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HOUSTON (AP) — Nick Kurtz already had three homers and 5 hits along with his dad and mom and godparents in attendance as he started his ultimate at-bat with an opportunity to make historical past, however none of that was high of thoughts for the Athletics’ astonishing rookie slugger.
With a place participant pitching for the Houston Astros, Kurtz simply didn’t wish to embarrass himself.
The 22-year-old did simply positive, lining a 77 mph, 2-0 pitch from outfielder Cooper Hummel to the seats in left field on Friday night time for his fourth homer of a sport that was, by any commonplace, the most effective ever by a Main League Baseball participant.
“Place participant on the mound, I’m simply attempting to maneuver the ball ahead,” Kurtz mentioned. “You don’t wish to be the man who strikes out.”
Kurtz didn’t make an out all night time. He turned the primary rookie in main league historical past to hit 4 dwelling runs in a sport and matched the MLB document for complete bases with 19.
“It’s arguably the very best sport I’ve ever watched from a single participant,” Athletics supervisor Mark Kotsay mentioned. “This child continues to have jaw-dropping moments.”
Kurtz went deep within the second, sixth, eighth and ninth innings. He additionally doubled and singled on his 6-for-6 night time to equal Shawn Inexperienced, who had 4 homers, six hits and 19 complete bases for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Could 23, 2002 at Milwaukee.
Kurtz’s double within the fourth inning hit just under the yellow line over the customer’s bullpen, narrowly lacking what would have been a fifth homer.
“All people was similar to, laughing,” A’s shortstop Jacob Wilson mentioned. “How is he doing it? This isn’t regular. He’s enjoying a unique sport than us proper now. It’s not baseball, it’s simply tee ball what he’s doing proper now.”
It was the twentieth four-homer sport in main league historical past and second this season. Arizona’s Eugenio Suárez did it on April 26 in opposition to Atlanta. Kurtz and Inexperienced are the one gamers with six hits in a four-homer sport.
Kurtz completed with eight RBIs and 6 runs scored because the Athletics beat the Astros 15-3.
“That is the primary time my godparents have been right here, in order that they in all probability have to return in the remainder of the 12 months,” Kurtz mentioned. “My dad and mom flew in immediately. They’ve been right here a bunch, but it surely was cool to have some household right here for that.”
The 6-foot-5 slugger has 23 homers in 66 video games this season. The fourth total decide in final 12 months’s beginner draft out of Wake Forest, he made his main league debut on April 23 and hit his first homer on Could 13.
He’s the youngest participant with a four-homer sport. Pat Seerey of the Chicago White Sox was 25 when he hit 4 longballs on July 18, 1948.
Kurtz homered off every of the Astros’ 4 pitchers: Ryan Gusto, Nick Hernandez, Kaleb Ort and Hummel, who labored the ninth with the sport out of hand. His longest drive was his third, a 414-foot solo shot off Ort within the eighth. His fourth homer landed within the Crawford Packing containers in left subject at Daikin Park.
“It’s arduous to consider today being type of actual, it nonetheless seems like a dream,” Kurtz said in a postgame tv interview. “So it’s fairly exceptional. I’m type of speechless. Don’t actually know what to say.”
Kurtz has been the very best hitter within the majors in July, rating first in batting common (.425), on-base share (.494), slugging share (1.082), runs (22), doubles (13), homers (11) and RBIs (27).
With the baseballs from his final two homers inside a plastic bag at his locker, Kurtz signed scorecards from all 4 A’s broadcasters and a lineup card. One of many scorecards and a bat have been sure for the Baseball Corridor of Fame.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
