Athletics rookie Nick Kurtz delivered a performance for the ages Friday night at Daikin Park, making Major League Baseball history in the process.
In a 15–3 rout of the Houston Astros, Kurtz went 6-for-6 with four home runs, becoming the first rookie in MLB history to hit four long balls in a single game. He also tied the all-time single-game record with 19 total bases, matching Shawn Green’s legendary mark set in 2002, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
The 22-year-old slugger had already collected a double and a single by the fourth inning. As the A’s built a commanding lead, Kurtz knew he’d get more chances at the plate.
“We had a good lead,” Kurtz told Chandler Rome of The Athletic. “So, I pretty much told [third-base coach Eric Martins] that, if I hit the gap, I’m going for three.”
But instead of hitting for the cycle, Kurtz couldn’t keep the ball in the yard. He homered in the sixth, again in the eighth, and once more in the ninth—putting an emphatic stamp on a night that instantly vaulted him into the record books.
Friday’s outburst lifted Kurtz’s season slash line to .305/.374/.686, with 43 extra-base hits across his first 66 big league games. Only Joe DiMaggio had more through the same span to start a major league career.
Standing 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, Kurtz has already shown more athleticism than expected, including two triples this year. But it’s his elite power that has made him one of the brightest young stars in the sport—and the face of the franchise in its first season since relocating to Daikin Park.
This wasn’t just a big night—it was a historic statement. Nick Kurtz isn’t just here. He’s rewriting records.