Nick Kurtz reminded all of us this past Friday night in Houston of just why we love sports. Most people can identify with that magical moment when the noise is silenced and we are “in the zone”. It might be in the middle of a work presentation or perhaps during a balanced conversation on a first date. There are parallels that we, as people everywhere, can draw to that moment where there is no longer any nervous energy.
That moment when we are in the driver’s seat and unquestionably, in absolute control of the situation. Athletes, from the weekend golfer to the All Stars of all major sports, are constantly working towards finding that effortless and joyful state, where they are in the zone and the sweet spot is found at will, every time.
“The Big Amish” as (Sacramento) A’s phenom first baseman is now commonly referred to, is in this zone, and playfully bears a striking resemblance to Robert Redford’s portrayal of Roy Hobbs in the iconic 1984 baseball drama “The Natural.”
With a lefthanded power stroke and haybaling farm hand physique, Kurtz put on a hitting display that reminded Gen X’ers of the fictional character, who seemed to almost toy with opposing pitchers by hitting the ball at will, every time he stepped to the plate. Like Hobbs, Kurtz has been projected as a baseball prodigy and a power-hitting spectacle from a very early age.
As the American League Rookie of the Month for April, he has established himself as the pre-eminent front-runner for AL Rookie of the Year. Effectively overtaking teammate Jacob Wilson as the favorite, Kurtz’s presence is official as a bona fide MLB superstar.
His performance on Friday night at Minute Maid (Daikin) Park in Houston left no doubt in terms of his current status in the MLB community. He is a unicorn, akin to the likes of Shohei Ohtani, minus the pitching feats, of course.
His first homer on Friday night was an opposite-field shot off Astros starter Ryan Gusto. This set in motion a historic night. The game would conclude with Kurtz sitting alone behind only Aaron Judge, as second in the AL in extra-base hits since April 23rd. That was when Kurtz, the A’s 2024 first-round pick (4th overall), was called up to the Show.
With 44 such hits compared with Judge’s 49, it is reasonable to suggest that Kurtz will surpass the Yankee slugger any day now. This is more likely, now that Judge is on the IL, leaving the struggling Yankees with an unfilled void in their once-abundant, power-packed lineup.
The ease with which Kurtz was able to deposit MLB pitching into the cheap seats of Houston’s nook and cranny dimensioned field was truly amazing. It was a spectacle that no rookie has ever put on in the history of the sport.
With that said, it could have been better. That is, perhaps with some more conventional, standard field dimensions, the Big Amash might have been credited with five — yes, five-home runs.
That would have placed Kurtz in an iconic category of his own as the only player to have ever hit five home runs in a game. His 4th inning double, that ricocheted off the top of the wall in the leftfield power alley, would have easily been a home run in almost every other stadium in MLB. The 25-foot wall that extends across the left field gap stands roughly 380 feet from home plate.
It just barely stayed in. Except for Coors Field in Denver, where the thin air probably would have carried Kurtz’s blast well beyond the measured distance, only Houston, Detroit, and Oracle Park in San Francisco would have kept it in the yard.
Of course, the green Monster at Fenway might have bounced the ball back onto the field, possibly keeping Kurtz’s shot to just a single, but that can be left to the dreamers to contemplate and debate. When that double, which should have been a home run, is factored into Kurtz’s 6-6 total for the day, it stands out as the most excellent power-hitting performance ever.
This is likely not the last time that Nick Kurtz will put on a power display for the ages. He can do what anyone who has ever played a sport aspires to do, and that is to hit the sweet spot almost every time. Like a champion golfer who knows the feel of every square centimeter on the club face, Kurtz attacks and barrels up the pitch freely.
“The Natural” and with limitless potential as a hitter, Kurtz is just cracking the surface, and pitchers across MLB are closely taking notice. Even if Kurtz doesn’t ultimately hit the elusive five home runs in one game, then at the very least, his feat in Houston deserves an asterisk. A disclaimer that explains the fact that he was mere inches away from further immortality.
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