HOUSTON -- Already a triple shy of the cycle through four innings and the Athletics holding a six-run lead on Friday night at Daikin Park, Nick Kurtz knew he would get at least a couple more opportunities to complete the 18th cycle in team history and first since Mark Ellis in 2007.
"We had a good lead,” Kurtz said. “So, I pretty much told [third-base coach Eric Martins] that, if I hit the gap, I’m going for three.”
With two triples on the year, Kurtz runs better than his 6-foot-5, 240-pound frame might let on, making a three-bagger well within reach. The problem was, he couldn’t keep the ball in the yard.
Kurtz went up to the plate in the sixth and hit his second homer of the night. Then came his third long ball in the eighth. Receiving an unlikely extra chance in the ninth, you guessed it, he homered again.
Forget the cycle that was on his mind. Kurtz went out and did something even rarer in a 15-3 blowout win over the Astros. Going a perfect 6-for-6 with four home runs, Kurtz became the first A’s player in franchise history with a four-homer game, the first rookie in MLB history with a four-homer game, and the 20th player overall.
By the time Kurtz made his fourth and final trip around the bases, the crowd was in a state of shock, with some even giving a standing ovation. Standing atop the A’s dugout was Lawrence Butler, who bowed down to Kurtz as he made his way back.
"Everybody was just laughing,” said A’s shortstop Jacob Wilson. “Like, ‘How is he doing it?’ This is not normal. He’s playing a different sport than us right now. It’s T-ball, what he’s doing out there right now. It’s ridiculous. You’ve never seen anything like this.”
With 19 total bases, he also tied Shawn Green in 2002 for the most in a game all time, per the Elias Sports Bureau.
That eye-opening stat only scratches the surface. This was truly a night that will be remembered as one where Kurtz etched himself into the record books. From a performance that generated enough historical facts to fill a novel, here are some of the greatest hits:
• It marked the second time in MLB history that a player has gone 6-for-6 with four home runs in a game. The only other player was Green, who did so for the Dodgers on May 23, 2002.
• It was the second time an A’s player has recorded five-plus hits and three-plus homers in a game. Before Kurtz, you’d have to go back to the Philadelphia era, when Jimmie Foxx did it in 1932.
• Kurtz scored six runs in the game -- just the ninth time that has happened since at least 1900.
"It still really hasn’t set in that it actually just happened,” Kurtz said. “A game like that is stuff you don’t even dream about, because it doesn’t really happen. It’s an unbelievable feeling.”
Kurtz is beyond locked in at the plate right now. His hitting streak is now up to 12 games, and during that stretch, he’s accumulated an astonishing 20 extra-base hits, including nine home runs.
"No words,” said lefty Jeffrey Springs, who matched a career high with his ninth win after six innings of two-run ball. “It’s unbelievable to be as locked in as he is. There doesn’t seem to be any holes. … You talk about a complete hitter, the way guys are pitching to him already is like a 10-year vet. They pitch around him. The respect is already there, and it’s well-deserved. The kid’s really unbelievable. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anything like that.”
This isn’t your typical masher who pulls balls, either. It’s almost as if Kurtz hunts the opportunity to go the other way. Of his six hits, five went to either left or left-center. The only one that didn’t? Kurtz turned on a 97.1 mph first-pitch fastball from Kaleb Ort in the eighth and demolished it at an exit velocity of 113.8 mph for a 414-foot moonshot that landed in the second deck beyond right field.
"Arguably the best game I’ve ever watched from a single player,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “I say that because I watched Barry Bonds in the [2001] season he had. I was in center field for it, and what Barry did was hands down probably one of the greatest seasons you can have. … This kid continues to have jaw-dropping moments. To witness that tonight was pretty special for all of us.”
What makes this all the more incredible is how quickly Kurtz has morphed into an elite hitter. Selected fourth overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Kurtz was preparing to get his professional career underway around this time last summer. One year later, the 22-year-old first baseman is doing things that only legends of the game have done before him.
His 43 extra-base hits on the year are the second most by any player through their first 66 career games over at least the last 125 seasons.
The list:
Joe DiMaggio, 48
Kurtz, 43
Ted Williams, 42
Bob Meusel, 42
Yordan Alvarez, 41
Ryan Braun, 41
The list of hitters with 20-plus homers and an OPS of 1.000 or higher through 66 games (since at least 1901) is also quite remarkable:
Kurtz, 2025
Yordan Alvarez, 2019
Rhys Hoskins, 2017-18
Ryan Braun, 2007
Albert Pujols, 2001
Wally Berger, 1930
"I could not have expected this,” Kurtz said. “But it’s awesome. I’m very confident in myself and what I can do. This exceeded that confidence, for sure. I’m just happy and grateful. Thanks to everyone who helped me get here.”
A key figure in Kurtz’s journey has been his father Jeff, who was in the stands losing his mind with each ball his son launched deep into the Texas air.
"Mom, Dad and my two godparents were here,” Kurtz said. “First time my godparents have been here, so they probably have to come [watch me] the rest of the year. … It was cool to have some family here.”