Peter Michael Kozma (born April 11, 1988) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...

who is a free agent. He has previously played in

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(MLB) for the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

, Texas Rangers,

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

, and

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

. The Cardinals selected him in the first round of the

2007 MLB draft The 2007 Major League Baseball draft, was an annual choosing of high school and college baseball players, held on June 7, 2007 and June 8, 2007. The first day session of the draft included the first 25 rounds and was scheduled to be broadcast "l ...

from

Owasso High School Owasso High School is a high school located within Tulsa County in Owasso, Oklahoma, United States. It is among the largest high schools in Oklahoma by enrollment with nearly 3,000 students. In 2024, the school received international attention f ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, and he made his MLB debut for them on May 18, 2011. He is , weighs , and bats and throws right-handed. A sure-handed defender with excellent range and throwing arm, Kozma primarily plays

. In the

2012 National League Division Series The 2012 National League Division Series were two best-of-five-game series to determine the participating teams in the 2012 National League Championship Series. The three divisional winners and a fourth team—the winner of a one-game Wild Car ...

against the

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, his 9th inning hit of the deciding Game 5 drove in the go-ahead run and allowed the Cardinals to advance to the

National League Championship Series The National League Championship Series (NLCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the winners of the two Natio ...

Early life

Kozma was born in

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa ( ) is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities by population, 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The po ...

. His father, Bob “Buckey” Kozma, played Triple-A baseball, and his mother, Janet, played softball. He attended Owasso High School in

Owasso, Oklahoma Owasso () is a city in Rogers and Tulsa Counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, and the largest northern suburb of Tulsa. The population was 39,328 persons as of the 2022 census estimate, compared to 28,915 at the 2010 census, a gain of 36 per ...

, and played for the school's baseball team. He was named to ''

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''s All-USA high school baseball second team.

Professional career

St. Louis Cardinals

The

selected Kozma in the first round, with the 18th overall selection, of the

2007 Major League Baseball draft The 2007 Major League Baseball draft, was an annual choosing of high school and college baseball players, held on June 7, 2007 and June 8, 2007. The first day session of the draft included the first 25 rounds and was scheduled to be broadcast "l ...

. In his first professional season, Kozma played for three minor league teams: the

Johnson City Cardinals The Johnson City Cardinals were a Minor League Baseball team based in Johnson City, Tennessee. The team was affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals organization from 1975 through 2020 and played in the Rookie League, Rookie-level Appalachian Leagu ...

(30 games),

GCL Cardinals The Florida Complex League Cardinals or FCL Cardinals are a rookie league affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Cardinals. ...

(four games) and

Batavia Muckdogs The Batavia Muckdogs are a collegiate summer baseball team in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL). They are located in Batavia, a city in Genesee County, New York, United States. Their home field is Dwyer Stadium in the city o ...

(eight games). Overall, he hit .233 with two

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s and 11

runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...

(RBIs) in 42 games that season. Kozma played for the

Quad Cities River Bandits The Quad Cities River Bandits are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. Their home games are played at Modern Woodmen Park (formerly John O'Donnell Stadium) in Davenport, Iowa, on ...

(99 games) and

Palm Beach Cardinals The Palm Beach Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in the town of Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home games at Roge ...

(24 games) in 2008, hitting a combined .258 with five home runs and 50 RBI in 123 games. He also stole 12 bases in 18 attempts. In 2009, Kozma split the season between Palm Beach (18 games) and the

Springfield Cardinals The Springfield Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springfield, Missouri. They are members of the Texas League's North Division and serve as the Double-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The Springfield Cardinals began pl ...

(113 games), hitting .231 with six home runs and 45 RBI in 131 games. He played for Springfield in 2010, hitting .243 with 13 home runs and 72 RBI in 132 games. He also stole 13 bases in 15 tries. Pete Kozma 2012 NLDS

On May 18, 2011, Kozma was called up from the AAA

Memphis Redbirds The Memphis Redbirds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in Memphis, Tennessee, and are named for their Major League Baseball affiliate. The Redbird ...

, with whom he hit .214 in 112 games, to the major league club to replace injured middle infielder

Nick Punto Nicholas Paul Punto (born November 8, 1977) is an American former professional baseball infielder and current coach (baseball), coach for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Philadelphia Phillies, Minneso ...

. He made his major league debut that night, and hit a double with an RBI in his first at-bat when pinch-hitting in the 5th inning at

Busch Stadium Busch Stadium (also referred to informally as "New Busch Stadium" or "Busch Stadium III") is a baseball stadium located in St. Louis, Missouri. It is the home of Major League Baseball's St. Louis Cardinals. It has a seating capacity of 44,383, ...

. Kozma was part of the Cardinals' postseason roster when the team won the

2011 World Series The 2011 World Series was the World Series, championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2011 Major League Baseball season, 2011 season. The 107th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American Le ...

over the Texas Rangers. Kozma was optioned to Triple-A to begin the 2012 season. He was recalled to the Cardinals on August 31, 2012, when

Rafael Furcal Rafael Antoni Furcal (born October 24, 1977) is a Dominican former professional baseball shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, and Miami Marlins. With St. Louis, h ...

was placed on the disabled list. Kozma singled to give the Cardinals the deciding runs in the winner-take-all fifth game of the

(NLDS) over the

. During the NLDS, he hit a home run—his first in an MLB postseason—and drove in five runners. Kozma batted .227 during the

NLCS The National League Championship Series (NLCS) is a Playoff format#Best-of-seven playoff, best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) Major League Baseball po ...

against the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

and added a stolen base. Despite leading 3–1 in the series, the Cardinals lost the Series in the last game. Kozma became the Cardinals' primary shortstop in

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

and finished with a .217 batting average, 20 doubles, a home run and three stolen bases in 143 games. They secured the best record in the

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

, thus making the playoffs. He provided a key defensive play in the sixth inning of Game 3 of the

against the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

. Dodgers batter

Juan Uribe Juan Cespedes Uribe Tena (born March 22, 1979) is a Dominican former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Brav ...

hit a rapid ground ball in the hole, which Kozma backhanded and relayed to second baseman Matt Carpenter, tipping off an inning ending double play. The Cardinals won the game, 4–2. The Cardinals won the NLCS to advance to the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...

. In Game 1 of the

against the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

, Kozma was involved in a controversial error/blown call that was overturned by the umpiring crew. He mishandled and dropped a ball tossed to him that would have commenced an inning-ending double play. Red Sox

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

John Farrell leapt of the dugout, confronted umpire

Dana DeMuth Dana Andrew DeMuth (born May 30, 1956) is a former umpire in Major League Baseball. Umpiring career DeMuth advanced through the minor leagues to the Triple-A Pacific Coast League before joining the National League staff full-time June 3, 1983. D ...

and requested that the umpire crew get together and make a group decision on the ruling. The umpires ultimately ruled that Kozma never had control of the ball, and the inning continued. Boston went on to score three runs that inning, and eventually went on to win the

championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...

in six games. The following off-season, the Cardinals signed longtime

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...

player

Jhonny Peralta Jhonny Antonio Peralta (born May 28, 1982) is a Dominican former professional baseball shortstop who played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). The Cleveland Guardians, Cleveland Indians signed him as an amateur free agent in his native ...

as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

to upgrade their offense at shortstop, thus supplanting Kozma from his short-lived status as the starter. The Cardinals signed Mark Ellis, another free agent, and kept rookie second baseman

Kolten Wong Kolten Kaha Wong (born October 10, 1990) is an American former professional baseball second baseman who played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners, and Los Angeles Dodgers. H ...

on the MLB roster for much of the season. Those three moves relegated Kozma to spending most of

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

playing for Memphis, where he hit .248 with eight home runs and 59 RBI. The Cardinals recalled him when MLB rosters expand in September, and in 14 games hit .304 with three doubles. The club won the

NL Central The National League Central is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was created in 1994, by moving two teams from the National League West (the Cincinnati Reds and the Houston Astros) and three teams from the National Le ...

division, assuring a playoff berth for the fourth time in his four seasons with the club. He was a last-minute addition to the postseason roster for the

NLDS In Major League Baseball, the National League Division Series (NLDS) determines which two teams from the National League (baseball), National League will advance to the National League Championship Series. The Division Series consists of two best ...

against the

Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. Founded in 1883 in Brooklyn, New York, the ...

. The following spring training, Kozma resumed working out at all infield positions, and added time as a

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

. On June 25,

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, against the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...

, he scored on a double from

. He had three hits and reached base in four plate appearances, snapping an 0–21 streak that dated back to May 19. Kozma totaled 99 at-bats for the season, batting .152 with a .236

on-base percentage In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batting (baseball), batter reaches base (baseball), base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA ...

and no

extra base hit In baseball, an extra-base hit (EB, EBH or XBH), also known as a long hit, is any base hit on which the batter is able to advance past first base without the benefit of a fielder either committing an error or opting to make a throw to retire ano ...

s. The Cardinals removed him from the 40-man roster after the season and re-assigned him to Memphis. He opted to become a free agent.

New York Yankees

On December 4, 2015, the

signed Kozma to a minor league contract. He spent the 2016 season with the

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders, are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pen ...

helping the team win the International League and Triple–A Championships. He signed a contract with the Yankees for the 2017 season. Due to an injury to

Didi Gregorius Mariekson Julius "Didi" Gregorius (born February 18, 1990) is a Curaçao, Curaçaoan-Netherlands, Dutch professional baseball shortstop for the Algodoneros de Unión Laguna of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Basebal ...

, the Yankees added Kozma to their Opening Day roster. He was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

on April 28, to make room for Gregorius' return.

Texas Rangers

On April 30, 2017, the Texas Rangers claimed Kozma off of waivers. He played as a backup utility infielder. On July 20, he was designated for assignment.

Detroit Tigers

On January 9, 2018, the

signed Kozma to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. He started the season with the Triple–A

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A baseball team nicknamed the ...

. On May 8, the Tigers purchased Kozma's minor league contract and added him to the major league roster. He hit a home run in his first at-bat for the Tigers the next day. He was designated for assignment on June 1. After clearing waivers, Kozma was sent outright to Toledo on June 5. On September 14, the Tigers again purchased Kozma's contract from Toledo to add infield depth. In 27 games, he hit .217 with one home run and eight RBI. On October 24, Kozma was removed from the 40-man roster and sent outright to Triple-A Toledo. He subsequently rejected the assignment and elected free agency the next day. On November 9, 2018, Kozma re–signed with the Tigers organization on a minor league contract that included an invitation to spring training. He also played winter baseball with the

Perth Heat The Perth Heat is a baseball team in the current Australian Baseball League and a founding member of the Australian Baseball League. It is the most successful team in ABL history, winning 15 Claxton Shields. Australian Baseball League (1989– ...

of the

Australian Baseball League The Australian Baseball League (ABL) is a professional baseball league in Australia. The league is governed by the Australian Baseball Federation (ABF). It uses the same name as a now-defunct competition held during the 1990s, and though it s ...

for their 2018-19 season, crediting teammate Warwick Saupold for persuading him to join the Heat. Kozma played in 88 games for Toledo in 2019, slashing .263/.340/.414 with seven home runs and 51 RBI. He became a minor league free agent on November 4, 2019.

Atlanta Braves

On November 19, 2019, Kozma signed a minor league deal with the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

. On July 4, 2020, it was announced that Kozma had tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. Kozma did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. He became a free agent on November 2.

Oakland Athletics

On November 18, 2020, Kozma signed a minor league contract with the

organization. He played in 113 games for the Triple-A

Las Vegas Aviators The Las Vegas Aviators, formerly known as the Las Vegas 51s and Las Vegas Stars, are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Athletics. They are located in Summerlin South, Nevada, a comm ...

in 2021, slashing .245/.307/.337 with 4 home runs, 40 RBI, and six stolen bases. On October 1, 2021, his contract was selected, and he appeared in three games for Oakland to end the year. On October 19, he was outrighted off the 40-man roster. Kozma got one hit in 11 at-bats in 2021. On October 19, Kozma elected free agency.

Kansas City Monarchs

On April 9, 2022, Kozma signed with the

Kansas City Monarchs The Kansas City Monarchs were the longest-running franchise in the history of baseball's Negro leagues. Operating in Kansas City, Missouri, and owned by J. L. Wilkinson, they were charter members of the Negro National League from 1920 to 193 ...

of the American Association. Kozma played in 84 games for Kansas City, batting .291/.344/.385 with 2 home runs and 53 RBI. He was released on October 31. Kozma played with the

of the

for the 2022–23 season finishing the season 2nd in the South West Division.

Kane County Cougars

On March 2, 2023, Kozma signed with the

Kane County Cougars The Kane County Cougars are a professional baseball team located in Geneva, Illinois, and are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball (MLB). They play their home games a ...

of the

American Association of Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor ...

. In 62 games for Kane County, he batted .201/.296/.242 with no home runs and 15 RBI. On August 8, Kozma was released by the Cougars. However, on August 20, Kozma re–signed with the team. He was released again on August 23.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kozma, Peter 1988 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Australia American people of Hungarian descent Sportspeople of Hungarian descent Baseball players from Tulsa, Oklahoma Batavia Muckdogs players Detroit Tigers players Gulf Coast Cardinals players Johnson City Cardinals players Kane County Cougars players Kansas City Monarchs (American Association) players Las Vegas Aviators players Major League Baseball shortstops Memphis Redbirds players New York Yankees players Oakland Athletics players Palm Beach Cardinals players Perth Heat players Quad Cities River Bandits players Round Rock Express players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players Springfield Cardinals players St. Louis Cardinals players Surprise Rafters players Texas Rangers players Toledo Mud Hens players