The Athletics called up their No. 1 prospect, Nick Kurtz, on April 23. On June 19, he took his final swing as a prospect, a walk-off two-run home run against the Houston Astros. Kurtz is no longer a prospect, and that swing ended up being quite a historic one.
Nick Kurtz's final swing with prospect status is a WALK-OFF HOMER off 5-time All-Star Josh Hader ⭐️@Athletics | @WakeBaseball pic.twitter.com/5GoDvF5SBb
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 20, 2025
While his 131st at-bat was a memorable one, to see what makes it historic, fans need to think back to Monday night. In Game 1 of a four-game series against the Astros, Kurtz delivered a two-run walk-off home run in the ninth inning. Fast forward to Thursday night, he once again was the hero, this time in extra innings off of five-time All-Star Josh Hader. That home run made him the youngest player in MLB history to hit two walk-off home runs in the same series, and the only player in Athletics history to do so. However, that is just the start of the significance of the swing.
According to MLB.com’s Martín Gallegos, Kurtz joined Hall of Famer Eddie Murray as the only players in the last 50 seasons to hit two walk-off home runs in the same calendar month, at age 22 or younger. He is just the fifth all-time, according to MLB.com’s Sarah Langs, joining Tommy Davis (June 1961), Frank Robinson (July 1958) and Jake Beckley (June 1889).
Kurtz clearly has the “clutch gene” as his last four homers have all come in the ninth inning or later, three putting the Athletics ahead at the time.
“For some reason, seventh inning on, I feel more comfortable in the box,” Kurtz said per Gallegos. “Maybe it’s just, after seeing a bunch of pitches that day, I start to feel really good. That’s just kind of the way it’s going right now, so I’m just trying to keep it going.”
Kurtz hit a total of three home runs in the Athletics series split with the Astros. He is up to nine home runs on the year, and is showing why he was MLB Pipeline’s No. 14 overall prospect coming into the season.
The Athletics are 31-46, but their future is starting to look bright. Between Nick Kurtz and Jacob Wilson, they may have two stars on their hands.
WBN MLB: https://worldbaseball.com/league/mlb/
Photo: Athletics’ Nick Kurtz watches as he hits a walk off two run home run against the Houston Astros during the 10th inning of a baseball game Thursday, June 19, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Marshall)
