The Yolo County Slugger

We haven’t been paying much attention to baseball in recent years, in part because our old team the San Francisco Giants has been financially outclassed by their rivals down the road the Los Angeles Dodgers, and have not had a lot of success lately. The other Northern California major league team, the Oakland Athletics, has decided to seek their fortune in Las Vegas, but before the Las Vegas stadium gets built they have temporarily landed nearby, playing in the minor league park in West Sacramento as an interim home. This means Yolo County has a major league baseball team for the time being. But the A’s have not done well here either in the standings or in attendance.

Things might be looking up for them however. The A’s have a 22-year-old rookie slugger named Nick Kurtz who was fast-tracked through the minors in 2024 and arrived on the major league team on April 23rd. Last night against the Houston Astros he had an offensive performance for the ages. He hit four home runs, becoming the first rookie to ever do so, and went six-for-six overall. He also tied the record for most total bases in a single game at 19. Kurtz has been the best hitter in baseball over the last nine or so weeks, and is in the conversation for becoming American League Rookie of the Year. His nickname is “Big Amish” since he hails from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It’s always fun to watch new stars emerge.