It’s been exactly one year since Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz went 6-for-6 and hit four home runs at Daikin Park against the Houston Astros.
The 2025 American League Rookie of the Year became just the 20th player to connect for four homers in a game. Even more amazing? By a sizeable margin, Kurtz was the youngest to do so.
None of the other 19 players were younger than 25 at the time they accomplished the feat. Kurtz was 22 years old, and it was only his 66th Major League Baseball game.
In addition to the display of otherworldly power, Kurtz scored six runs and recorded eight RBIs in the 15-3 victory. He was the first player in MLB history with four homers, six hits, and eight RBIs in a game – as a rookie, nonetheless.
His 19 total bases tied Shawn Green’s record set on May 23, 2002 for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and he would’ve had four more and a fifth dinger if a 381-foot fly ball in the fourth inning found its way over the center field wall. No player has ever hit five homers in an MLB game, but Kurtz certainly flirted with history.
“It’s arguably the best game I’ve ever watched from a single player,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay told The Athletic’s Chandler Rome. “Tonight was special. This kid continues to just have jaw-dropping moments. To witness that tonight was pretty special for all of us.”
According to Rome, Kurtz’s 43 extra-base hits in the first 66 games of his career trailed only Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio.
In 2026, Kurtz is hitting .266/.405/.497 with 20 home runs and a .902 OPS. Through 209 career games, the leftie’s 159 OPS+ indicates he’s performed 59% better than the league average hitter.
A capsule sprain in Kurtz’s right thumb prevented him from playing in this year’s All-Star Game. He was originally named as a replacement for Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who pulled out due to a lingering back ailment.
About two years before this unforgettable performance, Kurtz was playing first base at Wake Forest. The A’s selected him fourth overall in the 2024 draft.
The AL West organization wants a competitive roster to take the field when the move to a ballpark in Las Vegas is complete, with 2028 as the target season. Kurtz has not yet signed an extension with the A’s, but given his star power, the franchise is likely doing everything it can to guarantee Kurtz jogs out to first base with an A’s logo on his hat for many years to come.
Photo: The Athletics’ Nick Kurtz celebrates after hitting a three-run home run, his fourth home run of the game, against the Houston Astros during the ninth inning of a baseball game Friday, July 25, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
