"I'm not trying to be cocky, but I set such a high standard for myself. I'm not happy when I pitch seven innings and give up two runs and get a win." - Barry Zito in ESPN: The Magazine (Volume 6, Number 4, 02/05/2003, Tim Keown, Perfect Pitch, Source)

Born in Las Vegas, Nevada, Barry William Zito is a former pitcher and musician. He played 15 seasons for the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants. His pitching repertoire consisted of a curveball (his strikeout pitch), a four-seam fastball, a two-seam fastball, a circle changeup, and a cutter–slider. Some of his career highlights include:

• Finished 5th in AL Rookie of the Year voting (2000)
• 3× All-Star (2002, 2003, 2006)
• World Series champion (2012)
• AL Cy Young Award (2002)
• AL wins leader (2002)

In his first career World Series start in 2012, he outdueled Tigers' ace Justin Verlander in Game 1, setting the stage for San Francisco's sweep to their seventh World Series title in franchise history.

Zito, a philanthropist, founded Strikeouts For Troops, a national non-profit that provides comforts of home and lifts the spirits and morale of injured troops as well as offering support to military families. In 2019, Zito wrote "Curveball: How I Discovered True Fulfillment After Chasing Fortune and Fame" (ISBN 0785227881), a memoir book about his life and his conversion to Christianity.

(excerpted from Baseball Almanac, BR Bullpen, and Wikipedia)