MLB rookie makes history with home run barrage
Athletics designated hitter Nick Kurtz made MLB history Friday night, becoming the first rookie to hit four home runs in a single game, according to the league.
Kurtz accomplished the feat against the Houston Astros, sending the ball into the stands at Daikin Park in the second, sixth, eighth and ninth innings. The 22-year-old, who was the fourth overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, went 6-for-6 overall on Friday night with eight RBIs and six runs scored.
All four pitchers the Astros used Friday yielded a home run to Kurtz: Starter Ryan Gusto, relievers Nick Hernandez and Kaleb Ort, and outfielder Cooper Hummel, who was called on to throw the ninth inning with the home team down 11-2. Kurtz’s three-run homer off Hummel ended the scoring for the A’s in an eventual 15-3 win.
It marks just the 20th time overall a player has hit four home runs in a single game. The Arizona Diamondbacks’ Eugenio Suarez was the last to accomplish the feat, hitting four homers against the Atlanta Braves this past April.
Check out some other wild stats from Kurtz’s incredible game:
Nick Kurtz stats vs. Astros
Per MLB’s Sarah Langs, Kurtz is the youngest player ever to hit four homers in a game … by nearly 3 years. Kurtz, at 22 years and 135 days old, eclipses Pat Seerey, who was 25 years and 123 days old when he hit four homers for the Chicago White Sox during a game against the Philadelphia Athletics in 1948.
But it wasn’t just home runs. Per Langs, Kurtz’s 6-for-6 performance at the plate helped him tie Shawn Green’s modern record (since 1900) for most total bases in a game with 19. And he had just the ninth six-run game since 1900.
Kurtz told reporters his performance was the kind of ‘Stuff that you don’t even dream about, because it doesn’t really happen.’
Watch: Nick Kurtz hits four homers
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