Nick Kurtz smashed a game-tying two-run homer in the seventh inning to spark the Oakland Athletics' comeback from a 5-0 deficit against the Chicago White Sox. The A's secured a 7-6 victory in 11 innings on Saturday at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento. Max Muncy provided the walk-off sacrifice fly.
The Athletics trailed 5-0 early in the game but mounted a furious rally. Kurtz, the reigning American League Rookie of the Year in a slow-starting sophomore season, demolished a first-pitch fastball from White Sox reliever Jordan Leasure. His shot to right field landed on the berm beyond the wall, his second homer of the year and the hardest-hit of his career at 115.3 mph exit velocity per Statcast data. This blast ranks as the second-hardest hit home run by an Oakland Athletics player since Statcast began tracking in 2015, trailing only Matt Chapman's 115.9 mph homer from August 29, 2020. It also stands as the second-hardest hit homer league-wide this season. The A's offense carried the momentum into extra innings, where Max Muncy lifted a sacrifice fly in the 11th to plate the winning run and even the series. Despite early struggles, the Athletics continue to trust Kurtz in high-leverage spots.