Carlos Zambrano

Carlos Alberto Zambrano (born June 1, 1981 Puerto Cabello, Carabobo State, Venezuela) is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who has played for the Chicago Cubs since 2001. He is a switch-hitter (which is rare in baseball, especially for a pitcher) and throws right-handed.

2005

• August 7 - In just the fourth meeting of pitchers with the same last name since 2000, Víctor Zambrano of the New York Mets outdueled Carlos Zambrano in front of 40,321 fans at Shea Stadium, pitching the New York Mets to a 6-1 win and a sweep of the three-game series. Both Zambranos entered with 42 career wins, the second time in major league history that opposing starters with the same last name came in with matching victory totals, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The other was on June 15, 1944, when Red Barrett of the Boston Braves and Dick Barrett of the Philadelphia Phillies each had 19 career wins. Like the Barretts, Víctor and Carlos obviously share a double feat, but the similarities don't end there. The Zambranos were born in Venezuela, both throw with their right arm, and both wear No. 38. Beside this, it was the fourth time in modern major league history that starting pitchers with a last name beginning with Z faced each other, according to ESPN. Víctor and Carlos Zambrano have both faced Barry Zito of the Oakland Athletics.
• Zambrano is having an excellent year for hitting, with a .303 batting average and one home run as of September 20. In hopes that he can break the record number of hits for a Cubs pitcher of 28 (by Ferguson Jenkins), manager Dusty Baker said that he may have Zambrano pinch hit during the remainder of the season.
• Zambrano is fourth in the National League in strikeouts as of 20 September 2005, with 190, tenth in earned run average (3.17), and third in winning percentage (73.7%, with a record of 14-5).