WEST SACRAMENTO -- For a player of Nick Kurtz’s caliber, it was only fitting.
There was a bit of irony in the demise of Kurtz’s historic streak of 20 consecutive games with a walk, a stretch that came to an end during the Athletics’ 14-6 loss to the Guardians on Saturday at Sutter Health Park.
With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the eighth, Kurtz came to the plate for what was clearly going to be the final time. If he drew a walk for the 21st straight game, the A’s first baseman could have broken a tie with Barry Bonds for the second-longest streak since walks first started being tracked for individual hitters -- in the National League in 1910 and the American League in 1913.
Instead, Kurtz picked out a sweeper to his liking and punched it into right field for an RBI single.
That’s Kurtz for you.
“Kurtzy’s truly just one of a kind,” A’s catcher Shea Langeliers said.
The hit -- Kurtz’s second single of the day -- meant the end of a streak that started on April 10 at Citi Field, when the 2025 AL Rookie of the Year walked twice against New York starter Clay Holmes. It was one of four multiwalk games for Kurtz during the streak, including a three-walk effort against the White Sox on April 18. He drew 25 walks in 94 plate appearances in the 20-game span, passing Ted Williams on Thursday against the Royals and tying Bonds for second place in Friday’s series opener with Cleveland.
“When you start talking the names like Barry Bonds and Ted Williams and stuff like that, you know you’ve got a really special player,” Langeliers said.
Most consecutive games with a walk
1947 Roy Cullenbine: 22
2002-03 Barry Bonds: 20
2026 Nick Kurtz: 20
1941 Ted Williams: 19
Despite going without a walk, Kurtz still managed to extend his on-base streak to 27 games, dating back to April 3. With Arizona’s Ildemaro Vargas -- who entered the day with a 27-game hitting streak -- going 0-for-4 against the Cubs on Saturday, Kurtz’s on-base streak is the longest in MLB.
He extended that streak just minutes into Saturday’s game, leading off for the A’s with a 109.2 mph grounder up the middle for a base hit. After striking out in the third inning and flying out in the fifth, Kurtz came to bat again with two outs in the sixth, men on first and third and the Guardians holding a 6-5 lead. With a base open, it was a prime opportunity for Kurtz to extend his streak, if not drive in a run or two.
He never got the chance. On the second pitch Kurtz saw, Cleveland catcher Austin Hedges fired off a snap throw to first base to pick off Lawrence Butler and end the inning.
“That was definitely a turning point in the game,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “With Nick up, the last thing we want to do is give an out away and take the bat out of his hands.”
Kurtz struck out looking against left-handed reliever Tim Herrin to start the seventh inning, but he got another opportunity against righty Colin Holderman in the bottom of the eighth. A walk would have pushed Kurtz’s streak to 21 games, but there’s little chance he was worried about that.
On a 1-1 count, Kurtz plated Carlos Cortes from third base with a 100.6 mph single to right field. He picked up his 16th RBI of the season and owns a .243/.416/.417 slash line with five home runs.
“Teams are pitching around him, but it seems like he does a lot of damage,” A’s second baseman Jeff McNeil said of Kurtz. “That kind of shows a lot about him, too. He’s taking what the other team's giving him, and, you know, they're not throwing him any strikes, so he's taking his walks.”
Kurtz couldn’t quite coax out a walk on Saturday, but he’s still in good shape: His 34 free passes this season lead the Majors, one ahead of Angels star Mike Trout. With the respect opposing pitchers have (quite justifiably) shown him and his impressive eye at the plate, it’s easy to see how the young star is racking up walks at a high rate.
Such a high rate, in fact, that this might not be the only time Kurtz’s name is mentioned with the likes of Bonds and Williams.
“He might go on another streak,” Langeliers said, “so we’ll see.”