This was becoming clear even before the four homer game. His OPS was .982, for crying out loud. He had homered seven times in his previous 16 games. The gasps and whispers had already started.

Nick Kurtz made baseball history on Friday night, becoming the first MLB rookie ever to hit four home runs in a single game, during the Athletics’ 15-3 win over the Houston Astros.

Last July, Nick Kurtz was selected fourth overall by the Athletics in the 2024 MLB Draft.