Nick Kurtz already had three home runs and five hits on the night — all with his parents and godparents watching from the stands — when he stepped up for one final at-bat. But in that moment, the Athletics’ rookie phenom wasn’t thinking about records. He was just trying not to embarrass himself against a position player on the mound.
Facing Houston Astros outfielder Cooper Hummel, who was pitching with the game out of hand, Kurtz connected on a 77 mph offering, sending it into the left field stands for his fourth home run of the night — a feat achieved by only a handful in Major League Baseball history.
“With a position player pitching, I’m just trying to make contact. You really don’t want to be the guy who strikes out in that spot,” Kurtz said.
But striking out was never in the cards. Kurtz went 6-for-6, finishing with four home runs, a double, a single, eight RBIs, and six runs scored. He tied the MLB record for total bases in a game with 19, joining Shawn Green, who set that mark in 2002 with the Dodgers.
Kurtz’s fourth-inning double came inches from being his fifth homer, bouncing just below the yellow line near the visitor’s bullpen.
“Everyone was kind of laughing,” said A’s shortstop Jacob Wilson. “What he’s doing doesn’t feel real — like he’s out there playing tee ball while the rest of us are playing baseball.”
It was just the 20th time in MLB history a player has hit four home runs in a single game, and the second time this season. Arizona’s Eugenio Suárez accomplished the same on April 26. However, only Kurtz and Green have managed to get six hits in such a game.
Athletics manager Mark Kotsay was in awe. “It’s probably the best game I’ve ever seen from one player. He just keeps delivering these unbelievable moments.”
The A’s crushed the Astros 15-3, and Kurtz’s bat powered nearly all of it. His homers came in the second, sixth, eighth, and ninth innings — each off a different pitcher: Ryan Gusto, Nick Hernandez, Kaleb Ort, and finally Hummel. The third of those homers, a solo blast off Ort, traveled 414 feet. His last landed in the famous Crawford Boxes at Daikin Park.
“This still feels like a dream,” Kurtz said in a postgame interview. “It’s really special. I’m kind of speechless.”
Adding to the magic was the presence of his family. “This was the first time my godparents were here, so maybe they need to come to all the games now,” he joked. “My parents flew in today. They’ve been here a lot, but having everyone here made it even more special.”
Kurtz, a 22-year-old rookie, became the youngest player in MLB history to hit four homers in a game. The previous youngest was Pat Seerey, who was 25 when he did it in 1948.
Since his debut on April 23 — less than three months ago — Kurtz has hit 23 home runs in 66 games. He was the fourth overall pick in last year’s amateur draft out of Wake Forest and launched his first MLB homer on May 13.
July has been his month. He leads all of baseball in batting average (.425), on-base percentage (.494), slugging percentage (1.082), runs (22), doubles (13), home runs (11), and RBIs (27).
After the game, Kurtz carefully packed the baseballs from his final two home runs into a plastic bag and signed scorecards and a lineup card for the team’s broadcasters. One of those scorecards — along with his bat — is headed to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
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