Two years ago, Barry Zito was seen as a US$126 million failure, left off the post-season roster as the San Francisco Giants charged to their first World Series title since the franchise moved from New York in 1958.
On Friday, Zito helped keep the Giants’ season alive, pitching into the eighth inning of a 5-0 shutout that extended their National League Championship Series against the St Louis Cardinals, who were one win away from reaching the World Series.
The 34-year-old Zito pitched 7-2/3 innings, yielding six hits and striking out six for the Game Five victory that kept the Giants alive and sent the best-of-seven series back to San Francisco with the Cardinals leading 3-2.
Photo: Reuters
“I couldn’t be happier for him,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy told reporters. “He’s done a great job for us this year. I don’t know how many times we needed to win this year, he found a way to get it done for us.”
The crafty Zito, who keeps hitters off-balance with a variety of pitches and pinpoint control when he is on, went 15-8 this season and finished with an 8-0 run, after his first five seasons with the club produced a cumulative record of 43-61.
“I see how hard he works, no matter if he’s struggling or doing well. He puts in the time off the field. His preparation is second to none,” Giants catcher Buster Posey added.
Photo: Reuters
Zito was a wonder boy for his first major league team, the Oakland Athletics, helping them to the playoffs five times during his seven seasons there and winning 23 games in 2002.
As a free agent, he opted to make the short hop across the bay to San Francisco, who gave the left-hander a seven-year contract worth US$126 million to pitch for them starting in 2007.
The move to the National League did not go smoothly for Zito, who struggled through injuries and lost some life on his fastball and confidence in his arsenal of pitches.
The low point came when Zito was reduced to the role of cheerleader when he was shunned by the team during the Giants’ rousing run to the Major League Baseball championship in 2010.
“He’s been through a lot, I know,” Bochy added. “You go back to 2010. But this guy, he is some kind of tough. I can remember when I had to tell him that he was not on the postseason roster in 2010. I think he went out and threw a bullpen right away. He understood and he was disappointed. But he kept working and throughout the playoffs he kept himself ready in case something happened and he never got down. And that just shows a lot about his character.”
Even the St Louis starter in Friday’s Game Five, Lance Lynn, marveled at Zito’s performance.
“You never knew what he was throwing,” Lynn said. “Everything was to the opposite side of the plate than you were thinking. That’s what he’s capable of. He cuts it, changes-up, has a big curve he can throw at any side of the plate, at any height, any level. When he’s doing that with the command he has, he’s going to be hard to hit.”
Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said Zito gave a pitching clinic.
“He was pitching. He was raising eye level. He was in the top of the zone, just above, on the edges, just off. He was moving in and out, back and forth,” Matheny said. “He was taking speeds off his breaking ball and change-up. That’s what pitching is. You don’t have to have 99 [mph] on your fastball if you can locate and keep hitters off balance.”
Taiwan’s Lee Hao-yu on Friday went 0-for-3 in his MLB debut for the Detroit Tigers against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, becoming the 19th Taiwan-born player to reach the big leagues. The Tigers ultimately lost 1-0 in 10 innings, ending their six-game winning streak. The 23-year-old started at third base and batted eighth for Detroit. He was promoted from Triple-A Toledo ahead of the four-game series against the Red Sox at the latter’s home stadium, replacing injured utility player Zach McKinstry. “Being right-handed, and given our schedule, I think six of the next 12 games are going to
Matheus Cunha on Saturday fired Manchester United toward the UEFA Champions League with a 1-0 win at Chelsea, while Tottenham Hotspur remain in the relegation zone after twice blowing the lead to draw with Brighton & Hove Albion. Chelsea failed to take advantage of a United defense ravaged by injury and suspension as a fourth straight league defeat for the Blues left their Champions League hopes in ruins. United have missed out on the riches of Europe’s elite competition for the past two seasons, but are closing in on a return thanks to an upturn in fortunes under interim manager
Denmark’s double Olympic badminton champion Viktor Axelsen, long a rival of Taiwan’s former world No. 2 Chou Tien-chen, yesterday announced his retirement at age 32, saying back problems meant he could no longer “compete and train at the highest level.” Axelsen, who won gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and again in Paris in 2024, had back surgery in April last year and said he had not overcome his physical issues. “Accepting this situation has been incredibly difficult,” he said in a statement. “But I have now reached a point where my body won’t allow me to continue.” Axelsen retires as one
Italian soccer is at its lowest ebb in nearly 40 years after a wholesale European exodus at club level followed the nation’s failure for the third successive time to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, and compounded a leadership and structural crisis. The exits suffered by Bologna and ACF Fiorentina on Thursday in the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League respectively meant no Italian teams are left in European competition this season. Italy’s last remaining UEFA Champions League contenders, Atalanta BC, went out in the round of 16 last month. It is the first time since the 1986-1987 campaign that Italian clubs
RSS