Báez blasts a MOONSHOT to walk off Game 1 of Texas League semifinals
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Jesús Báez just added one more monumental moment to his already massive breakout in 2026.
Báez demolished a walk-off home run for Double-A Springfield in the first game of the Texas League semifinals, defeating Tulsa 9-7 at Route 66 Stadium. Báez’s game-winner helped his Cardinals weather four lead changes and nine total runs in the final three innings of an absolute thriller.
After the homer, which he pounded out of the stadium in left field, Báez embarked on a celebration reminiscent of Junior Caminero’s after a walk-off homer in the Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League (LIDOM) in January 2025.
Báez paused at the plate to admire the moonshot, emphatically spiked his bat then rounded the bases for a raucous celebration with teammates when he arrived back home. Springfield will play Game 2 of the series at Tulsa on Thursday, seeking a trip to its second straight Texas League championship.
For Báez, his 40th home run of the year overall came on a massive 3-for-4 night in which he also walked and drove in another run on a fifth-inning single. The Cardinals’ No. 15 prospect, whom they acquired from the Mets in last year’s Ryan Helsley trade, finished the regular season second in the Minor Leagues with 39 dingers across two levels. That mark additionally tied the record (Moisés Gómez, 2022) for most homers by a Cardinals Minor Leaguer since 1949.
Báez, a 21-year-old shortstop, was particularly unstoppable after moving up to Double-A on June 23. He hit 25 home runs over 59 games while recording a 1.033 OPS.