Nick Kurtz, a former Manheim Township student and Lancaster County native, has hit 4 home runs in Friday’s ballgame for the Athletics. Yes, that major league team.
Only 19 players have ever hit 4 home runs in one Major League baseball game.
Make it 20, now that Nick Kurzt of the Athletics hit 4 Friday night July 25th.
And he is the first rookie to ever do so.
He ended the game with 6 hits, 19 total bases and the 4 home runs.
He was a freshman student at Mannheim Township High School before transferring to a prep school in Tennessee.
Already a triple shy of the cycle through four innings and the Athletics holding a six-run lead on Friday night at Daikin Park, Nick Kurtz knew he would get at least a couple more opportunities to complete the 18th cycle in team history and first since Mark Ellis in 2007.
“We had a good lead,” Kurtz said. “So, I pretty much told [third-base coach Eric Martins] that, if I hit the gap, I’m going for three.”
Kurtz’s 4-homer night defined:
• Kurtz posts 20th four-homer game in MLB history
• Kurtz ties total bases record.
• Kurtz or Wilson for AL Rookie of the Year. Young teammates enjoy competing.
With two triples on the year, Kurtz runs better than his 6-foot-5, 240-pound frame might let on, making a three-bagger well within reach. The problem was, he couldn’t keep the ball in the yard.
Kurtz went up to the plate in the sixth and hit his second homer of the night. Then came his third long ball in the eighth. Receiving an unlikely extra chance in the ninth, you guessed it, he homered again.
Forget the cycle that was on his mind. Kurtz went out and did something even rarer in a 15-3 blowout win over the Astros. Going a perfect 6-for-6 with four home runs, Kurtz became the first A’s player in franchise history with a four-homer game, the first rookie in MLB history with a four-homer game, and the 20th player overall.
By the time Kurtz made his fourth and final trip around the bases, the crowd was in a state of shock, with some even giving a standing ovation. Standing atop the A’s dugout was Lawrence Butler, who bowed down to Kurtz as he made his way back.
July 25th Box Score:
