Pete Kozma

Peter Michael Kozma (born April 11, 1988) is an American former professional baseball shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, and Oakland Athletics. The Cardinals selected him in the first round of the 2007 MLB draft from Owasso High School in Oklahoma, and he made his MLB debut for them in 2011.

A sure-handed defender with excellent range and throwing arm, in the 2012 National League Division Series against the Washington Nationals, 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.

Kozma was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His father, Bob “Buckey” Kozma, played Triple-A baseball, and his mother, Janet, played softball. He attended Owasso High School in Owasso, Oklahoma, and played for the school's baseball team. He was named to USA Today's All-USA high school baseball second team.

The St. Louis Cardinals selected Kozma in the first round, with the 18th overall selection, of the 2007 Major League Baseball draft. In his first professional season, Kozma played for three minor league teams: the Johnson City Cardinals (30 games), GCL Cardinals (four games) and Batavia Muckdogs (eight games). Overall, he hit .233 with two home runs and 11 runs batted in (RBIs) in 42 games that season.

Kozma played for the Quad Cities River Bandits (99 games) and Palm Beach Cardinals (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 (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.

On May 18, 2011, Kozma was called up from the AAA Memphis Redbirds, with whom he hit .214 in 112 games, to the major league club to replace injured middle infielder Nick Punto. 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. Kozma was part of the Cardinals' postseason roster when the team won the 2011 World Series 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 was placed on the disabled list. Kozma singled to give the Cardinals the deciding runs in the winner-take-all fifth game of the 2012 National League Division Series (NLDS) over the Washington Nationals. 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 against the San Francisco Giants and added a stolen base. Despite leading 3–1 in the series, the Cardinals lost the Series in the last game.