Scott Kazmir pauses to consider his options in Tokyo. It seems like we’re having a comeback after every other sentence.
S. Kazmir Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
First, there was the fact that he was formerly a highly touted left-handed pitching prospect for both the Mets and the Rays, but that a string of injuries ultimately rendered him unable to throw as hard or as consistently as previously.
Before making 29 above-average starts for Cleveland in 2013, becoming an All-Star for the A’s in 2014, and pitching even better in 2015, he spent 2012 rebuilding his career after being dismissed by the Angels in 2011.
The second was that he signed a three-year deal with the Dodgers in 2016, pitched one subpar season, and then went on the disabled list.
After being acquired from Los Angeles, he was released by the Braves. After sitting out for two years, he signed a minor league contract with the Giants, who called him up in May and sent him back down in June.
Now he’s competing for Team USA at the Olympics, hoping to bring home a gold medal and earn another shot at the major leagues.
The third, he says. Your perspective determines the answer.
Kim Seitler, his wife, sees it as “a comeback and closure at the same time.” In terms of age, Kazmir is 37. His fortune is approaching $100 million. He has pitched in the World Series and has been an All-Star. He has no interest in baseball and doesn’t require it. Perhaps that’s why he’s starting to appreciate it now.
Whenever he is not on the mound, he expresses a desire to take on the role of batboy. “I am not taking this time for granted at all.”
He led the league in strikeouts when he was 23 years old, but by the time he was 28 he was out of the majors because he had taken his success for granted.
Somewhere along the road, he had lost himself as he dealt with minor injuries and attempted to compensate for them. Because he had put so much stock in his athletic abilities, he didn’t know what to do with himself when they began to fade. Baseball was more like a profession than a hobby.
However, he changed his diet and started training more effectively. And now, at age 29, he was playing again in the major leagues, where he belonged. The team’s All-Stars included him. This $48 million contract was signed by him. His hips, neck, and intercostal muscles all started hurting him again.
In 2018, during spring training with the Braves, he walked away, ending his second comeback attempt. His first child, Bodie, was six months old, and he felt mentally and physically absent. Scott told Kim, “I just can’t do this anymore.” Yet he continued to throw. Man, he was bored, Kim says.
Surfing was a Hobby He took up.
His arm felt more powerful after being paddled. During the 2019 All-Star break, his friend Kendall Graveman, who is now with the Astros, paid him a visit and saw how nicely the ball was coming out of Kazmir’s hand.
He came to appreciate the sensations it brought about. The goal was to maintain a strong training regimen and showcase his pitching skills to scouts at 2020 spring training.
It was supposed to happen, but the epidemic changed everything. But he has a throwing mound and batting cage close to his home in Houston, so he has kept up his training. He continued to monitor his speed and rotational frequency.
He wouldn’t stop fiddling with it. Kim claims, “It seemed like it was different this time.” Every time he finished throwing, he would come home and be totally stoked. It’s like he’s saying, “Babe, I’ve got it figured out.”
While waiting for major league teams to accept, he began to consider other options for making use of his revitalised arm. He had a great time competing for the United States in the 2001 Pan American Junior Championships, where they came in second to Cuba.
Therefore, he contacted his former associates to express his desire to join the group’s activities. Even though he was signed to a minor league contract and sent to Triple A Sacramento by San Francisco, he was still able to make the Olympic team.
His two boys, Bodie, 4, and Utah, 2, were hoping to watch him pitch in the big leagues for the first time this year, and he got what he really wanted nine days before the spring qualifying tournament started when the Giants elevated him.
After making four major league appearances for the first time since 2016, San Francisco demoted him. His Olympic hopes had been dashed, but he was once again a candidate. He found that he had made the team a month later.
Conclusion
His Olympic debut was on Wednesday, when he went five innings while allowing no runs. Thursday, the United States will play South Korea in the other semifinal. They defeated the Dominican Republic 3-1. On Saturday, the victor will play Japan for the gold; the loser will face the Democratic Republic of the Congo for third place.
It showed that he was going at 91 mph on the scoreboard at Yokohama Stadium, but he claims he had reached 96. He spent the entire winter working on his fitness level, and now he can go to the next level.
“I’m in the best shape of my life right now,” he boasts. Next season, I believe I will have the opportunity to make significant improvements.
