HOUSTON — Nick Kurtz already had three home runs and five hits with his parents and godparents in attendance as he began his final at-bat with a chance to make history, but none of that was top of mind for the Athletics’ astonishing rookie slugger.
With a position player pitching for the Houston Astros, Kurtz just didn’t want to embarrass himself.
The 22-year-old did just fine, lining a 77 mph pitch from outfielder Cooper Hummel on a 2-0 count to the seats in left field at at Daikin Park on Friday night for his fourth homer of a game that was, by any standard, one of the best ever by a Major League Baseball player.
“Position player on the mound, I’m just trying to move the ball forward,” Kurtz said. “You don’t want to be the guy who strikes out.”
Kurtz, the team’s regular first baseman but in the lineup at designated hitter against the Astros, didn’t make an out all night. He became the first rookie in MLB history to hit four home runs in a game and matched the MLB record for total bases with 19.