In need of a major spark, the St. Louis Cardinals promoted one of their top prospects, outfielder Joshua Baez.

Baez was penciled in the lineup for his MLB debut on Saturday against the Chicago Cubs, and he delivered the spark that St. Louis was looking for.

Joshua Baez homered on the first pitch he saw

Baez stepped into the box with a man on first and two outs in the top of the first inning. He wasted little time and unloaded on the first pitch he ever saw in the majors.

Baez launched a fastball 450 feet for the first hit and home run of his major league career. He became the 11th player in franchise history to homer in their first at-bat and the first since Lane Thomas in 2019.

According to the Cubs broadcast, Baez is the 31st player in MLB history to homer on the first pitch on the first pitch of their career.

Joshua Baez wasn't done after his first home run

As if one home run in his MLB debut wasn't enough, Baez stepped up to the plate again in the fourth inning and did it again. After falling behind 0-2 in the count, Baez worked the count back full before delivering his second home run in as many at-bats. 

Baez became just the third player in MLB history to hit home runs in their first two plate appearances, joining Bob Neiman (1951) and Keith McDonald (2000), both of which happened with St. Louis.

Two home runs weren't enough 

Joining rare MLB history wasn't enough for Baez, as he had to make his own. His third at-bat ended the same way his first two did: a home run.

Baez became the first player in MLB history to homer in their first three at-bats. He impressively homered on a different pitch in each of his three at-bats. 

The first homer was on a fastball, the second on a changeup and the third on a slider. It is unquestionably the greatest debut for a hitter in the long and storied history of MLB.

The future is bright for St. Louis

Baez, along with Jordan Walker, JJ Wetherholt, Alec Burleson and Masyn Winn, is an excellent core for the Cardinals to build around for the foreseeable future. 

With upgrades to the starting rotation and bullpen over the next couple of offseasons, the Cardinals could be back to competing atop the NL Central.