Scott Kazmir Biography

From Texas standout to All-Star and World Series savior, Scott Kazmir is one of the best pitchers in baseball!

Scott Kazmir: High School Star
The baseball team of Cypress Falls High School near Houston, Texas, was blessed with two pitchers will All-World talent in the early 2000s. Right-hander Clint Everts and left hander Scott Kazmir blazed a path through batters and set records for wins and strikeouts. Both Clint Everts and Scott Kazmir were heavily recruited by NCAA teams, but the call of the MLB and the millions there were too much for both of the Cypress Falls standouts.

Scott Kazmir: 2002 MLB Draft
Clint Everts was taken with the fifth overall pick in the 2002 MLB Draft. It would not be a long wait for Scott Kazmir, however, as the New York Mets took the amazing lefty with the 15th overall pick in the draft. A pair of first rounders from the same high school was an MLB record and debates began about who was the better prospect. The New York Mets sent Scott Kazmir down to the minors to develop for a few years in order to hone his raw talent. The New York Mets made a grave mistake in trading Scott Kazmir to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2004 for veteran talent.

Scott Kazmir: Tampa Bay Rays
The trade in hindsight was an awful move by the New York Mets but was a big piece in building the Tampa Bay Rays current winning roster. Scott Kazmir bumped between the minors and the Tampa Bay Rays starting lineup, gaining experience to go with his natural talent. Adjusting to the MLB was hard as it is for every pitcher, but fans with Tampa Bay Rays tickets quickly recognized the pure potential of Scott Kazmir as he racked up an astounding amount of strikeouts.

Scott Kazmir became a full-time starter for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2005 and quickly improved to become one of the best players on the Tampa Bay Rays roster. With an ERA of 3.77, the numbers for Scott Kazmir might not have been remarkable in this important stat. However, the 174 strikeouts were impressive and showed just how much talent was in the mighty left arm of Scott Kazmir. The experience was starting to catch up to the talent and Scott Kazmir was ready for a breakout that fans with Tampa Bay Rays tickets had been waiting for.

Scott Kazmir: 2006 MLB All-Star
A rough start to the 2006 Tampa Bay Rays season was the only mistake Scott Kazmir would make that year. Amazing fans with Tampa Bay Rays tickets in every outing after his debut, Scott Kazmir began to pile up Tampa Bay Rays records. A shutout against the Boston Red Sox was a key milestone in the young Scott Kazmir’s career and a slew of strikeouts followed. It was quickly becoming apparent to the MLB that Scott Kazmir was a pitching ace at the young age of 23.

Scott Kazmir so impressed the MLB that he was named to the 2006 All-Star game where a bigger audience got to see “Sco-Kaz” strike out elite talent. A strong buzz was building around Scott Kazmir and the Tampa Bay Rays. Baseball pundits and fans alike recognized that Scott Kazmir could make the team a winner if more pieces were put around him. Many of these pieces were already there but were waiting in the farm system at the time. GM Gerry Hunsicker was also committed to building a championship team.

Scott Kazmir: James Shields
The 2007 Tampa Bay Rays season was another productive year for Scott Kazmir. After a boatload of strikeouts over the past few seasons, Scott Kazmir finally became the AL strikeout leader and posted an ERA of 3.48 and 13 wins. Scott Kazmir received a ton of help thanks to RHP James Shields. The evolution of James Shields gave the Tampa Bay Rays a powerful and young pitching rotation. Getting some deeper talent in the lineup was the only thing keeping the Tampa Bay Rays back.

Scott Kazmir: 2008 Tampa Bay Rays

Fans with Tampa Bay Rays tickets were excited for the 2008 MLB season. Not only did the team move away from the “Devil Rays” moniker, but they also had an impressive offseason. The addition of pitcher Matt Garza and 3B Evan Longoria proved to be the two moves needed to get the Tampa Bay Rays over the hump. Scott Kazmir was hobbled by an arm injury for a short time but quickly bounced back to the top.

Scott Kazmir reached the 2008 All-Star Game and his efforts along with James Shields had the Tampa Bay Rays standing atop the AL East for the first time. The MLB was shocked by this development as the Tampa Bay Rays were thought to be too young to make a run yet. In addition to James Shields and Scott Kazmir, the bats of Evan Longoria and B.J. Upton slayed teams like the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. Fans with Tampa Bay Rays tickets were rewarded with the best season in team history and an AL East Title.

Scott Kazmir: 2008 ALDS
Critics again wrote the Tampa Bay Rays off as too young to make anything happen in the playoffs. The veteran Chicago White Sox were the first team to challenge the Tampa Bay Rays. Loaded with veteran talent, it was expected that the White Sox would knock off the young team. In the contrary, with the bat of Evan Longoria and the arm of Scott Kazmir leading the way, the Tampa Bay Rays blew out the Chicago White Sox 3-1.

Scott Kazmir: 2008 ALCS
In the ALCS, the Tampa Bay Rays faced AL East rivals the Boston Red Sox. The Tampa Bay Rays lost the first game of the series; game 2 matched up Scott Kazmir with fellow Texan and Boston Red Sox ace, Josh Beckett. Both of the aces struggled, and it was up to their teammates to win the game, which saw the Tampa Bay Rays pull away in the 11th inning. The Boston Red Sox were blown out in the next two games and fans were already clamoring for Tampa Bay Rays World Series tickets.

Scott Kazmir took the mound in ALCS Game 5 and shut out the Boston Red Sox for six-straight innings and gave the Tampa Bay Rays a seven-run lead. Scott Kazmir was forced to sit and watch the lead evaporate as the Boston Red Sox stormed back to win 8-7 in the bottom of the ninth inning. Game 6 of the ALCS also fell the Boston Red Sox’s way and Scott Kazmir was again forced to be a spectator. Scott Kazmir cheered along with all the fans with Tampa Bay Rays World Series tickets as rookie pitcher David Price came up with a clutch win in ALCS Game 7.

Scott Kazmir: The World Series
MLB World Series tickets will feature the Tampa Bays Rays going into their first-ever World Series with Scott Kazmir at the helm. The Tampa Bay Rays’ opponents are the dangerous Philadelphia Phillies who are also back on top after a long and hard fight for over a decade. Thanks to a great roster featuring Scott Kazmir, B.J. Upton, Evan Longoria, and James Shields, fans with Tampa Bay Rays World Series tickets are sure to see history made in the 2008 World Series! Order MLB World Series tickets from OnlineTickets.com today!