About Barry Zito
Barry William Zito (born May 13, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. A left-hander, Zito pitched for the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants during a 15-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career. Zito led the American League in wins and won the AL Cy Young Award in 2002. A three-time All-Star known for his curveball, Zito won a World Series ring with the Giants in 2012. 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 (AL) Rookie of the Year Award voting. He struggled to begin the 2001 season but improved greatly down the stretch, finishing the year with a 17-8 win–loss record. He went 23-5 with a 2.75 ERA in 2002, leading the AL in wins and winning the AL Cy Young Award. In the early 2000s, Zito and fellow Athletics starting pitchers Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder were known as the Big Three. Zito posted a 102-63 record and a 3.58 ERA during his tenure with the Athletics, and he made the AL All-Star team in 2002, 2003, and 2006. Following his seventh season with the Athletics, Zito became a free agent. He signed a seven-year, $126 million contract with the Giants in December 2006. At that time, the contract was the largest contract ever signed by an MLB pitcher. Zito is known for having underperformed his contract; in seven seasons with the Giants, he accumulated a 63-80 record with an ERA of 4.62. He led the National League with 17 losses in 2008. In 2010, San Francisco won the World Series; however, Zito struggled during the last month of the season and was left off the postseason roster. Zito sat out much of the 2011 season with a foot and ankle injury. He finished the 2012 season with a 15-8 record, his best in a Giants uniform. That October, Zito helped lead the Giants to the 2012 World Series title. He won Game Five of the NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals and defeated Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander in Game One of the World Series, setting the stage for San Francisco's Series sweep. Zito struggled in 2013 and became a free agent following the season. After sitting out the 2014 season, he returned to the Athletics for three games in 2015 before retiring. A philanthropist, Zito 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. 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 (while only losing five) in 2002 and won the Cy Young Award. His record was only 14–12 in 2003, but he still made the All-Star team for the second year in a row.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.