The player from Cienfuegos, César Prieto, ended a long wait this Sunday by hitting his first extra-base hit in the Major Leagues, a triple to right-center field, in the final game of the MLB regular season.
The hit came in the defeat of the St. Louis Cardinals against the Milwaukee Brewers with a score of 6-4, at American Family Field, with Prieto batting eighth and playing second base.
The hit was launched into the depths of right-center field and grazed the glove of outfielder Garrett Mitchell, who had to cover a long distance without being able to reach it. Prieto, who was rounding second base, dove headfirst to reach third and complete the triple.
"Shot like a cannon to the back of right-center field. It gets past Mitchell's glove. Prieto rounding second. He's going to reach third with a headfirst slide. His first extra-base hit in the Major Leagues," the game announcer described.
It was Prieto's third hit of the 2026 MLB season and the fourth of his entire career in the Big Show. In the game, he went 1-for-4 with a strikeout, and with the triple, he reached two runs scored in his Major League history, although he still has not recorded any RBIs.
The achievement comes with a bittersweet taste. The 2026 season was a cycle of ups and downs for the Cuban second baseman: three calls to the Majors —in May, August, and September— with returns to Triple-A Memphis on each occasion. In total, he accumulated only 34 at-bats in MLB, with an average of .059 and zero runs batted in.
The contrast with his performance in the Minors is striking. With the Memphis Redbirds in Triple-A, Prieto batted .308 with 12 home runs and 43 RBIs in 335 plate appearances, figures that keep him as one of the most promising Cuban prospects in the St. Louis system.
Born in Cienfuegos in 1999, Prieto defected from the Cuban national team in May 2021 and originally signed with the Baltimore Orioles. He joined the Cardinals in August 2023 as part of the trade that sent pitcher Jack Flaherty to Baltimore. He made his MLB debut on August 29, 2025 and recorded his first hit —a single— two days later against Cincinnati.
The Cardinals finished the 2026 season with a record of 77-84, fourth in the Central Division of the National League, far behind the Brewers, who ended up as division champions with a record of 102-59.
The three-point shot from the last day of the regular season is, for now, Prieto's standout moment in the Majors, and the lingering question is whether he will finally establish himself on the St. Louis roster in 2027.
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