Athletics Rookie Nick Kurtz Rewrites History Books

Oakland Athletics rookie Nick Kurtz decided that Houston Astros pitching wasn’t challenging enough and proceeded to obliterate them in dramatic fashion, smashing four home runs in a single game. For reference, this is a feat so rare it’s only happened 19 other times in MLB’s history—not by rookies, by anyone. Oh, and he also went 6-for-6 with a casual 19 total bases, tying the major league record for single-game bases that has stood for more than two decades. No big deal, right?

Nick Kurtz Continues To Impress

At just 22 years old and in his 66th MLB game, Kurtz is rewriting the record books faster than anyone can imagine. Before this game, the fastest anyone had hit four homers in one night was in their 425th game. Kurtz did it in 66. Sixty. Six. It’s like he skipped the “rookie” step altogether and jumped straight to “living legend.”

The pitching staff of the Astros felt like bowling pins, and Kurtz was the wrecking ball. He homered off four different guys, one of whom was an outfielder shoved onto the mound to eat innings in the ninth because, at that point, Houston had clearly given up. And boy, did Kurtz take that serendipity for a joyride, smashing an opposite-field laser to the Crawford Boxes, effectively yelling, “Yeah, even your emergency pitching plan is no match.”

And can we talk about the theatrics? This wasn’t just some random breakout game at a sleepy midseason matchup. No, Kurtz did all this with his parents and—for the first time this season—his godparents in the crowd. Was his performance fueled by moral support? Divine intervention? Nobody knows, but his reaction postgame was gold. Laughing about how his godparents might be his lucky charm, he semi-joked that they’d have to come to every game for the rest of the season. Considering he now holds the youngest-player-ever record to hit four homers in a single game, he’s not wrong.

The stats from this game are straight-up comedy at this point. Eight RBI, six runs scored, a streak of six consecutive hits, and he even came within inches of a fifth home run during a fourth-inning double that hit the top of the wall. Yes, he almost broke yet another record, but settled for four dingers instead. Teammates? Dumbfounded. “How is he doing it? This isn’t baseball; it’s T-ball out there,” said A’s Shortstop Jacob Wilson, probably while wondering if Kurtz is plugged into some kind of cheat code.

Final Thoughts

If you think this was just a flash-in-the-pan performance, think again. Kurtz is currently leading the rookie charge with 23 home runs this season, and he’s been on fire throughout July, slashing .425/.494/1.082 with a 12-game hitting streak. Even Vegas had to hit the panic button, with his American League Rookie of the Year odds skyrocketing to an absurd -2500 by night’s end. At this point, if he doesn’t win, cancel the award altogether.

This wasn’t just a “great” rookie moment; this was an all-timer, period. The Hall of Fame has already picked up one of his bats, signed scorecards, and a lineup card from the game, because, you know, no biggie.

For Kurtz, the bar is now set sky-high. No player has ever hit five home runs in a game. But the way this guy is going, would anyone be surprised if he did it next week? Whatever happens, the league better buckle up because Nick Kurtz is just getting started.