July 26th, 2025

⚾ Headlines Around the League

Kurtz’s Historic 4-HR Night Powers A’s to Blowout Win Over Astros

South Side Surge: White Sox Blast Cubs, Stay Hot at 6-1 Since Break

Angels 3, Mariners 2 — Neto Walks It Off on Bobblehead Night as Angels Snap Skid

Vladdy Doubles Twice as Blue Jays Flex Muscle for 4th Straight Win

Phillies 12, Yankees 5 — Schwarber Hits 1,000th Career Hit with a Bang in Bronx Rout

Sheehan Settles In, Bullpen Slams Door in Dodgers' Series Opener Win

Uhh… so if you haven’t heard by now, Nick Kurtz may have just had the single best game in MLB history. Seriously. He went 6-for-6 with 4 homers and 8 RBIs. I’m just gonna keep it real, that’s the best individual performance I’ve ever seen. His third homer was just crushed and might have been one of my favorite homeruns to watch this season.

Even just reading his box score is wild. 19 total bases. Nineteen! That’s video game numbers. I’d have to imagine this puts Kurtz in the driver’s seat for AL Rookie of the Year, likely ahead of his own teammate, Jacob Wilson.

Do yourself a favor and watch the highlights from this game below, it’s absolutely worth your time.

Let’s have a great weekend, and as always, thanks for reading First Pitch.

Bonus Clip - Check out this hilarious prank that Tito played on Kevin Cash before their game Friday:

🔥 Notable Performances

Hitting

Pitching

📊 Final Scores and Highlights

Athletics 15, Astros 3

Nick Kurtz etched his name into the record books Friday night, becoming the first rookie in MLB history to hit four home runs in a single game. The A’s slugger went a perfect 6-for-6 with 8 RBIs, tying the all-time mark for total bases (19) as Oakland routed Houston 15–3.

🔑 Key Moments

• In the 1st, Tyler Soderstrom opened the scoring with a two-run double after Kurtz had singled—just the start of his perfect night.

• Kurtz smashed his first homer in the 2nd inning, a two-run blast that made it 5–0 A’s early.

• Soderstrom followed in the 3rd with a solo homer of his own to extend the lead to six.

• In the 4th, Shea Langeliers joined the party with a two-run homer, again scoring Kurtz, who had reached on a single.

• Kurtz crushed his second home run in the 6th inning—a solo shot to left field—and his third came in the 8th, this time to right.

• Capping the historic night in the 9th, Kurtz hammered a three-run homer to left, becoming the 20th player ever with a four-homer game.

📊 Notable Stats

Athletics

• Nick Kurtz: 6-for-6, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 6 R, 19 total bases

• Tyler Soderstrom: 2-for-5, 2B, HR, 3 RBI

• Shea Langeliers: 3-for-5, HR, 2 RBI

• Jeffrey Springs: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 5 K

Astros

• Zack Short: 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI

• Chas McCormick: 2-for-3, R

• Victor Caratini: 0-for-3, 1 K

White Sox 12, Cubs 5

Editor’s Take: Absolutely incredible jerseys. 10/10 no notes. Also Colson Montgomery is legit.

The post-break version of the White Sox looks nothing like their first-half selves. Riding a wave of momentum, Chicago clobbered the Cubs behind another offensive outburst to improve to 6-1 since the All-Star break.

🔑 Key Moments

• Meidroth sets the tone — Chase Meidroth crushed a leadoff homer on the second pitch of the game, igniting an early rally.

• Montgomery stays hot — Colson Montgomery belted his third homer in as many games with a solo shot in the 2nd inning.

• Four-run fourth blows it open — Austin Slater and Mike Tauchman each went deep in the fourth to push the Sox lead to 9-0.

• Quero keeps the hits coming — Edgar Quero notched four hits, becoming the third Sox rookie this week with a 4-hit game.

• Sosa adds 3 RBIs — Lenyn Sosa’s two-run single helped cap a 3-run 1st and he added a sac fly later.

• Houser pitches with emotion — Adrian Houser held the Cubs to 3 runs over 6.2 IP, with his family in attendance for his infant daughter’s first game.

📊 Notable Stats

White Sox

• Chase Meidroth: 3-for-5, HR, 3 R, RBI

• Edgar Quero: 4-for-5, 2B, RBI

• Lenyn Sosa: 2-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI

• Mike Tauchman: 1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI

• Adrian Houser: 6.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K

Cubs

• Reese McGuire: 3-for-4, HR, 4 RBI

• Kyle Tucker: 1-for-4, RBI

• Cubs bullpen: 5 IP, 6 ER, 1 BB, 6 K

Angels 3, Mariners 2

Zach Neto capped a memorable night in dramatic fashion, delivering his first career walk-off hit on the same evening he was honored with his first career bobblehead. The Angels broke their four-game losing streak with a 3–2 extra-inning win over the Mariners.

🔑 Key Moments

• Julio Rodríguez opened the scoring with a solo homer in the 1st, then tied it again in the 6th with another blast — both accounting for Seattle’s only runs.

• In the bottom of the 1st, Jo Adell ripped a two-out, two-run double to give the Angels an early 2–1 lead.

• José Soriano kept the game close with 6 strong innings, allowing only the two Rodríguez homers.

• In the top of the 10th, Ryan Zeferjahn escaped a two-on, no-out jam by forcing a bunt forceout, a deep flyout, and a strikeout of Cal Raleigh.

• In the bottom half, LaMonte Wade Jr. drew a walk and advanced to second — then raced home as Zach Neto’s sharp grounder deflected off Cole Young’s glove into right field for the walk-off.

📊 Notable Stats

Angels

• Zach Neto: 2-for-5, walk-off RBI single

• Jo Adell: 1-for-4, 2 RBI double

• José Soriano: 6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

• Ryan Zeferjahn: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K (win)

Mariners

• Julio Rodríguez: 2-for-5, 2 HR, 2 RBI

• Bryan Woo: 6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

Blue Jays 6, Tigers 2

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. led the way with two doubles and two runs scored as the Blue Jays continued their roll, winning their fourth straight and improving to a league-best 62–42 with a 6–2 victory over the Tigers in Detroit.

🔑 Key Moments

• Dillon Dingler gave Detroit an early lead with an RBI double in the 2nd inning.

• Addison Barger tied it up in the 4th with an RBI double, then scored on a Javier Báez error to make it 2–1.

• In the 5th, Vladdy laced another double to drive in Nathan Lukes and push the lead to 3–1.

• Bo Bichette followed with a two-run double to cap a four-run inning for Toronto.

• Spencer Torkelson launched his 23rd homer in the 6th for Detroit’s only other run.

• Toronto’s bullpen trio of Fisher, Little, and Rodríguez threw three perfect innings to seal the win.

📊 Notable Stats

Blue Jays

• Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: 2-for-5, 2 2B, RBI, 2 R

• Bo Bichette: 1-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI

• José Berríos: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K (win)

• Bullpen (3 IP): 0 H, 0 R, 3 K

Tigers

• Spencer Torkelson: 1-for-4, HR (23)

• Dillon Dingler: 1-for-3, RBI double

• Keider Montero: 4 IP, 9 H, 6 R (5 ER), 3 K (loss)

Phillies 12, Yankees 5

Kyle Schwarber crushed two home runs — including his 1,000th career hit — and J.T. Realmuto broke a 3–3 tie with a massive three-run blast as the Phillies erupted late to steamroll the Yankees in the series opener.

🔑 Key Moments

• Cody Bellinger and Austin Wells gave the Yankees a quick 2–0 lead with solo shots in the 1st and 2nd.

• In the 5th, Schwarber blasted a 113.8 mph, game-tying homer for his 1,000th career hit — fittingly a Schwarbomb.

• Giancarlo Stanton briefly put New York ahead again with a solo homer in the 6th.

• The Phillies flipped the game in the 7th when Nick Castellanos tied it and Realmuto followed with a no-doubt, go-ahead three-run homer.

• Anthony Volpe tried to answer with a solo blast, but Schwarber struck again in the 8th with his second homer of the game — a 115.2 mph laser — to put it out of reach.

• Trea Turner added the exclamation point with an RBI triple in the 9th as Philadelphia scored 10 runs across the final three innings.

📊 Notable Stats

Phillies

• Kyle Schwarber: 3-for-5, 2 HR (35, 36), 4 RBI, 3 R

• J.T. Realmuto: 2-for-5, HR (7), 3 RBI

• Trea Turner: 4-for-5, 3B, 3 R, RBI

• Taijuan Walker: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 3 K (no-decision)

Yankees

• Cody Bellinger: 1-for-4, HR (19)

• Giancarlo Stanton: 1-for-4, HR (6)

• Anthony Volpe: 1-for-4, HR (14)

• Will Warren: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K

Dodgers 5, Red Sox 2

Emmet Sheehan overcame early trouble to earn a win in front of a hometown crowd, and Ben Casparius closed it out for his first career save as the Dodgers topped the Red Sox at Fenway.

🔑 Key Moments

• Tommy Edman opened the scoring with a two-out RBI single in the 2nd, scoring Andy Pages for a 1–0 Dodgers lead.

• After loading the bases in the 3rd, Pages and Teoscar Hernández each drew run-scoring walks to push the lead to 3–0.

• Boston answered with a pair in the bottom half — Jarren Duran scored on Alex Bregman’s double to cut it to 3–2, but Sheehan locked it down from there.

• In the 8th, Hernández delivered the backbreaker — a towering two-run homer to center field that extended the Dodgers’ lead to 5–2.

• Connecticut native Ben Casparius tossed a clean 9th inning to earn his first MLB save in front of a Fenway crowd that once cheered him as a kid.

📊 Notable Stats

Dodgers

• Emmet Sheehan: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K (W)

• Teoscar Hernández: 1-for-3, HR (15), 3 RBI

• Andy Pages: 2-for-3, 2B, R, RBI

• Ben Casparius: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R (SV)

Red Sox

• Alex Bregman: 1-for-4, 2B, RBI

• Jarren Duran: 1-for-3, BB, R

• Brayan Bello: 5.1 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K (L)

Other scores around the league:

Mets 8, Giants 1
C. Holmes: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 SO, 1 BB
F. Lindor: 3-5, 3 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI

Reds 7, Rays 2
N. Martinez: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 5 SO, 2 BB
T. Stephenson: 2-5, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI

Cardinals 3, Padres 0
M. Mikolas: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 1 SO
R. Helsley: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 SO

Marlins 5, Brewers 1
C. Quantrill: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4 SO
J. Simpson: 1.0 IP, 1 SO

Diamondbacks 1, Pirates 0
R. Nelson: 6.0 IP, 1 H, 4 SO, 2 BB
M. Burrows: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 5 SO, 1 BB

Rockies 6, Orioles 5
S. Halvorsen: 1.0 IP
A. Jackson: 2-3, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI

Twins 1, Nationals 0
Z. Matthews: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 7 SO
J. Duran: 1.0 IP, 1 SO

Rangers 8, Braves 3
N. Eovaldi: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 7 SO, 4 BB
J. Heim: 1-3, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Guardians at Royals – Postponed

⚾ Must-Watch Games Today

☘️ Dodgers (61‑43) @ Red Sox (55‑50) 

🕖 7:15 PM ET | 📺 FOX
Pitching Matchup: Clayton Kershaw (4‑1, 3.27 ERA) vs. Garrett Crochet (11‑4, 2.19 ERA)

🍎 Phillies (59‑44) @ Yankees (56‑47) – Saturday Showdown in the Bronx

🕐 1:05 PM ET | 📺 NBCSP, YES, MLBN (out-of-market)
Pitching Matchup: Ranger Suárez (7‑4, 2.66 ERA) vs. Marcus Stroman (2‑1, 5.64 ERA)

🌉 Mets (60‑44) @ Giants (54‑50) – Peterson, Ray Square Off by the Bay

🕘 9:05 PM ET | 📺 NBCS BA, SNY, KNTV
Pitching Matchup: David Peterson (6‑4, 2.90 ERA) vs. Robbie Ray (9‑4, 2.92 ERA)

Like this newsletter? Help us keep the content free by sharing our newsletter and supporting our sponsors.

Thanks for reading!