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Cardinals rookie Joshua Báez blasts 450-foot homer on first pitch

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St. Louis Cardinals rookie Joshua Báez’s first career game in the big leagues was something out of a movie.

Báez made Major League Baseball history by hitting a home run in each of his first three plate appearances in the Cardinals’ game against the Chicago Cubs Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field. 

The 23-year-old wasted no time in his first-ever at-bat, blasting the first pitch he saw in his major league career 450 feet to dead center field for a two-run homer to give the Cardinals a 3-0 lead.

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Báez pummeled Cubs starter Matt Boyd’s 93-mph fastball and sent the Cardinals’ dugout into a frenzy. The rookie rounded the bases with a smile on his face the whole time.

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Joshua Báez swings and hits a home run at Wrigley Field during a Cardinals-Cubs game.

Joshua Báez of the St. Louis Cardinals hits a home run during the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago Aug. 15, 2026. (Jessie Alcheh/Getty Images)

His second home run of the day came in the fourth inning, once again off Boyd. Báez worked the count full, then hammered Boyd’s 78-mph changeup 382 feet into the left-field seats to give the Cardinals a 4-3 lead.

Báez’s third home run also came off Boyd, this time off an 83-mph slider on the outside of the plate. The electrifying rookie hammered the ball 368 feet into the right-field seats for a two-run home run, giving the Cardinals a 6-3 lead. The Cardinals’ dugout was in disbelief, with multiple players in awe of Báez’s historic feat.

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The right-handed hitter homered to all three fields on three different pitches in his first three plate appearances of his career. Báez homered off a fastball in his first at-bat to center field, a changeup to left field in his second at-bat and a slider to right field in his third at-bat. It was a remarkable display of power in his first career game.

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Joshua Báez of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrates with Alec Burleson after hitting a home run at Wrigley Field.

Joshua Báez, right, of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrates with Alec Burleson after hitting a home run during the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago Aug. 15, 2026. (Jessie Alcheh/Getty Images)

In his fourth at-bat, he proved he was human, hitting a line out to Cubs left fielder Ian Happ. At the time of this writing, the Cardinals had an 8-4 lead over the Cubs in the ninth inning.

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Báez, who led Triple-A in home runs before being called up Saturday, was batting fifth in the order and playing left field. In Triple-A, the Boston native was putting up massive numbers, hitting .256 with 34 home runs, 90 RBI and 21 stolen bases in 103 games.

The Cardinals drafted him in the second round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of high school. The team hopes he can join JJ Wetherholt, Jordan Walker and Alec Burleson to form a young core the team can build around for a long time.

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Joshua Báez celebrates after hitting a home run at Wrigley Field.

Joshua Báez of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrates after hitting a home run during the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago Aug. 15, 2026. (Jessie Alcheh/Getty Images)

The Cardinals were not expected to compete this season but have surprised many as they entered Saturday at 61-61 and just 3½ games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies for the final wild-card spot in the National League.

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The Cubs hold the top wild-card spot in the National League and entered Saturday three games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central.

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Pro wrestler LaBron Kozone reacts to ‘generational’ talent superlative

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Pro wrestler LaBron Kozone signed a multi-year deal with Major League Wrestling (MLW) in March and was immediately described as a blue-chip and “generational” prospect.

Kozone won a few matches and is heading into Saturday’s “Fusion” looking to enact some revenge against Joe Coffey after the Scottish superstar took out legendary authority figure Teddy Long on a previous show.

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LaBron Kozone before a match

LaBron Kozone waves to the crowd on MLW “Fusion.” (MLW)

Kozone talked to Fox News Digital about his decision to sign with MLW in a recent interview.

“It was just a great opportunity just with how things are going today in the wrestling world. You want to put yourself in a predicament where you become most effective, you know?” he said. 

“You just look at the states where you have so many different promotions out there, what’s going on in their universe. And I know a lot of people in different universes, and I’m looking at MLW and it’s just like, ‘OK, for me, it’s probably the best situation with everything that I have going on in my obligation in pro wrestling.’

“It goes deeper than just inside the ring and wrestling, but it’s how can I help people out outside the ring because I run Firestar Pro Wrestling Training School. So, it’s not only an opportunity for me, but it’s an opportunity for a lot of my students who are already getting a lot of opportunity. 

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“And, plus, MLW is the fastest rising pro wrestling promotion out there right now. It’s the most accessible, and it’s the fastest rising. Every show that I’ve attended — even before I got signed — it’s been sold out. I feel like they’re definitely pressing on something game changing.”

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Close-up look at LaBron Kozone

LaBron Kozone looks around the arena before MLW’s “Fusion.” (MLW)

MLW owner Court Bauer called Kozone a “blue-chipper and a generational prospect” earlier this year when the company announced Kozone’s signing.

Kozone said he wasn’t quite sure what being a “blue-chipper” was but agreed with the notion that he was a “generational” talent.

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“Honestly, just to be quite frank, I don’t know what blue chip means. But generational talent, I can understand that,” he said. “I appreciate (it). That means once in a lifetime, which I do agree with. 

“I feel like I am a once-in-a-lifetime, not just talent but once-in-a-lifetime person. To (have) done what I done, have as much impact as I’ve had if only been in it for a little bit over a decade.”

LaBron Kozone hits Okumura

LaBron Kozone clotheslines Okumura during a match on MLW’s “Fusion.” (MLW)

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He previously told Fox News Digital that if he’s able to dispatch Coffey, he’s looking to go after some gold next.

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Islam Makhachev names “most deserving” challenger for welterweight belt after UFC 330 success 

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Islam Makhachev had barely finished fighting at UFC 330 before questions about his next opponent started coming up.

The Russian defended his welterweight title by getting the better of Ian Machado Garry. The Irishman put up a good fight, and if Garry had been a little more aggressive, he could have won.

Makhachev’s face was a bit of a mess, and during a segment with Paramount+, he was asked about who could be his next opponent.

The champion didn’t dodge the question, and instead named three welterweights who could have been next. Makhachev believed that Carlos Prates is the best option for his next bout:

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“Honestly, if you ask me today, Shavkat is not fighting. Prates is still fighting, still active, and maybe Prates.”

Makhachev also brought up the undefeated Michael Morales, but didn’t think he deserved the next title shot:

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“Morales is also good, but Morales fight I don’t last time, I don’t remember when he fight.”

The champion concluded by bringing up Prates’ name again:

“If you ask like who is most deserving guy, I think Carlos Prates.”

Check out Islam Makhachev’s comments below:

Makhachev’s thoughts on his next opponent do make sense. Shavkat Rakhmonov is undefeated in his career, but the 19-0 Uzbek has had some terrible luck with injuries and even was involved in a serious accident which has kept him out of action since 2024.

Morales last fought at UFC 322, but hasn’t fought since. However, Morales is the next big thing in the division and isn’t that far off from a title shot.

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Prates has been on a tear and has won seven of his eight fights with a Performance of the Night bonus in each of the wins.

His only loss in that time was against Garry, and Prates has already beaten former champions Leon Edwards and Jack Della Maddalena.