U-12 Baseball World Cup winner Nick Kurtz becomes first Rookie with four-home-run game in MLB history

WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup star Nick Kurtz made history after becoming the first Major League Baseball (MLB) rookie to hit four home runs in a game.

The Oakland A's defeated the Houston Astros, 15-3, with Kurtz batting second and playing designated hitter for the fourth time this season. He went 6-for-6 with eight RBIs.

In 2015, Kurtz helped USA win the III WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup, the first edition played in Tainan. At the time, Kurtz (pictured in cover photo) was mainly a pitcher. He had only nine at-bats but pitched three games, allowing only one earned run over 14.2 innings, while striking out 15. He was honoured as the best reliever in the All-World Team.

In 2017, Kurtz was part of USA Baseball's U-14 National Team Development Programme and in 2019 joined the U-16 National Team Development Programme.

Born in March 2003 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Kurtz attended Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and played baseball at Wake Forest University.

The Oakland A's selected him fourth overall in 2024 MLB Draft. He signed for a US$7 million bonus on July 22, 2024.

After reaching the Double-A level in his first professional season, Kurtz started the 2025 season at Triple-A. He was promoted to the Big Leagues on April 21, after just 32 total Minor League Baseball (MiLB) games.

As of July 26, 2025, he has gone 67-for-233, a .288 batting average, in 65 MLB games (61 at first base) with 51 RBIs.