Báez becomes first Redbird to mash four homers in win over Sounds

Memphis outfielder becomes third St. Louis MiLBer with four-homer game 30 years

By Memphis Redbirds

12:31 AM EDT

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Memphis Redbirds began a six-game homestand to wrap up the first half of the 2026 season with a 12-5 victory over the Nashville Sounds (Triple-A, Milwaukee Brewers). Memphis right fielder Joshua Báez set a Redbirds single-game record with a four-homer performance in the series opener against

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Memphis Redbirds began a six-game homestand to wrap up the first half of the 2026 season with a 12-5 victory over the Nashville Sounds (Triple-A, Milwaukee Brewers).

Memphis right fielder Joshua Báez set a Redbirds single-game record with a four-homer performance in the series opener against Nashville, the 16th such game in minor league baseball since at least 2005. According to St. Louis Cardinals communications, Báez joins Chandler Redmond (with Double-A Springfield on Aug. 10, 2022) & Tyrone Horne (with Double-A Arkansas on July 27, 1998) as the only Cardinals minor leaguers to accomplish the feat in the last 30 years.

The right-handed slugger slammed a three-run homer to start the scoring in the bottom of the first inning. It was a two-run blast to get Memphis back to a three-run lead in the bottom of the third frame. In the bottom of the fifth, Báez went back-to-back with second baseman César Prieto. The icing on the cake showed up in the bottom of the eighth, when the International League leader in home runs belted a sky-scraping solo home run over the left field wall to secure history.

At the conclusion of play on Tuesday night, Báez led the league in home runs (22), extra-base hits (39) and total bases (159). He sat second in RBIs (58), third in slugging percentage (.631), fifth in OPS (.976) and eighth in base hits (71).

Starting pitcher Quinn Mathews (4-3) allowed three runs on two hits, walked four and struck out five. The left-handed pitcher allowed all three runs across a pair of home runs. Luis Gastelum struck out four of the first five men he faced in his 2.0 scoreless innings of relief.

The victory vaulted Memphis into first place all alone atop the International League standings, a full 1.0 game in front of the Rochester Red Wings (Triple-A, Washington Nationals). Memphis is set to enter Wednesday afternoon’s game against Nashville with its magic number five with five games remaining in the first half race.

The Memphis Redbirds return to AutoZone Park on Wednesday, June 17 to begin a six-game series against the Nashville Sounds to close out the first half of the 2026 season with first pitch scheduled for 12:05 p.m. CDT.