The Rise and Fall (and Rise Again) of Barry Zito

Depending on who you ask, Barry Zito is either one of the best arms of the early 2000s, or one of the bigger letdowns in recent baseball history. He’s been at the top of the game, and as close to the bottom as a player can get. But one thing’s for sure: without him, the Giants dynasty of the early 2010s never would’ve happened.
This video follows the MLB career of one of the most iconic pitchers in Oakland A's AND San Francisco Giants history. He won Cy Young awards, World Series rings, and the hearts of thousands. And yet, he remains a mystery to most. Let's talk about him.
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BUSINESS INQUIRIES
[e-mail]
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SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: @BaseballHSTRN
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SOURCES
Baseball Reference
Fangraphs
Sports Illustrated
ESPN
Esquire
MLB
The Savannah Bananas
The Mercury News
The New York Times
SABR
Bleacher Report
/ rbt
pastebin.com/8FFGc4Fi
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MUSIC
"Howling (Sting)" - Gunnar Olsen
"35,000 Feet" - The Mini Vandals
"An Army of None" - The Whole Other
"Sunshine" - Telecasted
"How We Like It" - Dan Lebowitz
"Loophole Fragment" - Silent Partner
"The Old RV" - Craig MacArthur
"Stalling" - Topher Mohr and Alex Elena
"Outta Time" - RKVC
"Cruiser" - Silent Partner

[@DrakeHollowayMusic]

Thanks for making this. Very tasteful and I appreciate seeing my journey all in one very well done video!

[@BaseballHistorian]

Oh wow thank you! I hope I did the story justice.

[@ethanniedorowski116]

Almost as good as the curve (almost) Barry Zito = Uncle Charlie As a soxs fan I never wanted to see Barry pitch... we could never hit lefty pitchers with good breaking balls... an he had the best

[@RBT]

Did not expect to hear my 16 year old self’s analysis on the loss of Nick Punto today

[@noahmcdowell2852]

What’s up man. I didn’t expect it either

[@AndThatsBaseball]

That clip is such an unreal pull

[@richardobardo8617]

I don’t think any of us were but we were all happy to see it 😂

[@grahmthrush4924]

Amazing congrats on your success!

[@CacophonyOfDestruction]

For what it’s worth I hadn’t heard Pedro Ciraco’s name in forever. As a lifelong Yankee fan I remember him coming up with Boston and looking scary as hell to deal with in the future. Like the next Garciaparra or Pedroia on his way up that we would have to now deal with for years. Then he suddenly disappeared from Boston to my great relief. Always wondered what happened there.

[@EricWBurton]

Giants fans will never forget Zito. I bet the same is true for A's fans. He's a bay area hall of famer.

[@drewbaby299]

As a Giants fan, all those years of him being bad paid off on the end. The 2012 playoffs erased all those bad memories of him getting shelled.

[@ericwisniewski2636]

100 percent

[@douglasjacobson676]

Yeah postseason success can erase 63 wins in 7 years for $ 130 Million. I was always a big fan, partly because it's hard not to root for such a nice guy

[@TPTGopher]

Zito has to be historically unique in that, while he was a "bust" who the team had already succeeded "in spite of" overall, in the two games Giants fans had dreamed of him pitching when they signed him, he literally drove in more runs than he allowed.

[@douglasjacobson676]

@@TPTGopher ".. historically unique" is term that perfectly suits Barry Zito. From his up & down career, record setting contract ,& a postseason pitching repitiore that included a more than serviceable 83mph fastball, Barry Zito is "historically Bay Area"

[@jeffrey.a.hanson]

That’s sports. Who is Brad Lidge? The Astros guy who gave up the Pujols HR… or the dominant Phillies closer who finished out the WS?

[@BaseballAF]

It's funny, I was just looking at Barry Zito's baseball reference page and thought to myself: "I wonder if someone will put together an almost 24 minute long video about Barry Zito?" I'm glad to see it was done.

[@yawnymoon3116]

Being an A's fan pretty much means seeing all the great players you had go on to bigger and better things 😢

[@extragoogleaccount6061]

Man, I'm not even a huge baseball fan...minus the great baseball youtubers....but you guys in Oakland have it rough as fans. Just seems so unfair.

[@daveweisbrich1769]

Zito had his best years in Oakland.

[@yawnymoon3116]

@daveweisbrich1769 he definitely did but he won a title in San Fran

[@_heffe_]

Giants fan here.. I cursed Zito sooooo many times.. but all was forgiven game 5 of the 2012 NLDS. That made all of it worth it.

[@ot63]

Loved hearing his story in Moneyball... (crickets)

[@coreygilliam8533]

Card fan here. Was like 22/23 watching that game. Loved zito. Who didn't. I wanted him to do well. Low key so happy he pitched out his mind that game

[@SkilesHasFun]

"The story of Barry Zito begins with Nat King Cole" is one of the most preposterous sentences I've ever heard. Why are baseball people so weird? I love it. Great video.

[@Dopethrone_Wizard]

Barry Zito was my favorite player as a kid. That 12-6 was insane. Thank you for the great video.

[@astrostar49]

Giants fan here. Thanks for posting this.

[@RetroBaseball]

The goat has returned!

[@JWD1992]

Zito, Hudson, and Mulder had way more to do with the success of the 2002 A's than Scott Hatteberg walking... (Not a knock on Scott, but on the Moneyball book and movie.)

[@iamhungey12345]

Big time, the OBP gets kind of overblown when they neglected the hitting involved as well. Hatteberg was okay but he doesn't hold a candle to Tejada and Chavez who had done more to produce those runs, roided up or not.

[@Snuckster2]

Zarry Bito came in from bizarro world to save the day been a Giants fan since 1987 and one of my all time favorite moments is the slight expression he makes when he notices Cardinals 3B not playing in and he legs out a bunt single

[@runningriot6399]

Bunt single rbi

[@civilwarwasaninsidejob7405]

Barry Zito married a girl from my home area in Southeast Missouri. He was hanging out at our local bar during their wedding week. He mentioned several times how bad he felt about his play in San Fran under that contract. Super nice guy and paid for beers and bologna burgers for every at the bar!

[@durkadurkastan]

127 million dollar contract but it was worth it seeing redemption in Game 5 of the LCS. He glanced down 3rd base and said to himself in Griswold fashion: "This is Crazy...This is Crazy!". As much as Vogelsong and Scutaro were awesome that year Zito was why they won.

[@SenorTortas]

I think what I love most about this beautiful sport is how it constantly humbles you, yet how it constantly seems to give you the opportunity to redeem yourself in the biggest moments

[@kimblandino]

One of the greatest 12-6 curveballs ever.

[@LaughingBull980]

Was it 12-6? To me it looked 11-5 angle 📐

[@GaryBowen00]

What a great comment and thank you for the laugh. That 12 to 6 curve is so rare to see used as very few pitchers are able to create enough speed difference without it looking like a batting practice pitch. You'll see mostly left-handers use it outside of maybe Clayton Kershaw on the right-handed side. Now if you move your fingers slightly over you can have 11 to 5 or even 10 to 4 but it won't drop as much and to get the angle on it the pitch has to be thrown harder which makes it flatten out a bit. Past that point it almost becomes a sweeper but it gets hammered by staying in the strike zone too long. Watch Clayton Kershaw throw one though and it's a joy.

[@billcosby668]

@@GaryBowen00a just as good option to witness a true 12-6 curve is just watching videos of Wainwright’s Curve.

[@StarkRavingSports]

Kid RBT is the real star of this video

[@zappajohns4600]

as a giants fan he's always gonna be an important piece to us of that world series run

[@jonhunt2609]

Amazing content, only note was that Cabrera was AL MVP in 2012, Verlander was 2011

[@jarrettborkowski8658]

At that point, Verlander was the MVP. Cabrera hadn’t been named MVP yet. That happens after the World Series.

[@spoogtastic]

Barry's curveball ALWAYS left in my awe. That thing was absolutely incredible.

[@arthurcheater3359]

Big Three Mulder, Hudson, Zito, was such a bittersweet era. They couldn't make it to the WS because the A's lacked offense built for the playoffs. Their Moneyball approach has proven effective for the regular season only. I still have my Barry Zito tie that the A's gave away on a Father's Day at their stadium.

[@joejones7852]

His 2017 EP is really fantastic. Better musician then player tbh

[@PrimarySweeper13]

A’s legend

[@jamesgoss1860]

I never laughed harder at a baseball moment than Zito hitting an RBI single off Verlander in the World Series. It still makes me smile thinking about it.

[@youraverageguy7842]

I feel like Edgar Martinez would be a great video considering how he was signed

[@user-cv8qe9ru8c]

Oh hellz ya. Loved Barry back in the day

[@modernranger1558]

My dad said it I think the best way possible. For as much as Barry Zito struggled during his time in SF, you pay players in the hopes to win a championship, and he did exactly that. Dude will always be remembered fondly by my dad and I.

[@Ouijawii]

Another awesome video! Would like to suggest a look at Kevin Millar, Edgar Martinez or Ron Mahay at some point, all three had interesting career arcs.

[@jamesesterline]

Millar would be interesting, went from being an undrafted free agent and becoming a replacement player during the 1994 strike (and thus not being able to join the MLBPA) to having a solid career and even winning a World Series with the Red Sox.

[@AkelaTalamasca]

This was an excellent script, sir, and I'm a new follower!

[@Ares14]

I remember it like it was yesterday, opening day 2007... I was in high school and decided to leave early to watch the game at home. Skipped school just to watch Zito get shelled, a precursor to what his career would be like in SF outside of his 2012 performance against the Cardinals.

[@Kyde3]

still one of my fav pitchers

[@JawaPenguin16]

Barry had a very 'baseball" career. Highs, lows. and incredible moments.

[@komickaze85]

I always liked Barry Zito. He was a lefty, like me, and he had a curveball I could only dream of being able to throw. He had ups and downs, but overall was a great pitcher who deserved all the success he got. Glad he got to redeem himself in 2012. And to beat Verlander (who I've always seen as somewhat arrogant) was a treat. Just like when Lackey beat him in the 2013 ALCS 1-0.

[@sporer_]

*cries in Tigers fan*

[@MaxCubeGaming]

Growing up he was one of my favorite pitchers , I am a lefty myself with a natural curveball . So I studied lots of his pitching

[@LeeCahalan-kc8mo]

Thank you. Hav always been a fan of Bàrry Zito. I felt reðeemed in 2014 when he kicked off the Giants sweep in the Series

[@danib712]

As a giants fan watching Barry go from zero to hero was amazing 🥹

[@mateoneedham6807]

Great video. Thanks for sharing.

[@connorboyle3027]

Seeing that Posey injury is still brutal all these years later. That 2011 team was their best team of that run and had a great chance for a repeat until the Posey injury

[@CMBlue]

One of the most underrated career arcs in the modern era.

[@bobbyverdin7915]

Zito was my favorite pitcher back in 2002 when I fell in love with the game at the age of 13. This was a fun look back.

[@robertcabrera4760]

I pitched with Zito at LA Pierce Community College. Dude was pretty cool. If ny memory serves me right, he carried his guitar around more than his glove.

[@DipreG]

This video made me happy. Zito was part of the time when I really fell in love with baseball

[@Ehanke3]

amazing video

[@jaylenbarnes2.079]

Yay another Historian video

[@emancify]

Great job on making this video. Barry Zito really was an enigma of some sort and you were able to make sense of this. Well done !!

[@thetempest33ify]

Even as a Dodgers fan, I get a little choked up at his redemption arc. Respect.

[@colbs237]

This is great :) I like the way you presented your story of him, the way it flows and the questions it asks and answers. Very impressive! And, thank you very much. Barry Zito is one of my favorite players, and his story is one of my favorites to tell :) I am now a new subscriber :)

[@SteefPip]

I like that saying, Zito's career was like his curveball. It hit the plate though and bounced really high at the end.

[@MikeSuth4040]

I used to watch Barry Zito when I was a kid at the Oakland Coliseum. He was one of the best pitchers in the early 2000's and no one talked about him. He was so underrated.

[@Brooklynquietmoney]

Great video brother I loved that big 3 even as a yankee fan those A’s teams were fun

[@Kingbossdon]

I watched that Oakland A's team, Tim Hudson Barry Zito Mark Molder, they were scary good I remember when it came down was Barry Zito gonna sign with the Mets or Giants when he choose the Giants I was mad because he was one of my favorite pitches in the game and especially if they had him with the Mets rotation

[@tajr7153]

Contractually Barry was a bust in SF, but any Giants fan would admire him solely off that 2012 redemption run. Winning heals lol

[@redhoode.n.y.6314]

Great vid man

[@franguidry2017]

Another great video !

[@scoremat]

Zito - a great redemption story. A bad contract to an aging/declining talent... but came thru in 2012. Not my favorite Giant by any detect, and admittedly in my youth I throw vitriol good was. Everything happens for a reason! Life lessons are everywhere... congrats, Zito

[@jctrock]

His 2012 first half of the regular was so good he had 10 wins. He did a lot for the Giants vs the Reds in the playoffs. They were 1 game away from elimination. The 2012 World Series game was epic!

[@spoonsz]

Great video! Zito is a legend

[@TheTEN24]

Didn’t know his upbringing really, a well made video and man his curve was definitely nasty.

[@FourFour2theFloor]

Being from the bay I got to see both sides of Barry. He was such a unique player and person I'm very glad he got his redemption in 2012

[@jonasirw1]

Excellent job

[@themiddlecase]

As a Tigers fan, that 2012 series definitely brings back some painful memories. That said, I can appreciate the comeback it was for Zito. He owned that postseason.

[@Quakerman14]

I was at the 10 year reunion. It was great.

[@reidb6327]

Great video

[@andrews8464]

Great content 👍

[@TCUsouthpaw]

Interesting how he tied verlander for most losses that year. A first ballot hof’er.

[@wyssmaster]

More proof that a pitcher's record is a reflection of his team moreso than his performance

[@saviorofs0ng]

@@wyssmaster more proof that solely looking at one stat (team stats too) is also not indicative of performance. im glad we're doing away with giving so many cy young votes to >15-win pitchers with >4 ERAs and whatnot

[@Kyitsui77]

That contract, bad or not, paved the way to that dynasty

[@jesusduran6480]

Great vid. Loved the guy. Hated the contract. Came thru when it mattered most #RallyZito

[@tpgorman15]

Kids today will never know the glory of seeing a Barry Zito 12 to 6 hook freeze even the greatest hitters. Those A’s teams are one of the biggest what IFs in baseball history after the 94 Expos and 95-97 Cleveland teams.

[@taylorcarnelison749]

The 2012 ALCS haunts me as a cards fan forever

[@silentsnake214]

Great video of Barry zett

[@Crunkboy415]

As a long time Giants fan, we all are grateful to the Z-Man for saving 2012, and the Panda for making it fun. Oh and Matt Cain's perfect game!🤣

[@EatMorePizzaNow]

To quote Gary Radnich "126 million!" He was just good enough to not be bad.

[@bayareasportsfan04]

Man that 2012 run was a treat to watch. So many great moments. Also fun fact: I was at Zito's last game (as mentioned at 22:26). The final score ended up being 14-10, with a game-winning grand slam being hit by Jarrett Parker of all people. Safe to say both Hudson and Zito didn't really have a great game lol

[@Extinguisher10]

Holy S that's a young @RBT !!

[@e93sports80]

Just subbed.

[@jamesrichardson381]

Looking at those 3 pitchers for Oakland I bet the majority of people just looking at them would have guessed that it was the little guy Tim Hudson who was the best , easily having the best career.

[@jordans9303]

It’s weird to think that Hudson was probably the most consistent when he left to the braves. When I was a kid I always thought it was zito, mulder, and Hudson in that order

[@user-rc4lc3ds9t]

Cool

[@OH_MY_DOGGG]

He played Mitchell in Airbourne.

[@jeffrey.a.hanson]

He’s remembered for being a Cali boy with a quirky lefty curve.

[@6thwilbury2331]

I want to know who shot the video footage at 14:45. Clearly, they focused on the wall in the background and not the subject.

[@jacksongreen2407]

@baseballhistorian Do you watch Company Man?

[@truthisthetruth.]

In the signing with SF they stipulated that Barry had to refrain from surfing.. in contrast when his father negotiated the As deal. It was stipulated that Barry could surf in the off season.. I was Barry's neighbor throughout his As run. He lived right above me in Hollywood during the off season.. point is.. surging is great for your arms..shoulders back muscles Pectorals etc.. this is why his arm didnt have the same Cy Young making magic.. it was lame for the Giants to squash is love of sufing and hos off season conditioning.. paddling a surfboard.... But 126 million reasons to quit surfing.. I am absolutely certain that the team Management's lack of understanding this is why his carrer suffered.. he was the coolest neighbor a person could have.. when he won the Cy Young he drive back to LA the next day. I understandably had to congratulate my neighbor as neighbors always do when their neighbor in an old rent controlled building win the Fkng Cy Young.. the odds of this are so freakishly statistically impossible. It still blows my mind.. talk about a great neighbor.. barry and his sister lived together they played music and made everyone feel the amazing pride that Barry earned .

[@hanzyj7021]

I always thought he was awesome. His huge curve was the first I ever saw and I was mesmerized by it. I would go out side and try so hard to throw it

[@CrackSkellington]

Babe new baseball historian vid just dropped

[@MachoMessiah]

haven't even watched the vid yet but #RallyZito

[@n8doggy733]

21:01 if anyone is wondering who that is sitting next to him, don’t worry he is just some car dealership owner

[@rebeccaellsbury73]

Why didn’t you put “Zito to Hero” in the thumbnail?

[@CG2589]

In reference to 16:16 “Having placed my full identity into my baseball career for most of my life, only to have it stripped away during the 2010 World Series run is what led me to discover my true identity. Not in a game, but in Jesus Christ.” -Barry Zito in Curveball: How I Discovered True Fulfillment After Chasing Fortune and Fame

[@TimothyC.84]

The Molech tattoo though 😬

[@desmondtoltzman4903]

Bro just told an entire career in like 23 minutes and he ends it with, “ okay, bye”

[@theb3654]

I remember when the Giants signed Zito, I was so confused right from the beginning why sign a declining starter.

[@MrJC1120]

My eyes are sweating

[@aaronfindora3397]

He added extra pitches and I think that's what hurt him.

[@billybaugus1249]

As a Braves fan i always compare Max Fried to Zito. Probably because they're lefties and have a killer curve

[@crowtservo]

The Pittsburgh Pirates took Bobby Bradley 8th overall. He never played a game in the majors. Athletics took Barry Zito with the next pick.