Joshua Báez, who plays for the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds, went long four separate times in a game on Tuesday
Credit: Kelly Gavin/MLB Photos via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- A minor league baseball player had a career night on Tuesday
- Joshua Báez hit four home runs on the same day as the third anniversary of his father’s death
- Báez, 22, is the No. 3 prospect for the St. Louis Cardinals
A minor league baseball player honored his late father on the anniversary of his death by hitting a home run —four times in one game.
Joshua Báez, who plays for the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds, went long four separate times in the game against the Nashville Sounds on Tuesday, June 16.
"I was just feeling him the whole time," Báez, 22, told reporters after the game. "I think that he guided me today to be able to do that."
Báez, the No. 3 prospect for the St. Louis Cardinals, hit a three-run homer in the first inning. In his next trip to the plate, he hit a 408-foot bomb over center field. A solo shot in the fifth was only topped by another dinger in the eighth inning.
Credit: Rich Storry/Getty
With his big night, Báez became the 14th minor leaguer since 2005 to deliver four home runs in one game, and the first in Redbirds' history, according to MLB.com.
Jose Manuel, Joshua’s father, was an avid baseball and softball player until he was around 35 years old, and guided his son’s success, per MLB.com.
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"Today was just really emotional," Báez said. "I was just trying to push through, and it's just insane I was able to hit four home runs in one night."
The MLB prospect’s mom, who was at the game, agreed.
"It's very emotional," Báez's mother, Yris, added via her son's translation. "I knew he was here with him from the sky down. He was able to give him the strength. I could feel it through the whole night."
She added, "There were different vibes today. I'm super happy and proud of him."
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