Nick Kurtz already had three homers and five hits as he began his final at bat with a chance to make history, but none of that was top of mind for the Athletics' rookie slugger—he just didn't want to embarrass himself. The 22-year-old did just fine, lining a 77mph, 2-0 pitch from outfielder Cooper Hummel to the seats in left field on Friday night in Houston for his fourth homer of a game that was one of the best ever by an MLB player. "Position player on the mound, I'm just trying to move the ball forward," Kurtz said, per the AP. "You don't want to be the guy who strikes out."
Kurtz didn't make an out all night. Instead, he became the first rookie in MLB history to hit four home runs in a game and matched the league record for total bases with 19. "Arguably the best game I've ever watched from a single player," Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said. "This kid continues to have jaw-dropping moments." Kurtz went deep in the second, sixth, eighth, and ninth innings. He also doubled and singled on his 6-for-6 night to equal Shawn Green, who had four homers, six hits, and 19 total bases for the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 23, 2002, at Milwaukee.
Kurtz's double in the fourth inning hit just below the yellow line over the visitor's bullpen, narrowly missing what would have been a fifth homer. "Everybody was just like, laughing," A's shortstop Jacob Wilson said. "How is he doing it? This is not normal. He's playing a different sport than us right now." It was Kurtz's 20th four-homer game in major league history. He finished with eight RBIs and six runs scored as the Athletics beat the Astros 15-3.
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The 6-foot-5 slugger has 23 homers in 66 games this season. The fourth overall pick in last year's amateur draft out of Wake Forest, he made his major league debut on April 23 and hit his first homer on May 13. Kurtz is also the youngest player with a four-homer game (Pat Seerey of the Chicago White Sox was 25 when he hit four on July 18, 1948) and has been the best hitter in the majors in July, ranking first in batting average (.425), runs (22), doubles (13), homers (11), and RBIs (27). "It still feels like a dream," Kurtz said after the game.
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