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This is the second straight weekend that we’ll start with moments that will get played whenever a player’s legacy is discussed from here to forever. Both Ronald Acuña Jr. and Nick Kurtz pulled off all-time highlights, and there’s something very “How can you not be romantic about baseball?” about that. So I cued up “The Mighty Rio Grande” by This Will Destroy You, the timeless theme from “Moneyball,” while working on the write-up late Friday night. Here’s the link if you want to listen this morning. Enjoy.
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Today’s Headlines
Kurtz Launches Four in Houston
Nick Kurtz may never top this. Most players won’t. Four home runs. Six hits. Six runs. Eight RBIs. Nobody has ever put up those totals in the same game before. First rookie, youngest player, and first member of the Athletics franchise, which goes back to 1901 and boasts a who’s-who list of legendary sluggers, with a four-homer game. The man they call “Big Amish” became the 20th player with a four-homer game and the second this year after Eugenio Suárez was the 19th back in April. Unlike Suarez, Kurtz’s team won the game. The Athletics beat the Houston Astros 15-3, churning through the lineup often and bringing Kurtz back up to pepper the Crawford boxes. Five of his six hits went to the opposite field. The ball he pulled left the yard at 113.8 mph and went 414 feet into the second deck in right field. Kurtz tallied 19 total bases, matching Shawn Green as the only player to do that in the past 125 years.
Schwarbomb for 1,000
Of this slugger’s first 1,000 hits, 319 were home runs. Who is Kyle Schwarber? That’s more homers at the 1k mark than anyone else, better than Mark McGwire’s 311 and Aaron Judge’s 308. No. 319 brought the Philadelphia Phillies level with the New York Yankees 2-2, and the teams traded blows through the 7th. Schwarber made it a Daily Double with No. 320 in the eighth, helping to turn a close contest into a 12-5 Phillies win. J.T. Realmuto hit a three-run home run, and Trea Turner went 4-for-5, including an RBI triple in the ninth.
Toronto to the Top
The Toronto Blue Jays continued soaring to the top of the American League, and the Detroit Tigers continued their slide. The Blue Jays won again in the Motor City, following Thursday’s 11-4 drubbing with a well-rounded 6-2 victory on Friday. Eight of the nine Toronto starters got at least one hit, and they won without hitting any home runs. George Springer went 3-for-5, Bo Bichette knocked in three, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. scored twice. José Berríos allowed two runs in six innings, and the bullpen kept the bases clean for the final three frames. The Blue Jays are half a game up on the Milwaukee Brewers for the best record in baseball (what a sentence at this point in the season!). The Tigers are 1-11 since July 9. Their 7.5-game lead in the AL Central is comfortable for now, but their trajectory has changed since looking like a lock for a bye for the first half of the season.
Busy in Boston
The Los Angeles Dodgers picked up just their fourth win in their last 15 games with a 5-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Emmet Sheehan threw five innings and picked up the win. Otherwise, this game came with off-the-field headlines for the visitors and the vendors. Mookie Betts was out due to personal reasons, but manager Dave Roberts said the Dodgers’ shortstop should return on Saturday. Walker Buehler received his 2024 World Series ring from his former teammates. His final inning for Los Angeles clinched the championship, and he’ll face friends as foes for the first time on Sunday.
Concession workers will not be serving up Fenway Franks during the champions’ visit to New England. Aramark employees walked out at noon on Friday after the company failed to meet union demands for improved pay. They will strike for all three games against the Dodgers. The concessions company made plans to continue service in the event of the strike, but the union is asking fans to join them and forego purchasing food and drinks at the park this weekend.
Big Apple Additions
Both New York teams made pre-deadline deals on Friday. The New York Mets doubled the number of Sotos on their roster by adding Gregory Soto in a deal with the Baltimore Orioles. The 30-year-old lefty arrives in the Mets’ bullpen in exchange for right-handed pitching prospects Wellington Aracena and Cameron Foster. Soto was an All-Star with the Tigers in 2021 and 2022. The Yankees acquired third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies for pitching prospects: left-hander Griffin Herring and right-hander Josh Grosz. The 30-year-old was an All-Star in 2024 and is signed through 2027.
Best Moments From Yesterday
K is for Kevin
Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona welcomed Kevin Cash to the Great American Ballpark with a looped clip of Cash striking out on the video board. Tito looked so pleased that his idea worked out, and he got the last laugh with a 7-2 win in a battle between teams fighting for playoff relevance.
Tito arranged for the scoreboard at GABP to show a loop of Kevin Cash striking out 😂 pic.twitter.com/NJGTbRLCzA
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) July 25, 2025
Backyard Pirates
Perhaps the Pittsburgh Pirates are using graphics in the style of Backyard Baseball to summon virtual sports legend Pablo Sanchez to their roster.
The Pirates have Backyard Baseball scoreboard graphics tonight @JMGamin_ pic.twitter.com/SNjiylQ7IG
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 25, 2025
Stealing Bases on Defense
Blake Perkins pulled off a no-out robbery by leaping to get a glove on a would-be dinger by Agustín Ramírez. Ramirez settled for two bases instead of four after an umpire review showed the ball bouncing on top of the wall and falling back into play. Since the play was initially called a home run, the defense stopped, so the crew placed Ramirez at second.
Neto at Night
Zach Neto stepped to the plate in the bottom of the 10th with a chance to get his first walk-off hit on Zach Neto Bobblehead night. Neto’s grounder bobbled its way across the right side of the infield, off the diving second baseman’s glove, and safely into the outfield grass. How can you not be romantic about baseball?
Bon Voyage
We’re ending with an international highlight. Bon-hyeok Gu secured a win for the LG Twins of the KBO with a wall-scaling catch in foul territory with the bases loaded and a one-run lead. This looks like a home run robbery, just on the third base side.
구본혁 너 미친거야!!!!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/NUoTpPWysg
— 두루미.. (@durumiouo) July 25, 2025
Injuries and Other Moves
⚾ Atlanta welcomed third baseman Austin Riley back from the IL after he recovered from a lower abdominal strain. Nacho Alvarez Jr. was optioned to Triple-A.
⚾ The San Francisco Giants placed right-hander Landen Roupp on the 15-day IL with elbow inflammation. They recalled right-hander Tristan Beck from Triple-A. Roupp had landed in the Giants rotation, so hopefully he’ll rest up and be back soon.
⚾ Blue Jays left-hander Eric Lauer followed up with the media a day after explaining/joking that his fat lip was a consequence of talking to teammate Max Scherzer on his start day. He first said he wanted the media to talk to Scherzer about the explanation, then added that attention to how teammates interact positively in the dugout should help decipher the situation.
Articles You Should Read
Nick Allen and the Meritocratic Tyranny of the Batting Order — Davy Andrews, FanGraphs
Aaron Judge is the world’s best hitter. He’s just as valuable to Yankees as a hitting coach — Brendan Kuty, The Athletic (subscription required)
Fantasy Baseball Coverage
