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 became the first major league rookie to hit four homers in a game, leading the Athletics to a 15-3 victory over the Houston Astros

Nick Kurtz had quietly been one of the most exciting players in baseball since his arrival. On Friday night against the Houston Astros, he turned up the volume