Nick Kurtz scripts MLB history, becomes first rookie to achieve this feat

Nick Kurtz made history Friday night in Houston, becoming the first rookie in MLB history to hit four home runs in a single game. The Oakland Athletics slugger went 6-for-6 at the plate, homering in the second, sixth, eighth, and ninth innings while also adding a double and a single.

His 19 total bases tied him for second all-time in a single game, and he became just the second player in league history to notch four homers and six hits in one game - joining Shawn Green, who accomplished the feat in 2002.



Kurtz also became the second player this season to achieve the feat, joining Eugenio Suárez of the Diamondbacks, who did it on April 26.


Kurtz drove in eight runs and scored six times, powering the Athletics to a 15-3 rout of the Astros. The 23-year-old rookie, standing 6-foot-5, was the fourth overall pick in the 2024 draft out of Wake Forest.

Since making his MLB debut on April 23, he has quickly become one of the league’s most exciting young players. Friday’s power surge brought his home run total to 23 in just 66 games.


What made Kurtz’s feat even more remarkable was the variety of pitchers he faced - he went deep against four different Astros arms: Ryan Gusto, Nick Hernandez, Kaleb Ort, and Cooper Hummel. His third home run was the longest, a 414-foot solo shot off Ort.

The fourth came as an opposite-field line drive into the Crawford Boxes off Hummel, sealing his historic night with a three-run blast that made the score 15-2.

Kurtz’s record-setting performance marks a milestone not only for himself but also for a rebuilding A’s team looking for a bright future.