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The legend of Athletics’ Nick Kurtz continues with grand slam vs. Reds
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- The legend of Athletics’ Nick Kurtz continues with grand slam vs. Reds
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The post The legend of Athletics' Nick Kurtz continues with grand slam vs. Reds appeared first on ClutchPoints .
The Athletics routed the Cincinnati Reds 11-5 on Saturday night at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, heralded by Nick Kurtz's 493-foot grand slam in the eighth inning , the longest home run in MLB this season.
The game was the second of a weekend series between the teams, with the Athletics taking both contests. Luis Severino (6-11) started for the Athletics, facing Hunter Greene (6-4) for Cincinnati. The Reds struck first in the top of the second inning when Tyler Stephenson singled with two outs and Will Benson crushed a 423-foot solo homer to centerfield, giving Cincinnati a 2-0 lead. Brent Rooker responded immediately for the Athletics with his 28th homer of the year, followed by a two-run hit from rookie Carlos Cortes, his third home run in two games, putting the Athletics ahead 3-2.
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The Athletics continued to build their lead in the bottom of the third. Lawrence Butler singled and stole second, followed by a walk from Shea Langeliers . A double steal moved Butler to third and Langeliers to second, and Butler scored on a Hunter Greene wild pitch. Jacob Wilson then hit a remarkable ground-rule double off Greene's foot and into right-field foul territory, adding two more RBI and forcing Greene's exit after just 2 1/3 innings. Greene gave up five runs on four hits and four walks, raising his ERA from 2.59 to 3.01.
Cincinnati briefly tied the game at 5-5 in the middle innings thanks to a three-run homer from Tyler Stephenson. But the Athletics regained control in the seventh and eighth innings, thanks to Kurtz 's massive grand slam off Scott Barlow in the eighth. The slam came with runners on first and second and a single out, extending the Athletics' lead to 11-5 and effectively ending any chance of a Reds comeback. The homer also surpassed Mike Trout 's previous season-long mark of 484 feet.
Kurtz, who went 1-for-5 in the game, has been scorching hot in recent weeks . In his last 14 games, he has hit five home runs, driven in 10 RBIs, and scored 13 runs. For the 2025 season, the rookie first baseman is up to 31 home runs, 78 RBIs, 78 runs scored, two stolen bases, 24 doubles, and two triples, while maintaining a .298/.391/.622 slash line across 104 games.
Relievers Elvis Alvarado and Hogan Harris closed out the final innings, allowing the Athletics to secure the series win. The bullpen combined to give up just two hits and no runs over the last four innings, contrasting with Cincinnati's relief corps, which allowed six runs on eight hits and three walks over 5 2/3 innings.
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The Reds, now 74-74, remain 1 1/2 games behind the New York Mets for the final National League wild-card spot , while the San Francisco Giants sit just a half-game back.
Related: Athletics' Carlos Cortes doubles career home run total vs. Reds
Related: Athletics' Nick Kurtz joins impressive company after hitting 30th home run
