HOUSTON – Nick Kurtz has jokingly and affectionately been given the nickname of "Big Amish" by his Athletics teammates. As a result, his celebration after a double or home run is unique from every other player on the team, as he “churns Amish butter” by twirling his hands in a circular motion.
Since his Major League debut on April 23, Kurtz has been stirring that butter at historic levels, doing so another two times on Thursday night with a pair of doubles and an RBI as part of a three-hit game in a 5-2 win over the Astros at Daikin Park.
Now at 38 extra-base hits (19 home runs, 17 doubles two triples) on the season, Kurtz continues etching his name in A’s lore. The rookie sensation from Lancaster, Pa. -- home to America's oldest Amish community -- holds the record for most extra-base hits by an A’s player through his first 65 career games in franchise history. This is probably nothing new to people who saw him hit in high school at Manheim Township, where he proudly visited before his callup and impressed the current class with some long dingers.
Most extra-base hits through an A’s player’s first 65 career games:
Kurtz, 38 XBH (2025)
Zack Gelof, 34 XBH (2023)
Matt Chapman, 32 XBH (2017)
Ben Grieve, 32 XBH (1997-98)
“I think that says it all,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “There’s not much more that’s going to ‘wow’ me in terms of what he does. He’s a special player. He’s showing that continually in just the way he prepares himself and carries himself. You can’t say enough good things about Nick.”
Of course, Kurtz has a long way to go before even sniffing the rookie record for most extra-base hits in a season. That belongs to Mark McGwire, who had 81 in 1987.
Still, Kurtz continues to build a strong case to overtake fellow teammate Jacob Wilson as the favorite for American League Rookie of the Year honors. With his fourth three-hit performance of the season and second in the past week, extending his current hitting streak to 11 games, the 22-year-old first baseman is batting .488 (20-for-41) with 15 extra-base hits over that span.
“He’s special,” A’s outfielder Lawrence Butler said. “I honestly don’t even know who’s going to win Rookie of the Year now between him and Jacob. We’ve got some of the best rookies in the league on our team. … I’m just glad they’re on our team.”
Including his 21 Minor League games earlier this year, Kurtz has now played 86 games in 2025, by far his largest workload over a single season as an amateur or professional. But don’t expect the 6-foot-5, 240-pound slugger to slow down any time soon, especially after getting a chance to catch his breath over the All-Star break.
“I feel rejuvenated,” Kurtz said. “It was a lot of games in that first half, so it felt good to get a few days off and then come out in the second half geared up. I’m excited to get to the yard every day, see all the guys and just compete.”
Kurtz highlighted an encouraging 12-hit, five-run offensive performance by the A’s, which was plenty support for Luis Severino, who turned in one of his better outings of the season by limiting Houston to two runs on four hits and no walks with eight strikeouts across seven innings.
After a disappointing first half, Severino, who said he felt he was turning a corner following his final start before the All-Star break, is showing early signs of a resurgence in the second half. Over his past three starts, he’s now allowed just five earned runs over 16 2/3 innings with 19 strikeouts and four walks. Severino credits an increase in usage of his four-seam fastball – a pitch he maxed out at 99 mph and utilized as the putaway pitch on five of his strikeouts on Thursday – as the key to his success.
“I was not using my fastball enough,” Severino said. “My fastball is elite, and I ran from that pitch all year. I’ve been using it more to attack hitters from the start, and it’s been working.”
Severino also received a huge boost on defense from another rookie in Carlos Cortes. Receiving his first Major League start on Thursday in right field, Cortes fielded a ball hit by Taylor Trammell that bounced off the wall and fired a seed to Max Schuemann at second base to end the third inning with his first Major League assist.
“Unbelievable,” Severino said. “It was a great night for him. He’s a great kid, and I feel like he’s going to be huge for us.”