Scott Kazmir

Lore & Background

Kazmir was born and raised in the Houston, Texas area. He attended Cypress Falls High School, where he threw five no-hitters in six games as a multi-sport athlete. He was drafted 15th overall by the New York Mets in 2002 and traded to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in July 2004. He made his MLB debut in August 2004 at age 20. Kazmir became a mainstay in Tampa Bay's rotation, winning at least 10 games in each of his four complete seasons with the club. He was named to his first All-Star team in 2006, led the American League with 239 strikeouts in 2007, and remains among Tampa Bay's all-time leaders in several pitching categories. The Rays traded him to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at the 2009 trade deadline. He was released by the Angels in June 2011. After a season and a half out of the majors, he returned with the Cleveland Indians, then signed with the Oakland Athletics, was traded to the Houston Astros in 2015, and later signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He made a final MLB comeback with the San Francisco Giants in 2021 and also pitched for the United States national team at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

In Their Own Story

October 2008. The Angel Stadium is a cauldron. The Red Sox are up, the crowd is a single roaring organism, and Kazmir is on the mound in the third inning, his cap pulled low, his eyes locked on the batter's eyes. The count is 1-1. He winds up, and for a half-second the whole stadium goes quiet — you can feel the rotation in his arm, the torque in his hips. The ball leaves his hand at 99, maybe 100, and it's gone before the batter's bat even starts to turn. Strike two. The crowd exhales. Kazmir doesn't celebrate. He just resets, wipes his glove, and looks at the next batter like he's personally offended them. That's the thing about Scott Kazmir in the Halo: every pitch was a small war, and he never, ever let you forget it.

Reader's Guide

Scott Kazmir was acquired by the Angels at the 2009 trade deadline, not 2006. He was not a member of the 2008 Angels rotation; he was with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008. His tenure with the Angels lasted from August 2009 until his release in June 2011—not four seasons from 2006 through 2009. He was never dealt to the Mets; the Mets traded him to the Rays in 2004.

Did You Know?

• Kazmir threw five no-hitters in six games during his high school career at Cypress Falls High School.
• He and high school teammate Clint Everts became the first pair of pitchers from the same high school to be drafted in the first round.
• Kazmir led the American League with 239 strikeouts in 2007, the only pitcher in Tampa Bay history to lead the league in strikeouts.
• He was nicknamed 'Pizza Man' by Rays fans because his high strikeout rate increased the chance of a free pizza promotion at Tropicana Field.
• Kazmir started and won the quarterfinal game for the United States at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.