Barry Zito

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 (whose nicknames include "Captain Hook", "Rip-Curl" and "Bert") that has drawn comparisons to Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax. In 2005, he added a strong slider, or "slurve," to his pitch arsenal.

Statistics

• Entering the 2005 season, Zito had thrown 981 innings, with 774 strikeouts with only 372 walks and a 72-40 record.
• When he won the Cy Young in 2002, he went 23-5 with a 2.75 ERA, and 182 strikeouts.