HOUSTON (AP) \u2014 Nick Kurtz already had three homers and five hits with his parents and godparents in attendance as he began his final at-bat with a chance to make history, but none of that was top of mind for the Athletics\u2019 astonishing rookie slugger.<\/p>\n
With a position player pitching for the Houston Astros, Kurtz just didn\u2019t want to embarrass himself.<\/p>\n
The 22-year-old did just fine, lining a 77 mph, 2-0 pitch from outfielder Cooper Hummel to the seats in left field<\/a> on Friday night for his fourth homer of a game that was, by any standard, one of the best ever by a Major League Baseball player.<\/p>\n \u201cPosition player on the mound, I\u2019m just trying to move the ball forward,\u201d Kurtz said. \u201cYou don\u2019t want to be the guy who strikes out.\u201d<\/p>\n Kurtz didn\u2019t make an out all night. He became the first rookie in major league history to hit four home runs in a game and matched the MLB record for total bases with 19.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s arguably the best game I\u2019ve ever watched from a single player,\u201d Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said. \u201cThis kid continues to have jaw-dropping moments.\u201d<\/p>\n Kurtz went deep in the second, sixth, eighth and ninth innings. He also doubled and singled on his 6-for-6 night to equal Shawn Green, who had four homers, six hits and 19 total bases for the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 23, 2002 at Milwaukee.<\/p>\n Kurtz\u2019s double in the fourth inning hit just below the yellow line over the visitor\u2019s bullpen, narrowly missing what would have been a fifth homer.<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody was just like, laughing,\u201d A\u2019s shortstop Jacob Wilson said. \u201cHow is he doing it? This is not normal. He\u2019s playing a different sport than us right now. It\u2019s not baseball, it\u2019s just tee ball what he\u2019s doing right now.\u201d<\/p>\n It was the 20th four-homer game in major league history and second this season. Arizona\u2019s Eugenio Su\u00e1rez did it on April 26 against Atlanta. Kurtz and Green are the only players with six hits in a four-homer game.<\/p>\n Kurtz finished with eight RBIs and six runs scored as the Athletics beat the Astros<\/a> 15-3.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the first time my godparents have been here, so they probably have to come in the rest of the year,\u201d Kurtz said. \u201cMy parents flew in today. They\u2019ve been here a bunch, but it was cool to have some family here for that.\u201d<\/p>\n The 6-foot-5 slugger has 23 homers in 66 games this season. The fourth overall pick in last year\u2019s amateur draft out of Wake Forest, he made his major league debut on April 23 and hit his first homer on May 13.<\/p>\n He is the youngest player with a four-homer game. Pat Seerey of the Chicago White Sox was 25 when he hit four longballs on July 18, 1948.<\/p>\n Kurtz homered off each of the Astros\u2019 four pitchers: Ryan Gusto, Nick Hernandez, Kaleb Ort and Hummel, who worked the ninth with the game out of hand. His longest drive was his third, a 414-foot solo shot<\/a> off Ort in the eighth. His fourth homer landed in the Crawford Boxes in left field at Daikin Park.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard to think about this day being kind of real, it still feels like a dream,\u201d Kurtz said<\/a> in a postgame television interview. \u201cSo it\u2019s pretty remarkable. I\u2019m kind of speechless. Don\u2019t really know what to say.\u201d<\/p>\n Kurtz has been the best hitter in the majors in July, ranking first in batting average (.425), on-base percentage (.494), slugging percentage (1.082), runs (22), doubles (13), homers (11) and RBIs (27).<\/p>\n With the baseballs from his last two homers inside a plastic bag at his locker, Kurtz signed scorecards from all four A\u2019s broadcasters and a lineup card. One of the scorecards and a bat were bound for the Baseball Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n