Barry Zito
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Barry William Zito (born May 13, 1978, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA) is a pitcher with the Oakland Athletics baseball club. In 2002, he won the Cy Young Award for outstanding pitcher in the American League. A left hander, Zito throws a 90 mph fastball, a changeup and an excellent curveball, who's nicknames include "Captain Hook" "Rip-Curl" and "Bert", that has drawn comparisons to Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax.
Like many left handed pitchers, Zito — whose hobbies include yoga, rock guitar and surfing — has a reputation for being something of a flake, which is undeserved. Zito created the charity Strikeouts for Troops to which he donates $100 for every strikeout he throws to hospitals for soldiers wounded in military operations.
Zito has a slew of eccentricities which have made him a media favorite. Zito once made it a practice to buy his own autographed baseball cards on eBay; when asked why he bought them at auction for high prices rather than acquiring unsigned cards and signing them himself, Zito replied, "Because they're authenticated." Moreover, Zito carries satin pillows on the road, collects stuffed animals, once dyed his hair blue, and burns incense to relax. Zito has since earned the nickname "Planet Zito."
Zito began dating actress Alyssa Milano since November of 2004, but they are no longer a couple.
Zito is the nephew of television actor Patrick Duffy.
External links
- Barry Zito's career statistics at Baseball-Reference.com (http://www.baseball-reference.com/z/zitoba01.shtml)
- ESPN.com: Barry Zito (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=6394)
- Strikeouts For Troops (http://www.strikeoutsfortroops.org/)
| Preceded by: Roger Clemens | AL Cy Young Award Winner 2002 | Followed by: Roy Halladay |
Barry and Alyssa aren't dating anymore. She has moved on to athletes such as Matt Lienert (USC Trojan quarterback) and Brad Penny (catcher for the LA Dodgers).