Nick Kurtz ties MLB record with four homers as A's pound Astros
Kurtz, who was 6-for-6 in the game after going 3-for-5 with two doubles in the Athletics' series-opening win on Thursday, extended his lead among all rookies in homers by clubbing his 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd dingers en route to producing eight RBIs and six runs scored. Kurtz also leads all rookies in RBIs (59) and extra-base hits (43), and recorded the 20th four-homer game in history, including the first by a rookie.
Serving as the designated hitter, Kurtz went 3-for-3 against Astros rookie Ryan Gusto (6-4). He singled and scored in the top of the first inning when Tyler Soderstrom roped a two-run, two-out double to left field. Rookie Jacob Wilson added an RBI single that plated Soderstrom and capped the three-run frame.
With two outs in the second, Kurtz drilled an 0-1 curveball 384 feet on a line to left that drove in Max Schuemann and extended the lead to 5-0. After Soderstrom smacked his 19th home run with one out in the third for a 6-0 lead, Kurtz chased Gusto with an RBI double in the fourth that plated Carlos Cortes.
Gusto allowed a career-worst eight runs on eight hits and one walk with five strikeouts over 3⅓ innings.
Kurtz wasn't finished. He homered off Astros reliever Nick Hernandez in the sixth and blasted a first-pitch fastball off Astros reliever Kaleb Ort 414 feet to right for an 11-2 lead in the eighth. With his fourth homer, a three-run shot to left in the ninth off Cooper Hummel, a position player, Kurtz matched Shawn Green for the most total bases in a game. Green accomplished the feat for the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 23, 2002, in Milwaukee.
Shea Langeliers clubbed his 15th home run off Hernandez in the fourth. Langeliers had three hits and Soderstrom two and combined for five RBIs and four runs.
Athletics left-hander Jeffrey Springs (9-7) benefited from the run support. He allowed two runs on four hits and one walk with five strikeouts over six innings. Zack Short socked a two-run homer off Springs in the fifth that plated Chas McCormick and cut the deficit to 9-2.
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Japan Times
11 hours ago
- Japan Times
Three decades and a pile of notebooks: The beat writer who chronicled Ichiro's career
For nearly three decades, Keizo Konishi's job revolved around one man: Ichiro Suzuki. As an Ichiro beat writer, Konishi dedicated most of his adult life to covering the superstar from all angles during nine seasons in NPB followed by 19 seasons in MLB. He followed Ichiro from Kobe to Seattle, New York, Miami and back to Seattle, where Konishi currently resides with his wife. Having spent that much time writing about Ichiro, Konishi — who chose to stay in Seattle to cover Ichiro's Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cooperstown, New York, on Sunday and his post-playing days — admits their relationship has evolved into something more than that of a typical reporter and subject. 'We've spent a lot of time together, but I wouldn't describe him as a friend,' said Konishi, who at 59 is seven years older than Ichiro. 'There's a boundary neither of us will cross. When he was an active player, we had many off-the-record conversations off the field, but we maintained a professional distance at the ballpark. Having history with him didn't give me any advantage. In fact, I felt challenged. He was never an easy subject to deal with.' Journalist Keizo Konishi now covers players like the Padres' Yu Darvish and the Angels' Yusei Kikuchi, but for most of his career his focus has been on Ichiro. | Courtesy of Keizo Konishi Konishi and Ichiro go back a long way. A former college football player with no experience playing baseball, Konishi was assigned to the Orix BlueWave beat in 1994, when he was working for the Kyodo News wire service and Ichiro was in his third season with the Kobe-based Pacific League team. He was dispatched to Seattle as a correspondent shortly before Ichiro joined the Seattle Mariners in 2001, and uprooted his life each time Ichiro changed teams, with a furnished apartment in New York and a hotel in Miami among his temporary homes as he followed Ichiro across North America. 'Moving was a hassle,' Konishi said. 'After 11½ years in Seattle, Ichiro was traded to the New York Yankees (midway through the 2012 season). It all happened so fast, and at first I had no idea how long I'd be in New York. My poor wife got dragged along. I was relieved when they re-signed him to a two-year deal because I could plan my life out.' This was Konishi's job in a nutshell: He followed Ichiro to every practice and game and produced a steady stream of updates for his readers while writing articles without bylines (Japanese journalists typically write anonymously). It required knowledge of the game, constant creativity, tight deadlines, long hours, travel and the ability to forge a good relationship with the player. Ichiro speaks during an event in Cooperstown, New York, on Saturday, a day ahead of his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. | Joshua Mellin For Konishi, a normal year on the beat started in February with spring training. Between March and September he worked nonstop as MLB teams play almost every day and are out of town half the time. The only down time he had with family and friends in Japan was during the offseason, but even then, he made it a habit to go watch Ichiro train in Kobe whenever he could. Konishi loved everything about his job — except flying (commercial) across time zones without a dedicated travel day. He guesses that he saw at least 80% of the 4,367 hits Ichiro totaled between MLB and Japan in person. By chance, he was even at Heiwadai Stadium in Fukuoka on July 12, 1992, when a skinny 18-year-old wearing No. 51 recorded his first NPB hit. That was when Ichiro wore his surname across the back of his jersey. Over the years, Konishi has kept 53 notebooks filled with observations about Ichiro and has published two books about the man. He became the subject of various stories in U.S. outlets himself as well, from ESPN to The Seattle Times and others, as the reporter on the Ichiro beat. 'Covering Ichiro never got old,' said Konishi. 'He always impressed me with mind-blowing answers.' Notebooks from Konishi's decades spent reporting on Ichiro. 'Covering Ichiro never got old,' Konishi says. | Courtesy of Keizo Konishi Whenever friends and acquaintances ask him what Ichiro is like in real life or what it was like to interview him day in and day out, his answer is always the same: 'It's like exploring hidden gems.' At one point, Konishi was the only Japanese writer allowed to pose questions to Ichiro because the player appointed him as the pool reporter for his cohorts. Thanks to Konishi's efforts, Kyodo was the first media outlet to break the news about Ichiro's retirement, reporting it during the Mariners' game against the Oakland Athletics at Tokyo Dome on March 21, 2019. Konishi admits the breaking news alert could've gone out sooner, but he asked his boss to wait to hit the send button until the first pitch was thrown — he knew how Ichiro was meticulous about his pregame stretching and warmups, and wanted to give him a chance to go through his familiar routine one last time, without disruption. Ichiro bats during his final MLB game, at Tokyo Dome on March 21, 2019. Thanks to Konishi's efforts, Kyodo News was the first media outlet to break the news about Ichiro's retirement. | USA Today / via Reuters After the game, Ichiro made the news official. Konishi truly covered Ichiro's story from beginning to end. He recalls about 150 reporters and photographers trailing Ichiro everywhere when he arrived in Seattle, when the Aichi Prefecture native was the top news story in Japan. He also saw that number shrink as the spotlight dimmed, until there were only five or six Japanese media members shadowing him in Miami during his time with the Miami Marlins from 2015 to 2017. 'He had his glory days with the Mariners, when he earned 10 straight All-Star selections, a feat that not even (Yankees legend) Derek Jeter achieved. In the next nine seasons he was primarily in a backup or reserve role. But no matter what stage of his career he was at, he had the same impeccable work ethic and discipline. I got to witness that up close,' Konishi said. Konishi, who now works for multiple publications, has moved on to covering San Diego Padres right-hander Yu Darvish and Los Angeles Angels lefty Yusei Kikuchi. But that doesn't mean he's done with Ichiro. Ichiro serves a front office role with the Mariners but still suits up and practices every day in Seattle, where he returned in 2018 as a 44-year-old. On the days he's not covering the Japanese pitchers, Konishi goes to T-Mobile Park to chat with Ichiro before games. As ever, with a notebook in hand. Ichiro during Mariners spring training in February 2024. The icon continues to work in a front office role for the franchise that gave him his start in MLB in 2001. | USA Today / via Reuters
The Mainichi
15 hours ago
- The Mainichi
Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner are set for Hall of Fame induction
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (AP) -- Ichiro Suzuki was always known for his meticulous preparation during his 19-year Major League Baseball career. For his induction into the Hall of Fame? Not so much. "Of course, I'm nervous and I probably should be preparing more, but this morning I actually went to the field, long tossed and kind of ran and did my workout, so I guess for me that was more important," Suzuki said Saturday through an interpreter on the eve of his enshrinement. Suzuki is the first Japanese player chosen for the Hall and fell one vote shy of becoming the second unanimous selection. He will be joined Sunday by CC Sabathia, a six-time All-Star who won the 2007 AL Cy Young Award, and relief pitcher Billy Wagner. Dave Parker, who died a month before he was to be inducted, and Dick Allen will be honored posthumously. They were voted in by the classic era committee. MLB has been profoundly impacted by Japan since Suzuki's arrival in 2001. His induction coincided with the opening of an exhibit at the Hall on Thursday entitled Yakyu/Baseball: The Transpacific Exchange of the Game, which celebrates the ways Japanese and American baseball are interconnected. It honors not just Suzuki but also pitcher Hideo Nomoi and current two-way star Shohei Otani. As interconnected as the two countries are, Suzuki does not want Japanese baseball to become a carbon copy of MLB. "I don't think Japan should copy what MLB does. I think Japanese baseball should be Japanese baseball and the way they do things, and MLB should be the way they are. I think they should be different and not the same," he said. Suzuki received 393 of 394 votes (99.7%) from the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Sabathia was on 342 ballots (86.8%) and Wagner on 325 (82.5%), which was 29 votes more than the 296 needed for the required 75%. Suzuki was a two-time AL batting champion and 10-time All-Star and Gold Glove outfielder, hitting .311 with 117 homers, 780 RBIs and 509 stolen bases with Seattle, the New York Yankees and Miami. He is perhaps the best contact hitter ever, with 1,278 hits in Nippon Professional Baseball and 3,089 in MLB, including a season-record 262 in 2004. His combined total of 4,367 exceeds Pete Rose's MLB record of 4,256. Suzuki visited the Hall seven times during his career, but this time is different. "I had a purpose. I would come to the basement and look at some of the artifacts. This time around, though, I didn't come to have one purpose to see something. I just wanted to experience Cooperstown, take it all in. That's the difference this time around. "This is the place where I'd come (during the season) and kind of cleanse myself and get a great feeling again," he said. For Sabathia, his induction represents a full-circle moment because his plaque will have him sporting a Yankees cap with the interlocking NY. A native of Vallejo, California, Sabathia "thought I wanted to be close to home," but after "pretending" the Yankees didn't offer him a contract on the first day of free agency, his wife persuaded him to sign with the Bronx Bombers following an in-home meeting with general manager Brian Cashman. "My wife was the one that said: 'You're trying to do all these different things, figure out all these contracts. You need to go where they want you. All you talk about is you want to win, be a winner and all these things. How can you not go to New York? That's the one place they try to win every single year.' When she put it that way, it was like I was born to be a Yankee," Sabathia said. "And I think for the longest time I tried to run away from that because my father would always tell me I was going to play for the Yankees. He passed away when I was 23, so he wasn't there to tell me it was OK if I failed. I think I was scared to go there and fail. But it ended up being the best decision I ever made. I ran from that decision for a long time. I thought I wanted to play on the other coast, but I think I was born to play with the pinstripes." Suzuki and Sabathia were teammates for more than two seasons, which makes their induction extra special. "It feels like we're teammates. Obviously, Ichi and I were rookies together. I always say he stole my Rookie of the Year award (in 2001) so it's great to be able to go in the HOF with him and Billy," Sabathia said. Sabathia went 251-161 with a 3.74 ERA and 3,093 strikeouts, third among left-handers behind Randy Johnson and Steve Carlton, during 19 seasons with Cleveland, Milwaukee and the Yankees. While Sabathia and Suzuki were elected in their first appearance on the ballot, Wagner made it on his 10th and final try. "Well, after seeing how a lot of guys like Lee Smith and Ted Simmons and (other) guys had to wait their turn to get to this point and go through the veterans committee, and how hard it is to get in here, you know, it's well worth the wait," Wagner said. Wagner, a seven-time All-Star, became the ninth pitcher in the Hall who was primarily a reliever, after Hoyt Wilhelm, Rollie Fingers, Dennis Eckersley, Bruce Sutter, Goose Gossage, Trevor Hoffman, Lee Smith and Mariano Rivera. Wagner is the only left-hander. Two others honored Saturday were longtime Cleveland Guardians broadcaster Tom Hamilton, winner of the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting, and retired Washington Post sports writer and columnist Tom Boswell, who received the BBWAA Career Excellence Award.
Yomiuri Shimbun
16 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Ichiro Suzuki Is Set for Hall of Fame Induction
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (AP) — Ichiro Suzuki was always known for his meticulous preparation during his 19-year Major League Baseball career. For his induction into the Hall of Fame? Not so much. 'Of course, I'm nervous and I probably should be preparing more, but this morning I actually went to the field, long tossed and kind of ran and did my workout, so I guess for me that was more important,' Suzuki said Saturday through an interpreter on the eve of his enshrinement. Suzuki is the first Japanese player chosen for the Hall and fell one vote shy of becoming the second unanimous selection. He will be joined Sunday by CC Sabathia, a six-time All-Star who won the 2007 AL Cy Young Award, and relief pitcher Billy Wagner. Dave Parker, who died a month before he was to be inducted, and Dick Allen will be honored posthumously. They were voted in by the classic era committee. MLB has been profoundly impacted by Japan since Suzuki's arrival in 2001. His induction coincided with the opening of an exhibit at the Hall on Thursday entitled Yakyu/Baseball: The Transpacific Exchange of the Game, which celebrates the ways Japanese and American baseball are interconnected. It honors not just Suzuki but also pitcher Hideo Nomoi and current two-way star Shohei Otani. As interconnected as the two countries are, Suzuki does not want Japanese baseball to become a carbon copy of MLB. 'I don't think Japan should copy what MLB does. I think Japanese baseball should be Japanese baseball and the way they do things, and MLB should be the way they are. I think they should be different and not the same,' he said. Suzuki received 393 of 394 votes (99.7%) from the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Sabathia was on 342 ballots (86.8%) and Wagner on 325 (82.5%), which was 29 votes more than the 296 needed for the required 75%. Suzuki was a two-time AL batting champion and 10-time All-Star and Gold Glove outfielder, hitting .311 with 117 homers, 780 RBIs and 509 stolen bases with Seattle, the New York Yankees and Miami. He is perhaps the best contact hitter ever, with 1,278 hits in Nippon Professional Baseball and 3,089 in MLB, including a season-record 262 in 2004. His combined total of 4,367 exceeds Pete Rose's MLB record of 4,256. Suzuki visited the Hall seven times during his career, but this time is different. 'I had a purpose. I would come to the basement and look at some of the artifacts. This time around, though, I didn't come to have one purpose to see something. I just wanted to experience Cooperstown, take it all in. That's the difference this time around. 'This is the place where I'd come (during the season) and kind of cleanse myself and get a great feeling again,' he said. For Sabathia, his induction represents a full-circle moment because his plaque will have him sporting a Yankees cap with the interlocking NY. A native of Vallejo, California, Sabathia 'thought I wanted to be close to home,' but after 'pretending' the Yankees didn't offer him a contract on the first day of free agency, his wife persuaded him to sign with the Bronx Bombers following an in-home meeting with general manager Brian Cashman. 'My wife was the one that said: 'You're trying to do all these different things, figure out all these contracts. You need to go where they want you. All you talk about is you want to win, be a winner and all these things. How can you not go to New York? That's the one place they try to win every single year.' When she put it that way, it was like I was born to be a Yankee,' Sabathia said. 'And I think for the longest time I tried to run away from that because my father would always tell me I was going to play for the Yankees. He passed away when I was 23, so he wasn't there to tell me it was OK if I failed. I think I was scared to go there and fail. But it ended up being the best decision I ever made. I ran from that decision for a long time. I thought I wanted to play on the other coast, but I think I was born to play with the pinstripes.' Suzuki and Sabathia were teammates for more than two seasons, which makes their induction extra special. 'It feels like we're teammates. Obviously, Ichi and I were rookies together. I always say he stole my Rookie of the Year award (in 2001) so it's great to be able to go in the HOF with him and Billy,' Sabathia said. Sabathia went 251-161 with a 3.74 ERA and 3,093 strikeouts, third among left-handers behind Randy Johnson and Steve Carlton, during 19 seasons with Cleveland, Milwaukee and the Yankees. While Sabathia and Suzuki were elected in their first appearance on the ballot, Wagner made it on his 10th and final try. 'Well, after seeing how a lot of guys like Lee Smith and Ted Simmons and (other) guys had to wait their turn to get to this point and go through the veterans committee, and how hard it is to get in here, you know, it's well worth the wait,' Wagner said. Wagner, a seven-time All-Star, became the ninth pitcher in the Hall who was primarily a reliever, after Hoyt Wilhelm, Rollie Fingers, Dennis Eckersley, Bruce Sutter, Goose Gossage, Trevor Hoffman, Lee Smith and Mariano Rivera. Wagner is the only left-hander. Two others honored Saturday were longtime Cleveland Guardians broadcaster Tom Hamilton, winner of the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting, and retired Washington Post sports writer and columnist Tom Boswell, who received the BBWAA Career Excellence Award.
