Kurtz Unleashes Insane 493-Foot Grand Slam—Could This Be the Longest Homer Ever?

In the heart of West Sacramento Saturday night, Nick Kurtz sent shockwaves through the MLB with a grand slam that wasn’t just any homer — it sailed a staggering 493 feet, marking the longest blast in the majors so far this season. That mammoth hit helped the Athletics carve out an impressive 11-5 triumph over the Cincinnati Reds, a game where their bats didn’t just whisper, they roared. Beyond Kurtz’s astonishing power display, Brent Rooker and rookie Carlos Cortes made their presence felt with timely home runs, while Jacob Wilson’s clutch doubles kept the scoreboard ticking. Meanwhile, Reds’ ace Hunter Greene struggled, yielding five runs and weathering a rising ERA, as Cincinnati found themselves inching further from a coveted wild-card spot amid a fiercely packed National League chase. This game wasn’t just a win; it was a statement from the Athletics and a warning shot in baseball’s playoff dogfight. LEARN MORE

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Nick Kurtz launched a 493-foot grand slam — the longest home run in the majors this season — and the Athletics hammered Hunter Greene early in an 11-5 victory Saturday night over the Cincinnati Reds.

Brent Rooker also went deep and rookie Carlos Cortes hit a two-run shot for his third homer in two games as the Athletics handed Cincinnati another costly loss. Jacob Wilson provided a pair of RBI doubles.

Greene, an All-Star last year, was tagged for five runs, four hits and four walks over 2 1/3 ineffective innings, raising his ERA from 2.59 to 3.01.

With a chance to gain ground in a crowded wild-card race, the Reds (74-74) lost their second consecutive game to the Athletics (69-80) and remained 1 1/2 games behind the skidding New York Mets for the final National League playoff spot.

San Francisco is a half-game back of the Mets.

Tyler Stephenson’s three-run homer for Cincinnati tied it 5-all in the fourth. Wilson put the A’s back ahead with an RBI double in the seventh, Lawrence Butler added a run-scoring single in the eighth and Kurtz sent a 2-2 fastball from Scott Barlow soaring over the high batter’s eye in straightaway center field to make it 11-5.

It was the 31st homer for Kurtz, a rookie slugger who hit four in one game earlier this season.

Brady Basso (1-0) retired the side in order on six pitches in the seventh for his second big league win.

Key moment

Reds reliever Nick Martinez (10-13) gave up a leadoff double to Shea Langeliers in the seventh and walked Rooker with one out before Wilson doubled off Graham Ashcraft to give the Athletics a 6-5 lead.

Key stat

Kurtz’s 493-foot drive was the longest by an A’s player since Statcast tracking began in 2015. It surpassed Mike Trout’s 484-foot homer April 19 with the Angels for the longest in the majors this year.

Up next

Reds LHP Nick Lodolo (8-7, 3.10 ERA) pitches against RHP Luis Morales (3-1, 2.73) in the series finale Sunday.