Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports
Scott Kazmir’s last Major League Baseball appearance came Sept. 23, 2016, pitching for the Dodgers. He felt some muscle discomfort and had been battling injuries, and he exited after one inning and was shut down for the season.
That was his last game in the majors — but “last” now means most recent.
One of the most remarkable comeback stories in baseball, one that more grabs than tugs at heartstrings, will be center stage at Oracle Park on Saturday, when Kazmir gets the ball 1,703 days after he last stepped on a major league mound, pitching for the Giants against the last team for which he played.
It’s a Hollywood story taking place in San Francisco, a turning point arriving Friday night, when Gabe Kapler made the phone call to Sacramento.
“Through the phone, I could tell that he was smiling,” said the current Giants manager and 2009 Rays teammate of Kazmir’s. “It’s been a long journey for him … and I know that the journey hasn’t been the easiest one for him. It’s a pretty cool story.”
Kapler undersold it.
Kazmir was a top-flight prospect whom the Mets dealt to the team that was then known as the Devil Rays. He debuted in 2004, when George W. Bush was in his first term as president, and emerged as a two-time All-Star and perennial solid pitcher for Tampa.
He aged, and injuries struck as the “well-traveled” term began getting applied to him. There were stints with the Angels, Indians, Athletics, Astros and finally Dodgers, but plenty of non-MLB teams, too. Nine years ago he could not find a major league job and spent the 2012 campaign as part of the Sugar Land Skeeters of the independent Atlantic League.
He found his way back, though, and in 2014 he was an All-Star with Oakland. Before the 2018 season, Atlanta released him and he entered baseball purgatory, neither retired nor playing.
“There were a lot of health issues going on with my family and everything. I knew I had to be at home,” the 37-year-old said during spring training.
He had to care for his parents, and he himself had become a father of two. He had stepped away, but took a half-step back during the 2019 All-Star break, when he played catch with a friend and remembered his love for the game.
“It just felt great,” the Giants’ Saturday starter said. “I kind of used it at the beginning just as more of a way to stay in shape — stay in shape by working out and throwing pitches and throwing bullpens. It was fun; I liked doing it.
“Ever since then I just stuck with it.”
The pandemic hit, and he was back in independent ball, this time a pop-up league in Texas. The Giants kept an eye on him, made him a shocking signing during spring training, and he was willing to report to Triple-A Sacramento 17 years after he broke into the majors.
“It’s a story of perseverance and one of resilience,” Kapler said before Kazmir got the spot-start with Logan Webb on the IL. “… I remember watching his first bullpen in Scottsdale, and it just didn’t look too much different from what we saw back in ’16. I think it’s a testament to his drive and his determination and his willingness to go through some difficult stretches.
“It’s not easy to be an established major league pitcher with a long career and a lot of service time and [who] made a ton of money and then go back and pitch in independent ball.”
This is not a stunt. Kazmir, who is throwing low-90s, is being thrown headfirst into an NL West blood rivalry, the Giants tied for first in late May and one game ahead of the third-place Dodgers. The lefty is not built up — his longest Triple-A outing was 56 pitches, and Kapler estimated he could throw 55-60 pitches a few hours after his official call-up.
The Giants, who DFA’d Braden Bishop to make room for Kazmir and optioned Sam Selman, have Nick Tropeano behind him and a fairly rested bullpen with which they will try to piece together a win against Walker Buehler.
“It’s going to be a bit of a whirlwind for him,” Kapler acknowledged.
Once he delivers his first pitch, he will officially make his 299th major league appearance. His story continues, and script writers should be watching.