The Athletics are on the verge of seeing history. Star Nick Kurtz had a quiet night overall on Monday, but a walk in the third inning was enough to extend his on-base streak to 48 games on the season.
That 48-game on-base streak tied A’s franchise legend Mark McGwire for the longest single-season streak in Athletics franchise history. That came back in 1995, and he would extend it to 62 games over the course of two seasons, following a hot start in 1996 as well. Now, Kurtz is hoping to find a way to break that single-season record.
In the year McGwire set the record, he hit .252 with a .441 OBP, a .685 slugging percentage, and a 1.125 OPS. It was his age 31 season. Meanwhile, Kurtz is currently in his age 23 season. He’s hitting .286 with a .444 OBP, .481 slugging percentage, and a .926 OPS. He also currently leads the American League with 52 walks.
The question then becomes, can Kurtz break the A’s franchise record? He’ll get the chance to do so on Tuesday night when the Athletics host the Seattle Mariners.
Emerson Hancock is the projected starting pitcher for the Mariners. He has a 3.07 ERA on the season and has a 1.057 WHIP. He and Kurtz have now faced each other five times in their careers, with Kurtz getting on base twice. He walked in 2025 and hit a home run earlier this season. Hancock also struck Kurtz out once. Against the Mariners organization as a whole, Kurtz has a .162 batting average and a .354 OBP for his career. That’s in 11 games and 48 at-bats.
In other words, it’s a pretty good matchup on the mound for Kurtz. However, he doesn’t have a great history against the Mariners, in general.
Nick Kurtz Has Already Been Chasing Records for the Athletics
GettyAthletics star Nick Kurtz
The Athletics’ single-season on-base streak isn’t the only record that Nick Kurtz has been chasing this season. Earlier in the year, he found himself chasing Barry Bonds, the Home Run King.
Bonds entered the season holding the modern-era record for consecutive games with a walk, with 20. Roy Cullenbine managed to get to 22 back in 1947, though. This year, Kurtz went chasing down Bonds and managed to reach base in 20 straight games via the walk, tying Bonds. In the process, he also passed Ted Williams’ mark of 19 games.
“It’s crazy,” Kurtz said of the walk streak. “I don’t think anyone should be compared to Barry Bonds. But to be in the same discussion, even if it is about walks, is pretty cool.”
Nick Kurtz would not be able to pass Barry Bonds for the modern-era record. Instead, he had to settle for the tie. Still, that run ended up being a key piece of his current on-base streak, which presents another opportunity to make history.
The Athletics Need to Find a Spark on the Field
GettyAthletics manager Mark Kotsay
The AL West has been competitive this season, but not because any of the teams are having stellar seasons. Instead, it’s been a battle of struggling teams to get to the top of the division.
Right now, it’s the Athletics at the top of the AL West, with a 27-27 record. That’s 1.5 games better than the Mariners, and 2.5 games better than the Texas Rangers. At 20-24, the Los Angeles Angels are in fifth place but only 7.0 games behind the A’s.
This comes during a run when the Athletics have seen their success slipping out from under them. They’ve now lost three of their last four games, going back to a tough weekend series against the San Diego Padres.
If the Athletics don’t find a spark and turn things around, then the Mariners could potentially take the division lead over the course of the next two nights. The schedule doesn’t get any easier after that, either, with the New York Yankees coming to town.
Athletics Star Nick Kurtz Ties Mark McGwire: Can He Break A’s Franchise Record?