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.

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' astonishing rookie slugger.