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The Cuban Andy Pagés, center fielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers, had one of the most memorable performances of his career this Wednesday by hitting three home runs and driving in six runs in a single game against the Houston Astros.
With this performance, Pagés became the third player born in Cuba to hit three home runs in a Major League game before turning 26, as noted by the specialized journalist Francys Romero.
The only two Cubans who had previously achieved that milestone were José Canseco, who accomplished it in 1988 with the Oakland Athletics, and Yordan Álvarez, who did it twice: in 2019 and in 2022 with the Houston Astros.
Pagés' performance in this game raised his total home runs in the 2026 season to eight, and his six runs batted in for the day brought him back to the lead in all of MLB in that category, with 33 RBIs so far this season.
The 2026 season of Pagés has been extraordinary from day one. The player was the first MLB player to reach 20 runs batted in this current season, and he also won the National League Player of the Week award for the week of March 30 to April 5, with an offensive line of .583, two home runs, and seven runs batted in.
As of April 27, Pagés had an average of .337 with 25 runs batted in, ranking among the top five hitters in MLB in that category.
Number 44 of the Dodgers arrives at this historic performance with a rising trajectory since his debut in Major League Baseball on April 16, 2024, when he hit two home runs and drove in four runs in his first game, becoming the 389th Cuban to step onto an MLB field.
In the 2025 season, Pagés recorded 27 home runs, 86 runs batted in, and a batting average of .272, establishing himself as the third Cuban under 25 years old to reach 25 or more home runs and 80 or more RBIs, following Yordan Álvarez and José Canseco himself.
In January of this year, Pagés confirmed that he would not play for Cuba in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, prioritizing his preparation for the Major League season, a decision that sparked debate given his level of play.
With his performance this Wednesday, Pagés asserts himself as one of the most dangerous hitters in Major League Baseball in 2026 and secures his place in the history of Cuban baseball alongside two of the island's greatest names: Canseco and Álvarez.
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