Nick Kurtz Returns to Pennsylvania as A's Face off Against Pirates
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After a satisfying series win against the Red Sox at Fenway Park, the A's take their confidence into Pittsburgh in their last road series of the 2025 season against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
In Boston, we saw an Athletics team that showed resilience and a no quit attitude, something they've shown quite often over the last two months, racking up a 31-24 record since the break. It was the perfect three-game set that characterizes this 2025 A's squad.
We also saw that the Nick Kurtz fan club was in attendance Thursday afternoon and they made their presence known, equipped with props/costumes and posters in hand. They even got to meet and take pictures with the A's first baseman, who seemed amused by the whole spectacle.
Nick Kurtz doubles and the Big Amish fan club is loving it 😂 pic.twitter.com/h9bfMtRriX
— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) September 18, 2025
Kurtz gave his fans there something to cheer about, as the A's took the rubber game match on Thursday afternoon. He went 1-for-3 with a walk and scored twice in the A's 5-3 victory.
Brent Rooker picked up his 30th home run, making it the 3rd consecutive season he has done so. A leader in the clubhouse, he is well on his way to playing all 162 games, and would be the only American League player to do so. This feat is no small achievement for the A's organization and their future.
The A's arrive to PNC Park, meeting the Pirates in the midst of a six-game home skid, and who are hoping to break streak that with a win Friday night. Luis Severino will take the mound in his final road start, up against Mitch Keller for the Pirates. Both pitchers have six wins on the season, and both have a similar ERA (Severino: 4.82 ERA, Keller: 4.13).
Severino has also been a much better pitcher on the road this season, holding a 3.11 ERA in 13 starts, compared to his 6.51 ERA in 14 outings.
For two teams that are not heading towards the postseason, they could not be in more different spots. Writer Paul Zeise, who covers the Pirates for the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette, is doing the exact opposite of reassuring fans the Pirates are heading in the right direction. He writes, 'I've said all along, the Pirates are not close.
They are not close to contending. They are not close to a wild card. They are not close to anything but another lost season in 2026."
He goes on to describe the last two weeks as a "disaster" for Pittsburgh, with a welcomed end in sight. For the A's on the other hand, the season's end is bittersweet. It's been a night-and-day difference from May/June to August/September, from the lineup and team itself to the style of play, the pace and determination of the ball club.
They've gone from a struggling offense, a shaky starting pitching staff and bullpen with poor defense to one of the better offenses in the league, solid starting pitching, an outstanding job from their bullpen and and much-improved defense.
The Athletics and their fanbase hope they can ride this momentum and build off what they've been doing so well into Spring Training next year, and get off to a much better start in their second season in West Sacramento at Sutter Health Park.
Bridget Mulcahy is a freelance journalist and baseball author based out of Sacramento, California. She attended University of California, Davis where she earned her degree in Communications and Professional Writing. In 2018, she began covering the Sacramento River Cats at Sutter Health Park including the 2019 Pacific Coast League champion season. She has built her own website and social media presence where she writes about all aspects of baseball and provides a fresh, insightful perspective on the game.
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