HOUSTON — On the same weekend that legends Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner are getting inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, Nick Kurtz is getting his own display in Cooperstown.
The bat used by Kurtz Friday night at Daikin Park to produce one of the greatest performances in baseball history – a perfect 6-for-6 game with four home runs – is heading to the Hall of Fame for a spot in baseball immortality.
“I never would have imagined something like this so early in my career,” Kurtz said before Saturday’s game against the Astros. “To be a part of this weekend and do something like that is really cool.”
Given the magic emanating from that bat, which Kurtz had only been using for the past two weeks, one might want to continue using it. The Hall of Fame gave Kurtz the option to hold onto the bat until it broke or he decided to no longer use it before sending it eastward, but he declined the thoughtful offer.
“That definitely went through my mind [to keep using it],” Kurtz said. “But when the Hall of Fame asks, you have to kind of just do it.”
Kurtz also had his game-used cleats authenticated, so they could also eventually head to Cooperstown.
“They’re the only cleats I got, so I have to keep wearing them,” Kurtz said with a laugh. “When I’m done using them, they might go as well.”
Like everyone else who witnessed it, Kurtz himself was still trying to wrap his head around the truly remarkable feat he achieved less than 24 hours prior. Upon returning to the team hotel on Friday after a long celebration at the stadium, which included a congratulatory phone call from another former A’s slugger who once donned the No. 16 in Jason Giambi, Kurtz pulled up the highlights in his room and rewatched all six of his plate appearances.
“It was a very weird moment last night,” Kurtz said. “Just going back and watching each homer, every at-bat, it’s like, ‘Wow. It’s real. I actually did it.’ It was cool that I got to relive it a little bit, because in the moment, I was very much in shock.”
The 22-year-old Athletics first baseman became just the 20th player in MLB history with a four-homer game, and was both the first player in franchise history and the first rookie in Major League history to do so. With 19 total bases, he also tied Shawn Green (2002) for the most in a game all time, per Elias.
Oh, and he scored six runs, marking just the ninth such occurrence in MLB history.
The jaw-dropping stats are seemingly endless, not just for his one big night, but for his total production over the first 66 games of his career, which has him in the company with the likes of baseball royalty such as Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams and Albert Pujols.
Most extra-base hits in first 66 career games, at least last 125 seasons:Joe DiMaggio: 48Nick Kurtz: 43Ted Williams: 42Bob Meusel: 42Yordan Alvarez: 41
Ryan Braun: 41
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) July 26, 2025
The numbers for this month alone are also astonishing. Entering Saturday with a 1.082 slugging percentage in July, Kurtz is only the second player in the past 25 seasons to record a 1.000 slugging percentage after a minimum of 75 plate appearances. The other player is Barry Bonds, who did it five times over his career.
Kurtz’s 1.576 OPS in July as of Saturday also put him in rarified air. The only other active players with an OPS of even 1.400 in a calendar month with a minimum of 75 plate appearances? Shohei Ohtani (1.444 in June 2023) and Aaron Judge (1.434 in September 2022).
UPDATENick Kurtz in July (rank among AL hitters)AVG: .425 (1st)OBP: .494 (1st)SLG: 1.082 (1st)OPS: 1.576 (1st)R: 22 (1st)2B: 13 (1st)HR: 11 (1st)RBI: 27 (1st)
XBH: 25 (1st) https://t.co/XmBga6MFLq
— A’s Communications (@AthleticsPR) July 26, 2025
“The total base one was crazy,” Kurtz said. “I didn’t really put that one together during the game. I didn’t know I was the first rookie to do it. I had a feeling I might be the earliest in a career to do it, but to be the first rookie is cool. That means a lot. Six runs was another one. There’s just a lot. It’s pretty crazy.”
Kurtz will be keeping some mementos from his legendary night. A’s security managed to track down the third and fourth home run balls he hit. Also coming home with him is his game-used jersey and batting gloves.
“I’m done using those,” Kurtz said. “They’ll get put away. It’ll be cool to have. I’ll probably frame them up and put them in the house. That’ll be awesome.”
