Barry Zito
Barry William Zito is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball for the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants. His pitching repertoire consisted of a curveball, a four-seam fastball, a two-seam fastball, a circle changeup, and a cutter-slider.
Zito attended the University of California, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles Pierce College, and the University of Southern California. Drafted three times while in college, Zito signed with the Athletics when they chose him in the first round of the 1999 MLB draft. A year later, he was in the major leagues, finishing sixth in American League Rookie of the Year Award voting. He struggled to begin the 2001 season but improved greatly down the stretch, finishing the year with an 11–1 win–loss record over his final two months. He won 23 games in 2002 and won the Cy Young Award. Zito was the final Oakland Athletics player to win the award before the team's relocation in 2025. His record was only 14–12 in 2003, but he still made the All-Star team for the second year in a row. In 2004, he had his worst season, going 11–11 with a career-high 4.48 earned run average. He became Oakland's Opening Day starter in 2005 and finished fifth in the AL with 171 strikeouts. In 2006, he made the All-Star team and posted a 15–1 record when receiving two or more runs.
Following his seventh season with the Athletics, Zito signed a seven-year deal with the Giants in December 2006. It was the largest contract ever given to a pitcher. He posted double-digit wins in his first three seasons, and in 2010 he helped San Francisco win their first championship since 1954. However, he struggled the last month of the season and was left off the postseason roster. After sitting out much of the 2011 season with a foot and ankle injury, he returned in 2012 and flourished, finishing with a 15–8 record, his best season in a Giants uniform. The same October, Zito helped lead the Giants to their second World Series title in San Francisco history. In the NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals, the Giants were down 3 games to 1, and Zito took the ball in Game 5 with the Giants' season on the line. Zito pitched a shutout into the 8th inning and the Giants won the game, and went on to win the series in 7 games. In his first World Series start, he outdueled Tigers' ace Justin Verlander in Game 1, setting the stage for San Francisco's sweep to their seventh World Series title in franchise history. Zito's 2012 postseason was 2–0 with a 1.69 ERA in three postseason starts. Zito struggled in 2013 but received a standing ovation from the fans in his final appearance as a Giant. Following that year, he became a free agent, and after sitting out the 2014 season he returned to the Athletics for 3 games in 2015 before retiring. Zito, a philanthropist, founded Strikeouts for Troops, a national non-profit that provides the comforts of home and lifts the spirits and morale of injured troops as well as offering support to military families.
Early life and education
Zito was born May 13, 1978, in Las Vegas, Nevada, to Roberta and Joe Zito. He is of Italian descent. He had two sisters who were 9 and 13 years older than Barry. His family moved to San Diego, California, to help him concentrate on his baseball career after he showed signs of promise from a very young age. Not knowing much about baseball, his father began reading books about pitching strategy and even stopped working to help coach his son. At the age of 12, Randy Jones, a former Cy Young Award winner, was hired by his father to give him lessons at $50 an hour. He transferred from El Cajon's Grossmont High School, where he was the star pitcher, to University of San Diego High School, a Roman Catholic private school for his senior year. Zito received many league honors there, posting an 8-4 record with a 2.92 ERA, while racking up 105 strikeouts in just 85 innings.College career
Zito then attended UC Santa Barbara where he earned Freshman All-America Honors with 125 strikeouts in innings. In his sophomore season, Zito transferred to Los Angeles Pierce College so that he could be eligible for the Major League Baseball draft. At Pierce, he posted a 2.62 earned run average, went 9–2 with 135 strikeouts in 103 innings, and was named to the all-state and all-conference teams. He then transferred to the University of Southern California, where he was a first-team All-America selected by USA Today Baseball Weekly, Collegiate Baseball, and Baseball America. With a 12–3 record, a 3.28 ERA, and 154 strikeouts in innings, Zito was named Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year.Zito also played in the Cape Cod Baseball League, a summer wooden bat league that showcases the nation's top amateur prospects. He led the Wareham Gatemen to the league championship in 1997 and was named a league all-star and led the team to a runner-up finish in 1998.
Professional career
Drafts and minor leagues
Zito was taken by the Seattle Mariners in the 59th round of the 1996 Major League Baseball draft, and in the third round by the Texas Rangers in 1998, but did not sign with either team. In the 1999 draft, he was selected by the Oakland Athletics with the ninth pick of the first round, and signed for a $1.59 million bonus.In 1999, Zito began his professional career with the Visalia Oaks, Oakland's A team. He went 3–0 with a 2.45 ERA in eight starts. He struck out 62 in innings. Zito was promoted to the Midland RockHounds and went 2–1 with a 4.91 ERA to finish the AA schedule. He then got one start for the AAA Vancouver Canadians, allowing a lone run with six strikeouts in six innings.
Zito began the 2000 season in AAA with the Sacramento River Cats. He pitched innings in 18 starts, going 8–5 with a 3.19 ERA, 91 strikeouts, and 41 walks.
Oakland Athletics (2000–2006)
2000
Zito made his major league debut on July 22, 2000, against the Anaheim Angels wearing #53. He allowed one run in five innings, and got the win. In his next start, Zito went seven innings while giving up three runs to the Boston Red Sox. Zito continued to have great success early in his rookie season. In his third career start, he went seven innings and gave up one run against the Toronto Blue Jays. On September 10, Zito pitched his first complete game shutout against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He threw 110 pitches, struck out eight, and allowed five hits. During September, he went 5–1 with a 1.73 ERA. Zito finished with a 7–4 record and a 2.72 earned run average in 14 starts. Despite his late start to the season, Zito still received a vote for the American League Rookie of the Year Award voting, finishing in a 4-way tie for sixth place with Steve Cox, Adam Kennedy and Mark Redman.Zito made his postseason debut in Game 4 of the AL Division Series against the New York Yankees. He went innings, struck out 5, walked 2, and allowed an earned run. Zito earned the win, outpitching Roger Clemens. However, the Yankees would win the series, 3–2, and would go on to win their third straight World Series.
2001
In 2001, Zito Switched his uniform number to 75 and finished third in the American League in strikeouts per nine innings, fourth in strikeouts, sixth in wins, eighth in ERA, and tenth in winning percentage. Zito became the sixth lefty aged 23 or younger since 1902 to strike out at least 200 batters in a season. After a great rookie season, Zito struggled through the early part of the 2001 season, posting a 6–7 record with a 5.01 ERA in his first 22 starts. However, he rebounded nicely and by August, he was putting up good pitching numbers. Zito was named Pitcher of the Month in August, going 5–1 with a 1.02 ERA. Zito won Pitcher of the Month again in September, going 6–0 with a 1.89 ERA. During those last two months of the season, Zito went a combined 11–1 with a 1.32 ERA, best in baseball.The Athletics made the postseason and again played the Yankees in the ALDS. Zito pitched in Game 3 against Mike Mussina. He went eight innings, striking out six, walking one, and allowing an earned run. But Zito took the loss as the Yankees won the game, 1–0. The Yankees would end up taking the series, 3–2.
2002
In 2002, Zito became one of the best pitchers in baseball. On May 8, Zito signed a 4-year, $9.3 million contract extension, keeping him in Oakland through at least the 2005 season, with a club option for the 2006 season. On June 22, Zito won his 10th game of the season. It was the earliest that an A's pitcher had reached the 10-win mark since Bob Welch got there on June 15, 1990. Zito was named to the All-Star team for the first time in his career. On July 18, he went innings while giving up no runs against the Angels. That win gave Zito a team-record 16th straight win at home. Zito again faced the Angels in his next start and produced similar results. He went innings and gave up just one run. That win gave Zito the most wins by an AL pitcher. Zito would become the AL's first 15-game winner when he beat the Rangers. On August 23, Zito recorded his 18th win of the season, giving him one more than his previous career-high of 17, in a game against the Detroit Tigers.On August 28, Zito earned his 19th win of the season against the Kansas City Royals. However, he lost his bid for a perfect game in the sixth inning when Neifi Pérez singled with one out. Zito gave credit to Pérez. "I wasn't pitching to maintain a no-hitter or something", Zito said. "I left the ball up over the middle to Pérez, and he hit it up the middle. It was a good piece of hitting."
On September 8, Zito became the first pitcher in the AL to win 20 games when he pitched seven innings and allowed no earned runs against the Minnesota Twins. "I'm not pitching for the Cy Young", Zito said. "I'm pitching to get the Oakland A's into the playoffs and to the World Series." In his next start, against the Seattle Mariners, Zito took a no-hitter into the eighth inning before John Olerud singled to leadoff the inning. Seattle manager Lou Piniella said if he could vote for the Cy Young Award winner, "It would go to that young man who pitched for the Oakland team. There are other deserving pitchers, but has won 21 games and he competes well."
In his last start of the season, Zito went six innings and allowed just a run against the Texas Rangers. In his last 10 starts, Zito went 8–0, boosting his chances of winning the AL Cy Young Award. "Barry pitched another gem", said Oakland manager Art Howe. "He's certainly had a Cy Young-type season. He's just been steady all season long." Zito was a part of the A's 20 consecutive game winning streak in 2002.
In Game 3 of the ALDS, Zito went six innings and gave up three earned runs against the Twins, earning the win. However, the Twins defeated the Athletics in five games, making the Athletics the first team to lose the deciding game of a series three years in a row.
Zito won the AL Cy Young Award with a 23–5 record, narrowly defeating Pedro Martínez in the voting. He led the league with 23 wins, was second in winning percentage, and third in both ERA and strikeouts. Zito's 23 wins were the most by an AL left-hander since Frank Viola had 24 wins for Minnesota in 1988. Zito also allowed a.185 average to opposing hitters, the lowest in the AL. Martínez, who had led the AL in ERA, strikeouts, and winning percentage, became the first pitcher since the introduction of the award to lead his league in each of the three categories and not win the award. Zito became the first A's pitcher to win the Cy Young Award since Dennis Eckersley did it in 1992. Zito was also named AL TSN Pitcher of the Year.