On the 25th of July, 2025, Oakland Athletics rookie Nick Kurtz created Major League Baseball history. During an overpowering 15–3 victory against the Houston Astros, the 22-year-old became the first rookie in history to hit four home runs in one game. He became part of a small fraternity of just 20 players in MLB history to have done so.
Kurtz was 6-for-6 in the box, driving home eight runs, scoring six times, and accumulating 19 total bases, a single-game record equaling Shawn Green’s performance in 2002.
Opposite-Field Power Show
All four home runs were off various Astros pitchers: Ryan Gusto, Nick Hernandez, Kaleb Ort, and Cooper Hummel, a position player brought in to pitch the ninth inning. The feat was especially remarkable since three of the four shots were opposite-field shots, indicating Kurtz’s exceptional hitting maturity and evenness at the plate.
A Debut Season Exploding
Taken fourth overall from Wake Forest in 2024, Kurtz entered the big leagues on April 23, 2025. He had already accumulated 23 home runs in 66 games just three months later. He was the home run, RBI (59), and extra-base hit (43) leader among rookies. His slash line was .305/.374/.686, numbers not witnessed from a rookie since 1901.
Reaction from Around the Game
A’s manager Mark Kotsay called it “possibly the best game I’ve ever watched from a single player.” Teammate Jacob Wilson was stunned, joking, “He’s playing a different sport… it’s T-ball what he’s doing right now.” The fourth home run came on a line drive into the Crawford Boxes in left field, earning a standing ovation from fans and silent awe from teammates in the dugout.
What It Means for Rookie of the Year
That single game may have clinched the American League Rookie of the Year award. Kurtz now leads each of the majors offensive categories for rookies and is the obvious favorite going into the stretch run ahead of the July 31 trade deadline.
Why This Matters
Nick Kurtz became the first rookie in MLB history to hit four home runs in a game. Only 19 people have ever done it, experience notwithstanding. He tied several MLB single-game records, four home runs, six hits, 19 total bases, all in his 66th big-league game. To put it into perspective, Mark Whiten hit four homers in his 425th game.
Kurtz is timing his peak perfectly. He’s on a 12-game hitting streak and has set July ablaze with a .425 average, 11 home runs, 27 RBIs, and a 1.082 slugging percentage. If he can maintain this, he’s not only a Rookie of the Year cinch, he’s forging a legacy that could one day be bronzed outside the ballpark.
That game was no accident. It was a statement. Nick Kurtz has arrived. And he’s not merely shattering records, he’s redefining the game.
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