Chicago Cubs infielder Javier Baez waited nine games to hit his first home run of the 2018 season, but it only took him a few at-bats to beat that pace this season.
Baez, who finished second in the MVP voting last season in the National League, is off to a roaring start this year, as he’s hit a pair of home runs against the Texas Rangers on Opening Day in Arlington.
Baez got the Cubs on the board with his first home run of the season, a towering drive to left field:
In a massive fifth inning, Baez gave a rude hello to his former teammate Jesse Chavez, as he poked a three-run home run over the right-center field fence to give the Cubs a 7-2 lead:
According to Christopher Kamka of NBC Sports Chicago, Baez is now the seventh Cubs player to hit multiple home runs in an Opening Day game. The feat has not been accomplished since Corey Patterson did it in 2003, and the immortal Ernie Banks also did it in 1969.
The only Cubs player to hit three home runs in an Opening Day game was Tuffy Rhodes, who hit three long balls off of Dwight Gooden on Opening Day in 1994.
