Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz became the first rookie inMajor League Baseball history Friday night, to hit four home runs in a game, in a 15-2 rout of the Astros at Daikin Park in Houston. It is just the 20th time in MLB history it has been done by anyone. The left-handed slugger mashed one to right for his third home run (414 ft. 113.8 exit velo), but the three others were opposite field lasers into the Crawford Boxes:
NICK KURTZ. 20TH PLAYER IN MLB HISTORY TO HIT 4 HOME RUNS IN A GAME 🔥
— Wake Forest Baseball Analytics (@Wake_Analytics) July 26, 2025
Kurtz, 22, was the designated hitter Friday and went 6 for 6, with 6 runs and 8 RBIs. Former Dodger Shawn Green is the only other player in MLB history with six hits and four home runs in the same game, doing so in 2002. Kurtz is now 9 for his last 11, with the four home runs, two doubles and nine RBIs. The fourth-overall pick in 2024 is making an unbeatable case to be the AL's Rookie of the Year, now slashing .305/.374/.686, with 23 home runs and 59 RBIs in just 239 at-bats.
Kurtz played only 33 minor-league games after being drafted (8 in A-ball, 5 in AA, 20 in AAA). I can only imagine Ben Cherington in disbelief the A's didn't put Kurtz on a four-year track, waiting to let him struggle and overcome adversity at each level.
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
THE ASYLUM
Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz became the first rookie in Major League Baseball history Friday night, to hit four home runs in a game, in a 15-2 rout of the Astros at Daikin Park in Houston. It is just the 20th time in MLB history it has been done by anyone. The left-handed slugger mashed one to right for his third home run (414 ft. 113.8 exit velo), but the three others were opposite field lasers into the Crawford Boxes:
Kurtz, 22, was the designated hitter Friday and went 6 for 6, with 6 runs and 8 RBIs. Former Dodger Shawn Green is the only other player in MLB history with six hits and four home runs in the same game, doing so in 2002. Kurtz is now 9 for his last 11, with the four home runs, two doubles and nine RBIs. The fourth-overall pick in 2024 is making an unbeatable case to be the AL's Rookie of the Year, now slashing .305/.374/.686, with 23 home runs and 59 RBIs in just 239 at-bats.
Kurtz played only 33 minor-league games after being drafted (8 in A-ball, 5 in AA, 20 in AAA). I can only imagine Ben Cherington in disbelief the A's didn't put Kurtz on a four-year track, waiting to let him struggle and overcome adversity at each level.
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
We’d love to have you!