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137-431: Although competitive, the regional rivalry between the A's and Giants is considered a friendly one with mostly mutual companionship between the fans, as opposed to Cubs–White Sox , or Mets–Yankees games where animosity runs high, though sections of each fanbase does harbor towards the entirety of the other. This, however, is limited as many people see the opposing team as no threat to their own; hats displaying both teams on

274-435: A Roman Catholic private school for his senior year. Zito received many league honors there, posting an 8-4 record with a 2.92 ERA, while racking up 105 strikeouts in just 85 innings. Zito then attended UC Santa Barbara where he earned Freshman All-America Honors with 125 strikeouts in 85 + 1 ⁄ 3 innings. In his sophomore season, Zito transferred to Los Angeles Pierce College so that he could be eligible for

411-507: A circle changeup and a curveball that he used as a strikeout pitch. His curveball was voted the best in the Major Leagues in a player poll conducted by Sports Illustrated in 2005. Alex Rodriguez once stated that he had never seen anything like Zito's curveball, commenting: "It's such a high one, and it drops three to four feet. You might as well not even look for it because you're not going to hit it." In mid-2004, Zito added

548-646: A four-seam fastball , a two-seam fastball , a circle changeup , and a cutter – slider . Zito attended the University of California, Santa Barbara , Los Angeles Pierce College , and the University of Southern California . Drafted three times while in college, Zito signed with the Athletics when they chose him in the first round of the 1999 MLB draft . A year later, he was in the major leagues, finishing sixth in American League (AL) Rookie of

685-449: A two-seam fastball and a cutter – slider hybrid to his arsenal. In the 2009 season, this cutter-slider became a prominent part of his repertoire, being used more frequently than his changeup. Zito's diminished velocity at the start of the 2007 season (his fastball velocity slowed to 83–85 miles per hour (134–137 km/h)) and loss of command were the key mechanical reasons for his struggles that year, as he more often got behind in

822-573: A 1.69 earned run average in the postseason. Zito did not lose a single game after August 2 against the Mets, and San Francisco won his last 14 starts. On April 5, 2013, during the Giants' home opener, Zito held the Cardinals scoreless over seven shutout innings, earning the 1–0 win. He followed this performance with seven more shutout innings and some personal offensive contribution at the plate against

959-604: A 12–3 record, a 3.28 ERA, and 154 strikeouts in 113 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings, Zito was named Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year. Zito also played in the Cape Cod Baseball League , a summer wooden bat league that showcases the nation's top amateur prospects. He led the Wareham Gatemen to the league championship in 1997 and was named a league all-star and led the team to a runner-up finish in 1998. Zito

1096-605: A 2 games to 1 lead over the Detroit Tigers in the 1945 World Series , when on October 6, 1945, Cubs fan and local tavern owner Billy Sianis was prevented from reaching his seat because he was accompanied by his pet billy goat. Local legend says that he responded by placing a curse on the Cubs to never again win the World Series, which they were not able to do until 2016. The Cubs, on more than one occasion, have featured

1233-649: A 2–1 loss to the Washington Nationals . During the game, he collected his first major league hit, against Tony Armas Jr. Zito was named Pitcher of the Month in July, going 6–0 with a 2.51 ERA. In 35 starts, Zito went 14–13 with a 3.86 ERA. Zito's 35 starts were the most in Major League Baseball that season, demonstrating his durability as a pitcher. He also had 171 strikeouts, good for fifth in

1370-534: A 3.46 ERA and 91 strikeouts. Zito revealed in an interview that he had learned the Athletics would not be bringing him up to the major league club in September. However, following a season-ending injury to Jesse Chavez , Oakland purchased Zito's contract from Triple-A on September 16, placing him on the major league roster. Zito made his first major league appearance of the season on September 20, pitching an inning in relief. On September 26, 2015, Zito started for

1507-464: A 5–0 victory over the Devil Rays on August 21. Oakland manager Ken Macha would have let him throw a complete game, but Zito said, "I was worrying about being fresh for the next game. I didn't want to end up [throwing] 115–120 [pitches], so I took advantage of the situation and shut it down." On September 12, he threw seven shutout innings and had 10 strikeouts, earning the win in a 1–0 victory over

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1644-421: A 6.60 ERA. In his first 16 starts of the campaign, he was 3–8 with a 4.41 ERA. However, Zito pitched better the rest of the season. He had a streak of 14 consecutive starts from May 17 through July 25 (and 20 out of 21 through August 30) in which he gave up fewer hits than innings pitched. From June 28 through August 4, he earned the win in eight consecutive starts. On June 6, Zito allowed two runs in six innings in

1781-738: A 7–4 record and a 2.72 earned run average in 14 starts. Despite his late start to the season, Zito still received a vote for the American League (AL) Rookie of the Year Award voting, finishing in a 4-way tie for sixth place with Steve Cox , Adam Kennedy and Mark Redman . Zito made his postseason debut in Game 4 of the AL Division Series (ALDS) against the New York Yankees . He went 5 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings, struck out 5, walked 2, and allowed an earned run. Zito earned

1918-587: A Giant. He lasted only four innings and gave up seven runs while walking seven, including two bases-loaded walks. The A's beat the Giants, 15–3. He faced his old team again on June 9, this time in San Francisco. Zito pitched four innings while giving up three earned runs on nine hits in a 6–0 defeat. Zito made his first Major League relief appearance on August 5 against the Padres due to an early exit by starter Noah Lowry and an overworked bullpen. He pitched

2055-528: A Major League Baseball postseason series that a team overcame a 3–0 series deficit as the White Sox won the final four games of the series. 1985 saw the start of an annual "Windy City Classic" charity game. The series alternated between the respective teams' ballparks, with Comiskey Park hosting the first year followed by Wrigley Field the next. The Sox would go 10–0–2 in this affair that lasted through 1995 (two games were played in 1995). One exhibition between

2192-465: A White Sox franchise record with 8 RBI's in his first game since July 5 the same year after coming back from a knee injury. The rivalry turned physical on May 20, 2006, when a brawl broke out during a White Sox-Cubs game at U.S. Cellular Field. In the bottom of the second inning, Brian Anderson of the White Sox hit a sacrifice fly, attempting to score catcher A. J. Pierzynski . Pierzynski collided with Cubs' catcher Michael Barrett . Barrett dropped

2329-718: A career-high 4.48 earned run average . He became Oakland's Opening Day starter in 2005 and finished fifth in the AL with 171 strikeouts . In 2006, he made the All-Star team and posted a 15–1 record when receiving two or more runs. Following his seventh season with the Athletics, Zito signed a seven-year deal with the Giants in December 2006. It was the largest contract ever given to a pitcher. He posted double-digit wins in his first three seasons, and in 2010 he helped San Francisco win their first championship since 1954. However, he struggled

2466-503: A career-low 13 games (nine starts), he had a 3–4 record, a career-high 5.87 ERA, 32 strikeouts, and 24 walks in a career-low 53 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings. After struggling mightily during spring training in which he threw with a new crouched delivery, Zito began the 2012 season with a start against the Rockies on April 9. He threw arguably one of the best games of his career, throwing a complete-game shutout while giving up just 4 hits in

2603-527: A cottage industry selling shirts, hats, and other souvenirs that include slogans intended to take swipes at the opposing teams, rather than support their own. Time reported that 36% of Cubs fans were rooting against the White Sox during the 2005 World Series . White Sox Fans wave the Blue Cubs Loss flag after their team defeats the Cubs in mockery of the Cubs Win Flag tradition, in reverse

2740-513: A couple times late in the year. On September 25, manager Bruce Bochy decided to give Zito one final start with the Giants as a tribute to his tenure with the team. Zito responded by allowing two runs (one earned) over five innings and earning the win in a 7–4 victory over the Dodgers. However, because Zito was removed between innings during the Dodger game, Bochy sent him in to pitch in relief in

2877-523: A fairly regular basis. The animosity among fans (that only rarely escalates to violence) is summed up in the lines from the song "The Ballad of the South Side Irish", echoing sentiments often expressed by at least one side of any number of sports rivalries in America: "When it comes to baseball I've got two favorite clubs, the 'go-go White Sox'... and whoever plays the Cubs." Ardent fans such as

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3014-432: A few blocks from Guaranteed Rate Field to get to them. Until April 2011, the White Sox opened a brand-new bar and restaurant located at Gate 5 of Guaranteed Rate Field, known as ChiSox Bar & Grill. The new bar and restaurant do not require a game ticket to enter. Until 2004, WGN-TV and the now-defunct FSN Chicago would "switch off" during interleague games: for the Cubs home games, the Cubs commentary team would call

3151-554: A fielding play. His replacement, Ryan Vogelsong , excelled, but Zito was able to rejoin the rotation when he returned in June because Sánchez was placed on the disabled list with left biceps tendinitis. Zito pitched well in his first few starts back, pitching well against the Tigers, Chicago Cubs , and Padres en route to three Giants wins, but later resumed his struggle, going 0–3 with a 10.91 ERA over his next three starts. He returned to

3288-713: A lesser extent the Oakland Coliseum , along with the emotional and economic damage to the area, delayed the resumption of the series for 10 days, the longest interval between games in World Series history. The earthquake caused the collapse of a portion of the Bay Bridge, the centerpiece of many promotions for the "Bay Bridge Series"; however, experts have suggested that the Series actually helped to save countless lives, as many would-be commuters from both sides of

3425-445: A member club of MLB's American League (AL) Central division, and play their home games at Guaranteed Rate Field , located on Chicago's South Side. The terms "North Siders" and "South Siders" are synonymous with the respective teams and their fans, setting up an enduring rivalry. Through the 2024 season, the White Sox lead the regular season series 74–72. There have been eight 3-game series sweeps since interleague play began: four by

3562-637: A national non-profit that provides the comforts of home and lifts the spirits and morale of injured troops as well as offering support to military families. Zito was born May 13, 1978, in Las Vegas, Nevada, to Roberta (née Rosser; 1943–2008) and Joe Zito (1928-2013). He is of Italian descent. His parents were a show-business couple working for singer and pianist Nat King Cole and he had two sisters who were 9 and 13 years older than Barry. His family moved to San Diego, California , to help him concentrate on his baseball career after he showed signs of promise from

3699-652: A new stadium built on the Tropicana Las Vegas and were approved by the Nevada State Legislature and Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo by June. Despite the rivalry, following the Athletics plans for relocation, Athletics and Giants fans during a July 25, 2023 game at Oracle Park chanted "Sell the Team" as part of an event known as "Unite the Bay" in the hopes that the rivalry would be saved. During

3836-574: A no-hitter or something", Zito said. "I left the ball up over the middle to Pérez, and he hit it up the middle. It was a good piece of hitting." On September 8, Zito became the first pitcher in the AL to win 20 games when he pitched seven innings and allowed no earned runs against the Minnesota Twins . "I'm not pitching for the Cy Young ", Zito said. "I'm pitching to get the Oakland A's into

3973-472: A no-hitter through six innings against Texas before giving up a home run to Andruw Jones in the seventh inning. He won the game, his fourth win of the season. On July 7, Zito pitched what could be considered his best game of the season. He pitched 8 2 ⁄ 3 innings against the Florida Marlins , allowing one run on four hits, striking out six, and walking one. He won the game, his fifth win of

4110-415: A point of rivalry as Cubs fans had their classic park, while White Sox fans had their modern park. Former Sox manager Ozzie Guillén said of Wrigley, "But one thing about Wrigley Field, I puke every time I go there", further polarizing this point of contention. While several renovations to Guaranteed Rate Field have silenced many criticisms, such as the improved upper deck and bleachers, the difference between

4247-462: A rebound in Zito's pitching performance. Though starting the season 0–2 with an ERA of 10, Zito ended the season with an ERA of 4.03. His ERA would have been 3.74 had it not been for his first two starts. Though going only 10–13 in the season, Zito's record was much more the fault of his spotty run support (the second-lowest in the major leagues) than his performance on the mound. On June 21, Zito pitched

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4384-646: A run against the Baltimore Orioles . Zito was again named to the All-Star team, the second time he has been named to the team. In 2003, Zito was seventh in the AL in ERA (3.30). He had a 14–12 record and 146 strikeouts over a career-high 231 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings pitched. In Game 2 of the ALDS against the Red Sox, Zito went seven innings, striking out nine, walking two, allowing one earned run, and earning

4521-550: A scoreless seventh inning. He recorded his first career run batted in (RBI) two days later against the Nationals' Mike Bacsik , in the same game that Barry Bonds hit his record-breaking 756th career home run. After Zito's start on August 12, his ERA was 5.13. Over his final nine starts, he posted the fifth-best ERA in the NL, at 3.10. He also had a 3–2 record. He admitted that he had put pressure on himself to perform because of

4658-401: A strong start to the season, Zito regressed down the stretch, going 2–12 with a 4.97 ERA the rest of the way. He finished the season 9–14 with a 4.15 ERA, snapping a streak of nine straight seasons in which he had 10 or more wins. In a rotation featuring Tim Lincecum , Matt Cain , Jonathan Sánchez , and Madison Bumgarner , Zito was the odd man out for the playoffs. He was left completely off

4795-400: A tongue-in-cheek promotion where billy goats are brought into the stadium to be offered as an apology. Some historians argue that the genesis of the curse goes back much farther; that the allegedly underhanded way they won the 1908 pennant (leading to their last World Series win) angered the "baseball gods". For lack of a standard term, this could be called the curse of Fred Merkle, since he

4932-410: A very young age. Not knowing much about baseball, his father began reading books about pitching strategy and even stopped working to help coach his son. At the age of 12, Randy Jones , a former Cy Young Award winner, was hired by his father to give him lessons at $ 50 an hour. He transferred from El Cajon 's Grossmont High School , where he was the star pitcher, to University of San Diego High School ,

5069-541: A year off from baseball, Zito signed a minor league contract to return to the Athletics on February 16, 2015. In spring training, Zito competed for a role on the Athletics' 25-man roster, possibly as a long reliever . On April 4, 2015, Zito accepted an assignment to the Triple-A Nashville Sounds . Zito's Nashville teammates lauded him for embracing the Triple-A lifestyle and for his commitment to

5206-498: Is aware that many people hate the other team, he does not hate the Cubs and wants them to win as long as they are not playing the White Sox. On the other hand, his wife, First Lady Michelle Obama , has been a lifelong Cubs fan and following the Cubs' 2016 World Series victory, Barack went as far as to invite them to the White House, tweeting that the Cubs' historic win was "change that even [he] can believe in". The Cubs came to

5343-568: Is located in Santa Clara County , which is considered to be the Giants "territory". The Athletics claimed that former owner Walter A. Haas, Jr. agreed for the Giants to take over the Santa Clara area when the Giants were considering moving to Florida and needed revenue. The Giants contended that the agreement was not based upon actually relocating the team to Santa Clara as the A's contended. Former MLB commissioner Bud Selig , who

5480-622: The ALDS , Zito went six innings and gave up three earned runs against the Twins, earning the win. However, the Twins defeated the Athletics in five games, making the Athletics the first team to lose the deciding game of a series three years in a row. Zito won the AL Cy Young Award with a 23–5 record, narrowly defeating Pedro Martínez in the voting. He led the league with 23 wins, was second in winning percentage (.821), and third in both ERA (2.75) and strikeouts (182). Zito's 23 wins were

5617-618: The Boston Red Sox . Zito continued to have great success early in his rookie season. In his third career start, he went seven innings and gave up one run against the Toronto Blue Jays . On September 10, Zito pitched his first complete game shutout against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays . He threw 110 pitches, struck out eight, and allowed five hits. During September, he went 5–1 with a 1.73 ERA. Zito finished with

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5754-672: The Crosstown Classic , The Windy City Showdown , Chicago Showdown , North–South Showdown , City Series , Crosstown Series , Crosstown Cup , or Crosstown Showdown ) refers to the Major League Baseball (MLB) geographical rivalry between the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox . The Cubs are a member club of MLB's National League (NL) Central division, and play their home games at Wrigley Field , located on Chicago 's North Side. The White Sox are

5891-564: The Los Angeles Dodgers . Zito would earn his first win as a member of the Giants in his next start on April 16 when he went six innings, gave up three hits, and allowed no runs to the Colorado Rockies . "I've been trying to have a good game", Zito said. "You can't try to do anything. You either do or you don't. I tried to get too fine with my pitches. I wasn't aggressive." On May 18, Zito made his return to Oakland as

6028-403: The Major League Baseball draft . At Pierce, he posted a 2.62 earned run average (ERA), went 9–2 with 135 strikeouts in 103 innings, and was named to the all-state and all-conference teams. He then transferred to the University of Southern California (USC), where he was a first-team All-America selected by USA Today Baseball Weekly , Collegiate Baseball , and Baseball America . With

6165-612: The Sacramento River Cats (the Canadians franchise had moved to Sacramento). He pitched 101 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings in 18 starts, going 8–5 with a 3.19 ERA, 91 strikeouts, and 41 walks . Zito made his major league debut on July 22, 2000, against the Anaheim Angels wearing #53. He allowed one run in five innings, and got the win . In his next start, Zito went seven innings while giving up three runs to

6302-704: The Visalia Oaks , Oakland's A team. He went 3–0 with a 2.45 ERA in eight starts. He struck out 62 in 40 + 1 ⁄ 3 innings. Zito was promoted to the Midland RockHounds and went 2–1 with a 4.91 ERA to finish the AA schedule. He then got one start for the AAA Vancouver Canadians (PCL) , allowing a lone run with six strikeouts in six innings. Zito began the 2000 season in AAA with

6439-478: The Yankees , Giants , and Brooklyn Dodgers ) routinely played against each other in World Series matchups throughout the 1940s and 1950s, the two Chicago teams only met once in the 1906 World Series , a celebrated event that seemingly put the city on hold for a full week. The heavily favored but young Cubs (who had won 116 games in the regular season) lost in six games to the veteran and pitching-strong White Sox,

6576-560: The "Hitless Wonders". From 1903 until 1942, excluding the years one team or the other won the pennant, the Cubs and White Sox played each other in a best-of-seven postseason City Series. These series were officially sanctioned by the National Baseball Commission and, later, the Commissioner of Baseball . The first series was played in 1903 and was a best-of-15. That year, the Cubs had a 6–3 series lead before

6713-578: The 2006 trade deadline, and was widely rumored to be headed to the Mets in a potential deal for prospect Lastings Milledge . Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote that if the Mets were unwilling to trade Milledge, the Athletics might be interested in Aaron Heilman and John Maine . However, Athletics' general manager Billy Beane decided to keep Zito for the rest of the season. Following his seventh season with

6850-651: The 2024 season, the A's have won 76 games, and the Giants have won 72. The series ended for good in 2024 after the A’s relocated to Las Vegas (while relocating to Sacramento temporarily). The Giants and Athletics met in the 1905 , 1911 , and 1913 World Series as the New York Giants and Philadelphia Athletics. The Giants won, 4–1, in 1905, and the Athletics won in 1911 (4–1) and 1913 (4–2), respectively. Hall of Famers such as John McGraw , Roger Bresnahan , Christy Mathewson , Joe McGinnity and Rube Marquard took part on

6987-463: The 4 games of their 2013 series marks the inter-league series at 49–45 to the White Sox. In 2014 the White Sox reclaimed the Crosstown Cup after winning the first three games of their four-game series. They won the first two games at Wrigley Field 3–1 in 12 and 4–1 respectively, came back to U.S. Cellular Field to win 8–3 before getting blown out in the final game 12–5. In 2010, 2011, and 2012,

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7124-495: The 7–0 Giants victory. It was his first shutout since 2003 when he was a member of the Oakland Athletics. In a June 3 home game matchup with the Cubs, Zito pitched four-hit shutout ball into the ninth inning for a 2–0 Giants win and brought his season ERA below 3.00. In earning the win, Zito earned his 150th career win, becoming the 246th pitcher to hit the mark. Zito had a hand in the Giants' second road shutout win of

7261-586: The AL's first 15-game winner when he beat the Rangers. On August 23, Zito recorded his 18th win of the season, giving him one more than his previous career-high of 17, in a game against the Detroit Tigers . On August 28, Zito earned his 19th win of the season against the Kansas City Royals . However, he lost his bid for a perfect game in the sixth inning when Neifi Pérez singled with one out. Zito gave credit to Pérez. "I wasn't pitching to maintain

7398-480: The All-Star Break on July 8. He allowed seven earned runs and 15 hits against the Devil Rays. The 15 hits allowed were a career-high. Devil Rays manager Piniella was stunned by Zito's bad start. He said, "If you'd have told me we'd get 15 hits off Zito in five or six innings, I would have looked at you a little funny." Nevertheless, Zito bounced back in his next start. He went eight innings without surrendering

7535-533: The Athletics against Hudson and the Giants in a matchup that was arranged as a tribute to the A's " Big Three " of the early 2000s. Both pitchers received lengthy standing ovations from the sold-out Coliseum crowd (which included the third Big Three member, Mulder) upon leaving the game. On October 19, 2015, Zito announced his retirement from baseball in an article for The Players' Tribune . Zito's fastball hovered between 84 miles per hour (135 km/h) and 88 miles per hour (142 km/h). He augmented it with

7672-532: The Athletics, Zito signed a seven-year deal with the San Francisco Giants worth $ 126 million, plus an $ 18 million option for 2014 with a $ 7 million buyout. Zito's contract on December 29, 2006, became the highest for any pitcher in Major League history at the time. During spring training in 2007, he and Barry Bonds made shirts that read "Don't ask me, ask Barry" with an arrow pointing to

7809-477: The Bay had left work early or stayed in the cities to watch the game. As a result, traffic on the roads below collapsed portions of the Bay Bridge and Cypress Street Viaduct portion of Interstate 880 in Oakland (while this disaster killed one person on the Bay Bridge and 42 people on the viaduct, local officials initially assumed that the death toll would be well into the hundreds) was significantly lighter than it would normally be at rush hour. The Athletics swept

7946-501: The Cubs in 1998, 2004, 2007, 2008, and four by the White Sox in 1999, 2008, 2012 and 2021. There have been three season series sweeps, all by the Cubs in 1998 (3 games) , 2013 (4 games) and 2024 (4 games) . The Chicago Transit Authority 's Red Line train has stops within a block of both ballparks: Addison station for Wrigley Field and Sox–35th station for Guaranteed Rate Field. While teams in New York City (such as

8083-475: The Cubs on several occasions. When the New York Yankees (managed by former Cub Joe Girardi ) visited the White House in honor of their 2009 World Series championship, Obama said, "It's been nine years since your last title—which must have felt like eternity for Yankee fans. I think other teams would be just fine with a spell like that. The Cubs, for example." Obama however, has stated that while he

8220-835: The Giants blocking the plan with the decision upheld by the United States Supreme Court , the A's attempted to build their new waterfront stadium . With John Fisher not willing to come into an agreement with the City of Oakland, the A's instead purchased land near Allegiant Stadium , home of the Las Vegas Raiders (who also formerly played in Oakland) and T-Mobile Arena , home of the Vegas Golden Knights in April 2023. The plans later shifted to

8357-459: The Giants side while the Athletics had Connie Mack , Chief Bender , Eddie Plank , Rube Waddell , Frank Baker and Eddie Collins . The San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics met for the first time in the 1989 World Series . This series was interrupted minutes before Game 3 on October 17, 1989, when an earthquake , measuring 6.9 on the Richter Scale , struck the San Francisco Bay Area . The resulting damage to both Candlestick Park and to

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8494-409: The Giants to win their most recent World Series championship. Both teams met for the first time in the regular season in June 1997. The Giants' Barry Zito started 0–4 against his former team, finally beating the Athletics on June 12, 2010 at AT&T Park. The A's had considered relocating to San Jose, California , for several years but had reportedly met with resistance from the Giants. San Jose

8631-458: The Giants' 25-man active roster for the postseason. Zito worked out throughout the playoffs so that he would be ready to join the roster in case of an injury, but he was never needed and remained on the secondary squad. The Giants won the 2010 World Series in five games over Texas, and he received his first World Series ring . Early in the 2011 season, Zito experienced his first trip to the disabled list after an injury to his right foot during

8768-452: The Indians. For the season, he went 11–11 with a 4.48 ERA. That was his only year with the Athletics that his ERA was more than 4.00. He still finished 10th in the league in strikeouts with 163. Following the departure of Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder , Zito was given his first Opening Day assignment in 2005. He allowed four runs over six innings in a 4–0 loss to the Orioles on April 4. In 2005, Zito again struggled in April, going 0–4 with

8905-414: The Month again in September, going 6–0 with a 1.89 ERA. During those last two months of the season, Zito went a combined 11–1 with a 1.32 ERA, best in baseball. The Athletics made the postseason and again played the Yankees in the ALDS . Zito pitched in Game 3 against Mike Mussina . He went eight innings, striking out six, walking one, and allowing an earned run. But Zito took the loss as the Yankees won

9042-419: The Rockies in a 10–0 win to complete a 3-game series sweep. It was the Giants' 16th straight victory in a row in games started by Zito (including the 2012 regular season and postseason), the longest such streak by a Giants pitcher since 1936 by Hall of Fame left-handed pitcher Carl Hubbell . However, Zito struggled for the rest of the season, going 2–10 with a 6.24 ERA after April 21 and losing his rotation spot

9179-412: The St. Louis Cardinals in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series (NLCS), earning the win. It was his first postseason win since 2006 and according to Zito himself, was the biggest win of his career. That same day, Zito inspired the Twitter hashtag #rallyzito , which, behind the efforts of Giants fans, was trending worldwide on the social networking site. The Giants, after trailing 3–1 in

9316-403: The White House four days before the end of Obama's presidency. While not meant in the most literal sense to most fans, there is an overall feeling that both teams' misfortunes began with unfortunate events which some claim have cursed both teams into their poor play. This adds to the overall downtrodden feelings that fans feel for their own teams, making it much easier to revel in the poor play of

9453-404: The White Sox came back to force a 7–7 tie. Thanks to a rainout, they did not play the decisive 15th game as the players' contracts expired on October 15. Starting in 1905, the series became best-of-seven and remained that way until 1942. In all, they played 25 City Series with the White Sox winning 18 and the Cubs winning six to go along with the tie of 1903. The 1912 version marked the first time in

9590-432: The White Sox in the first weekend series at Wrigley Field, and the White Sox subsequently swept the Cubs at U.S. Cellular Field during the second weekend series, thus splitting the series 3–3 and resulting in an all-time inter-league series tie of 33–33 through 2008. The Crosstown Cup trophy was introduced in 2010 and the White Sox won the trophy the first three seasons before the Cubs finally won it in 2013. The Cubs winning

9727-411: The White Sox taking the three game series at Wrigley and the Cubs taking the three game series on the Southside. Both teams also made the playoffs in the same season for the first time since 2008 but both were eliminated in the Wild Card Round. On August 8, 2021, MLB aired a game on ABC for the first time since 1995 with the game between the White Sox and Cubs at Wrigley Field with the White Sox winning

9864-519: The White Sox while the Cubs move on to a team-owned cable channel, Marquee Sports Network . While New York of the 1940s and 1950s often had two or three teams vying for championships, the two Chicago teams had comparatively little to celebrate for a long time, except for pennants in 1945 (Cubs) and 1959 (Sox), until the White Sox won the 2005 World Series and the Cubs won the 2016 World Series . Historically, each team's fans felt bad for their own team's relatively poor performance, but took solace in that

10001-509: The World Series, and in 1920 were banned from baseball for life. While the White Sox won 4 AL titles in the first 20 years of their existence, they would win only one more league championship in the twentieth century. The term "curse" has seldom been used as such, since the scandal was perceived to be something the players did to themselves rather than being wrought by the front office conducting ill-advised transactions or committing public relations gaffes. In fact, many White Sox fans take offense to

10138-528: The Year Award voting. He struggled to begin the 2001 season but improved greatly down the stretch, finishing the year with an 11–1 win–loss record over his final two months. He won 23 games (while only losing five) in 2002 and won the Cy Young Award . His record was only 14–12 in 2003, but he still made the All-Star team for the second year in a row. In 2004, he had his worst season, going 11–11 with

10275-654: The availability of tickets and the prices offered through ticket brokers, these games are among the most anticipated of the season. In 2008, the teams played each other as leaders of their respective divisions for the first time ever: the White Sox in the American League Central and the Cubs in the National League Central. Also for the first time in the rivalry's history, both Sunday games to end each series were televised nationally on ESPN 's Sunday Night Baseball . The Chicago Cubs swept

10412-469: The ball in the collision and Pierzynski was safe. After slapping home plate in celebration, Pierzynski began to walk away, but Barrett blocked his path and punched him in the jaw. Both benches cleared and a brawl broke out. Umpires debated for 15 minutes before ejecting Pierzynski, Barrett, White Sox outfielder Brian Anderson and Cubs first baseman John Mabry from the game. When play finally resumed, outfielder Scott Podsednik promptly got on base, loading

10549-569: The bases up, and second baseman Tadahito Iguchi cleared them with a grand-slam. The White Sox won the game, 7–0. Michael Barrett was suspended for 10 games, while Brian Anderson was suspended for five and A. J. Pierzynski was fined. In 2006, Pierzynski was named one of the five American League players in the All-Star Final Vote . Soon afterwards the Chicago White Sox organization began an election campaign using

10686-541: The cap are sold from vendors at the games, and once in a while the teams both dress in uniforms from a historic era of their franchises. Many fans actively cheer for both teams when they are not playing against the other. A's fans cite the Giants blocking a potential move to San Jose as a point of contention. The series was also occasionally referred to as the " BART Series " for the Bay Area Rapid Transit system that links Oakland to San Francisco. However,

10823-659: The city which is now the West Campus of the University of Illinois at Chicago and near the United Center , home of the Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks . (Coincidentally, for a few seasons in the early 1890s the Cubs home park was within a block of the sites of the future Sox ballparks). In 1916 the Cubs moved from the west to the north side, taking over Weeghman Park, the abandoned Federal League facility (later renamed Wrigley Field ), thus setting up

10960-545: The count and had to rely more on his fastball . During the 2009 season, Zito made changes to his delivery, lowering his arm slot from an over the top angle to a three-quarters delivery. This change helped his fastball velocity go back up to the 86–89 miles per hour (138–143 km/h) range as well as sharpening the break of his curveball. However, in 2011, he was once again in the 84–87 miles per hour (135–140 km/h) range with his fastball. In 2012, Zito relied mostly on his two-seam fastball and cutter and reduced his reliance on

11097-478: The current separation. When the new Comiskey Park (now called Guaranteed Rate Field ) was built, many in the media and baseball (including both Cubs and White Sox fans) called the park "sterile", and lacking the beauty and personality of the old park, even though many seats at the old park were cramped, behind posts, or in the outfield. Others contend that in contrast Wrigley Field is dirty, uncomfortable, and generally unpleasant to be in. Regardless, this again set up

11234-470: The disabled list after aggravating his right foot injury; ironically, his trip to the DL made room for Sánchez to return to the rotation. On August 13, Zito injured his right ankle on another fielding play in a Triple-A rehab start, sidelining him for another month. Zito returned from the DL on September 11 but was used out of the bullpen for the rest of the year; he posted a 9.00 ERA over his final four games. In

11371-467: The fields remains a point of rivalry between fans of the teams. When the Tribune Company bought the Cubs, they immediately started pressing for night baseball, threatening to abandon Wrigley Field otherwise. Night baseball was finally added in 1988, and after some further negotiations with the city, in the winter of 2005–2006 they expanded Wrigley's bleachers for the first time since 1938. Even

11508-440: The fifth A's pitcher to win 10 straight games, the first since Welch in 1990. On April 18, Zito went nine innings, allowing six hits and no runs in a start against the Rangers. Zito improved to 9–0 in his career against Texas. After the game, Texas manager Buck Showalter said, "I got the feeling he made it look pretty easy. When he has that kind of command, you can see what happens." Zito struggled in his second-to-last start before

11645-554: The final Bay Bridge Series game, Giants and Athletics players both made emotional speeches and took souvenirs from the Oakland Coliseum. Note: Giants records only from 1958 when they moved to San Francisco, as are Athletics records from 1968 when they moved to Oakland through their last season in Oakland in 2024. As of September 30, 2024. Updated to most recent meeting, August 18, 2024. Cubs%E2%80%93White Sox rivalry The Cubs–White Sox rivalry (also known as

11782-540: The final game of the year so that Giants' fans could give him a standing ovation. Zito entered with two outs in the eighth inning on September 29 and struck out Mark Kotsay (playing his final game) as the Giants beat the Padres 7–6. He finished the 2013 season at 5–11 with a 5.74 ERA in 30 games, 25 of which were starts. Following the season, Zito took out a full-page ad in the San Francisco Chronicle thanking Giants fans for their support. The Giants declined Zito's 2014 option, buying it out for $ 7 million. After taking

11919-520: The first A's pitcher to win the Cy Young Award since Dennis Eckersley did it in 1992. Zito was also named AL TSN Pitcher of the Year . In 2003, Zito started with a win against the Mariners. He went 6 innings and allowed an earned run, an RBI single by Olerud in the first inning. In his next start, Zito went 7 innings, struck out 7, walked 4, and allowed one run against Texas. He became only

12056-422: The first time since 2000 and posted a career-high 4.53 ERA. Zito began the 2008 season as the oldest starter and the veteran presence in the Giants' starting rotation. In April, Zito went 0–6 with a 7.53 ERA and 11 strikeouts. He was the third pitcher in the last 52 years to go 0–6 before May 1. On April 28, the Giants moved him to the bullpen . Zito did not make an appearance out of the bullpen and returned to

12193-432: The game 9–3. In a game on August 27, 2021, the White Sox and Cubs combined for 30 runs in a 17–13 White Sox victory at Guaranteed Rate Field, the most runs scored in a game between the two teams. It was also the most runs scored by the White Sox against the Cubs. It also included a combined six home runs, four from the Cubs, and two from the White Sox. It also saw White Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal hit two home runs and tying

12330-454: The game on Friday as a Cubs home game with NBCSC treating it as a White Sox away game; on Sunday WGN would broadcast a White Sox away game and NBCSC showed a Cubs home game; with the other game alternating between the two channels). The shared game status ended following the 2019 season of both teams, the last time WGN broadcast the FTA matchups of both teams, with NBCSC becoming the full time home of

12467-458: The game, 1–0. The Yankees would end up taking the series, 3–2. In 2002, Zito became one of the best pitchers in baseball. On May 8, Zito signed a 4-year, $ 9.3 million contract extension, keeping him in Oakland through at least the 2005 season, with a club option for the 2006 season. On June 22, Zito won his 10th game of the season. It was the earliest that an A's pitcher had reached the 10-win mark since Bob Welch got there on June 15, 1990. Zito

12604-451: The game, while the Sox commentary team would have the call for their home games. Starting in 2005, both WGN and then newly created NBC Sports Chicago show the games on each network with both commentary crews at the same time, allowing the viewer to watch the game without an opposing team bias. The stations generally switched off each day. For example, in a series at Wrigley Field, WGN would treat

12741-460: The highest levels." With the A's leaving Oakland after the 2024 season for Las Vegas in 2028 (and West Sacramento in the interim), due to issues with their stadium, the rivalry in the form of the Bay Bridge series and Bay Area series effectively ended in 2024 (the final Bay Bridge Series game took place on August 18, 2024 with the Giants winning 4–2). Instead of being focused on the Bay Area,

12878-541: The history of the Crosstown cup, if the series is tied, the cup is awarded to the previous season winner. Barry Zito Barry William Zito (born May 13, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher . He played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants . His pitching repertoire consisted of a curveball (his strikeout pitch),

13015-481: The kiss of death... which it proved to be, as the Padres late-inning rally in the final game in San Diego featured a ground ball slipping under the glove of first baseman Leon Durham... an eerie precursor to a similar and much-more-memorialized incident with the Red Sox and former Cubs first baseman Bill Buckner that would occur two years later. That requires a quick mention of the " Ex-Cubs Factor ", an offshoot of

13152-529: The large contract and was learning that he just needed to be himself. Zito also said that it had been difficult for him to adjust to a new league, team, and ballpark. On the final day of the season, in Los Angeles against the Dodgers, Zito allowed two runs on five hits and had four strikeouts in an 11–2 win. For the first time in his career, Zito had a losing record, as he finished the season at 11–13. He failed to reach 200 innings ( 196 + 2 ⁄ 3 ) for

13289-587: The last month of the season and was left off the postseason roster. After sitting out much of the 2011 season with a foot and ankle injury, he returned in 2012 and flourished, finishing with a 15–8 record, his best season in a Giants uniform. The same October, Zito helped lead the Giants to their second World Series title in San Francisco history over the Detroit Tigers by going 2–0 with a 1.69 ERA in three postseason starts. In his first World Series start, he outdueled Tigers' ace Justin Verlander in Game 1, setting

13426-499: The late columnist Mike Royko , a Cubs fan, and late writer Nelson Algren , a Sox fan, would take their shots at the other team. Royko once wrote that the reason Sox fans have a "bad attitude" is that when they would go to games at Comiskey Park, the stench of the Union Stock Yards would fill their nostrils and remind them of the status of their team. The stockyards closed in 1971. Several Cubs and White Sox fans have made

13563-482: The league again), he had a 16–10 record, a 3.83 ERA, and 151 strikeouts. Zito was tied for eighth in the league in wins, he ranked tenth in ERA, and he was third in innings pitched (221). He had the eighth-lowest run support of AL pitchers (4.97) but had a 15–1 record if he received at least two runs of support. Zito helped the Athletics reach the postseason. In Game 1 of the ALDS , he allowed one run and four hits over eight innings, outdueling Johan Santana and earning

13700-608: The league. In 2006, Zito went 1 + 1 ⁄ 3 innings and allowed seven earned runs on Opening Day (April 3) against the Yankees. It was the shortest outing of his career. However, Zito quickly rebounded from that bad start. On June 1, he allowed four hits over seven innings in a 4–0 victory over the Twins. During the game, he recorded his 1,000th career strikeout by punching out Lew Ford . On July 2, Zito and Brandon Webb both allowed one run through eight innings before Zito gave up two unearned runs while only getting two outs in

13837-469: The main Cubs "curse": that any team reaching the post-season since the 1945 Series, and having three or more ex-Cubs, was almost certainly doomed to lose in either the playoffs or the Series due to "a critical mass of Cubness". The 1960 Pirates had been the lone exception until 2001, when the Diamondbacks effectively ended talk of that curse by winning the Series in a dramatic finish that featured two of

13974-402: The most by an AL left-hander since Frank Viola had 24 wins for Minnesota in 1988. Zito also allowed a .185 average to opposing hitters, the lowest in the AL. Martínez, who had led the AL in ERA (2.26), strikeouts (239), and winning percentage (.833), became the first pitcher since the introduction of the award to lead his league in each of the three categories and not win the award. Zito became

14111-427: The name "BART Series" has never been popular beyond a small selection of history books and national broadcasters and has fallen out of favor, likely because BART does not provide direct or easy access to Oracle Park in San Francisco. Bay Area locals almost exclusively referred to the rivalry as the "Bay Bridge Series" or the "Battle of the Bay." Originally, the term described a series of exhibition games played between

14248-689: The neighborhoods around the stadiums show the difference between the fans. Wrigleyville, a part of the Lake View neighborhood, surrounds the Cubs' stadium, and comprises middle- and upper-middle-class housing, as well as many restaurants, bars and music venues for fans to visit before and after games. In contrast, the Bridgeport neighborhood directly west of the White Sox home field has a more "blue-collar" reputation. There are bars and restaurants in Bridgeport, too, but White Sox fans must walk or drive

14385-468: The next one, while the 2005 World Championship ended an 88-year wait for a World Series victory. This adds a decidedly interesting twist on the rivalry as there were, until 2005, very few fans for either team who were alive to see one side actually claim a title while the other waited. Note: Pennants won by both teams include pennants won before the modern World Series . As of October 2, 2023. Updated to most recent meeting, August 10, 2024. Note: In

14522-484: The ninth; Webb threw a complete game as the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Athletics 3–1. When the All-Star Break rolled around, Zito was 8–6 with a 3.29 earned run average. He was named to the 2006 All-Star Game. On August 25, Zito earned his 100th career win when he defeated the Rangers 9–3. He had a no-hitter going into the eighth inning, but Mark DeRosa singled to lead it off. In 35 starts (first in

14659-530: The other Barry. By all accounts, Zito and Bonds got along well during their short time as teammates, and Zito made a point of saying he would stand by Bonds through onslaughts from the media. In his first start as a member of the Giants, Opening Day (April 3), Zito went five innings and allowed two earned runs against the San Diego Padres . He would take the loss. In his next start, Zito struggled. He went six innings but allowed eight earned runs against

14796-519: The other team was doing just as badly. Thus, the rivalry often was one in which fans of one team are just as happy for the poor play of the other team as they are for the good play of their own ( schadenfreude ). This above all is what made the Chicago rivalry unique in Major League Baseball. An examination of other great rivalries ( Yankees–Red Sox , Mets–Yankees , A's–Giants , Dodgers–Giants ) shows that both teams have made World Series appearances on

14933-456: The other. The two teams have the longest droughts in the MLB. The Cubs had a 108-year drought that went from 1908 to 2016, and the White Sox had an 88-year drought that went from 1917 to 2005. The Chicago Cubs won ten National League championships between 1901 and 1945, and also had among the best winning percentages in the NL up to that time (3,796–3,022 for a 0.557 winning percentage). The Cubs had

15070-513: The playoffs and to the World Series." In his next start, against the Seattle Mariners , Zito took a no-hitter into the eighth inning before John Olerud singled to leadoff the inning. Seattle manager Lou Piniella said if he could vote for the Cy Young Award winner, "It would go to that young man who pitched for the Oakland team. There are other deserving pitchers, but [Zito] has won 21 games and he competes well." In his last start of

15207-508: The rivalry will continue as one over Northern California . When the team does move to Las Vegas as planned, however, the teams may still meet in 6 games annually due to the other West division teams being paired up in Interleague rivalries (barring a swap of the forced pairings). Even still, the teams would at least still meet in an annual 3-game series with alternating venues each season. After plans for Cisco Field were shuttered due to

15344-495: The rotation on May 7 against the Pittsburgh Pirates . In that game, Zito allowed five hits and two earned runs over five innings and took the loss, his seventh of the season. On May 23, Zito collected his first win of the 2008 season against the Florida Marlins . On June 13, Zito became the first pitcher to record 10 losses in the Major Leagues following a 5–1 loss to Oakland. His 5.1 walks per nine innings pitched for

15481-647: The season when he pitched seven innings, allowing three hits and recording four strikeouts, in a July 17 game versus the Atlanta Braves . The win pushed his season record to 8–6. Zito would go on to finish the season with a 15–8 record, his most wins in a season with the Giants, while sporting a 4.15 ERA. Zito faced off against the Reds in Game 4 of the National League Division Series (NLDS) on October 10 and struggled, being pulled in

15618-554: The season, 51.5% first-pitch-strike percentage, and 14 sacrifice flies allowed, were all the worst in the majors. Beginning June 25, Zito saw some improvement, as he posted an 8–6 record for the rest of the season to go along with a 4.33 ERA. He finished the year 10–17 with a career-high 5.15 ERA and 120 strikeouts. His 17 losses led the National League and were the second-worst total in San Francisco history ( Ray Sadecki lost 18 games in 1968). The 2009 season seemed to mark

15755-478: The season, Zito went six innings and allowed just a run against the Texas Rangers . In his last 10 starts, Zito went 8–0, boosting his chances of winning the AL Cy Young Award. "Barry pitched another gem", said Oakland manager Art Howe . "He's certainly had a Cy Young-type season. He's just been steady all season long." Zito was a part of the A's 20 consecutive game winning streak in 2002 . In Game 3 of

15892-513: The season. Zito started the 2010 season by pitching six shutout innings against the Houston Astros to earn a win; it was the first time he had won his season-opening start since 2003. On April 24, Zito stifled the St. Louis Cardinals , throwing eight shutout innings with ten strikeouts for his third victory of the season, en route to starting the season 5–0 for the first time in his career. It

16029-400: The series, prevailed in seven games. On October 24, 2012, Zito pitched in the first World Series of his career . As the Game 1 starter, Zito earned the win, outpitching Detroit's Justin Verlander by tossing 5 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings of one-run ball. Zito added an RBI single en route to an 8–3 Giants win. The Giants went on to sweep the Tigers in the World Series, and Zito went 2–0 with

16166-475: The sixth lefty aged 23 or younger since 1902 to strike out at least 200 batters in a season. After a great rookie season, Zito struggled through the early part of the 2001 season, posting a 6–7 record with a 5.01 ERA in his first 22 starts. However, he rebounded nicely and by August, he was putting up good pitching numbers. Zito was named Pitcher of the Month in August, going 5–1 with a 1.02 ERA. Zito won Pitcher of

16303-482: The slogan "Punch A.J.", inspired by the May 20, 2006 collision and slugging incident between Pierzynski and Michael Barrett. Pierzynski received 3.6 million votes, the most votes in the American League , subsequently sending him to his second All-Star appearance. The White Sox have always been located on the south side. At the time the White Sox came to town, the Cubs' home field was West Side Park , in an older section of

16440-408: The stage for San Francisco's sweep to their seventh World Series title in franchise history. Zito struggled in 2013 but received a standing ovation from the fans in his final appearance as a Giant. Following that year, he became a free agent , and after sitting out the 2014 season he returned to the Athletics for 3 games in 2015 before retiring. Zito, a philanthropist, founded Strikeouts for Troops ,

16577-427: The team 20 years ago, our plan to revive the franchise relied heavily on targeting and solidifying our fan base in the largest and fastest growing county within our territory. Based on these Constitutionally-recognized territorial rights, the Giants invested hundreds of millions of dollars to save and stabilize the team for the Bay Area, built Oracle Park privately and has operated the franchise so that it can compete at

16714-418: The team: charting pitches between starts, coaching first base, and even buying dinner for the entire team on his birthday. Zito spent the entire season with Nashville, including about a month on the disabled list with left shoulder tendinitis. He was activated on the next-to-last day of the season on which he pitched one scoreless inning of relief. In 24 appearances (22 starts), he accrued an 8–7 record with

16851-670: The teams at Wrigley Field on April 7, 1994, was notable for the White Sox having Michael Jordan playing right field – Jordan was playing for a White Sox minor-league affiliate, the Birmingham Barons, during the first of his nearly two seasons of his first retirement from the NBA before his comeback with the Bulls. Since inter-league play began in 1997, the White Sox and Cubs have routinely played each other four or six times each year (one two or three-game series at each stadium). Based on

16988-464: The term "curse". Still, a pall seemed to settle on the franchise (along with a slim budget), and it would be the last years of the Eisenhower administration before they would win the league championship again. When the White Sox clinched the pennant in 1959, broadcaster Jack Brickhouse capped his play-by-play with, "A forty year wait has now ended!" The 2005 pennant ended a forty- six -year wait for

17125-429: The third inning after allowing two runs. However, the Giants went on to win 8–3. The Giants, after losing the first two games of the series, became the first team to rally from a 2–0 deficit with both losses at home in an NLDS, winning 3 straight road games to win the series in five games. On October 19, 2012, Zito rebounded and pitched arguably the best game of his career, tossing 7 2 ⁄ 3 shutout innings against

17262-524: The three ex-Cubs, one of them (Luis Gonzalez) providing the series-winning RBI. The White Sox had the best winning percentage of any American League team from 1901 to 1920 (1,638–1,325 for a 0.553 winning percentage), but quickly slipped to among the worst teams after that. Many point to the Black Sox scandal surrounding the 1919 World Series as the point in history that changed the White Sox fortunes. Eight White Sox players conspired to intentionally lose

17399-607: The trophy was sponsored by oil and gas company BP and was known as the BP Crosstown Cup. From 2013 to 2018 there was no corporate sponsor. In 2019 the trophy was sponsored by the financial holding company Wintrust and was therefore called the Wintrust Crosstown Cup. In 2020, the teams faced each other as leaders of their divisions for the first time since 2008 in the Pandemic shortened season with

17536-494: The two clubs after the conclusion of spring training , immediately prior to the start of the regular season. It was first used to refer to the 1989 World Series which the Athletics won and the first time both teams had met since they moved to the San Francisco Bay Area . Today, it also refers to games played between the teams during the regular season since the commencement of Interleague play in 1997. Through

17673-555: The white Win Flag is waved by the Cubs fans in every win against the White Sox and " Go, Cubs, Go " is played during home victories as well. Team owners naturally encourage such rivalries (two-time Sox owner Bill Veeck was a master at it) in the hope that they will translate to increased gate receipts, and the Cubs-Sox inter-league games have borne out that theory. President Barack Obama , an avid White Sox fan, has taken verbal jabs at

17810-530: The win in Oakland's 5–1 triumph. In Game 5, Zito went six innings and allowed four earned runs, taking the loss as the Red Sox won the game and the series. In 2004, Zito struggled and posted the worst numbers of his career at the time. Zito went 2–3 with a 6.83 ERA in April. On May 28, facing Cliff Lee , he threw eight shutout innings but received a no-decision in a 1–0 loss to the Cleveland Indians . He threw eight shutout innings of four-hit ball in

17947-483: The win in a 3–2 victory over the Twins and setting the stage for an Oakland sweep. Zito did not fare as well in Game 1 of the AL Championship Series (ALCS) against the Tigers, allowing five runs over 3 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings in a 5–1 defeat. The Tigers went on to sweep the Athletics in four games. Zito replaced his agent Arn Tellem with Scott Boras in July 2006. Zito was a focal point of

18084-466: The win, outpitching Roger Clemens . However, the Yankees would win the series, 3–2, and would go on to win their third straight World Series . In 2001, Zito Switched his uniform number to 75 (which he would wear throughout the rest of his career) and finished third in the American League (AL) in strikeouts per nine innings (8.61), fourth in strikeouts (205), sixth in wins (17), eighth in ERA (3.49), and tenth in winning percentage (.680). Zito became

18221-434: Was at the center of the controversy. Every post-season they have participated in since then seems to have featured a disaster of some kind, from Hack Wilson losing a fly ball in the sun, to Babe Ruth's called shot , to the " Steve Bartman incident ". When they won the division in 1984 , their first title since 1945, manager Jim Frey shouted in the champagne-soaked clubhouse, "The monkey's off our back!" Some fans took that as

18358-446: Was fraternity brothers with A's managing partner Lew Wolff at the University of Wisconsin , stated that the A's would not be able to survive as a franchise if they remained at the Oakland Coliseum . The Giants claimed that the territorial rights were "explicitly reaffirmed by Major League Baseball on four separate occasions," when former managing partner Peter Magowan bought the team in the early 1990s. The Giants stated "upon purchasing

18495-487: Was named to the All-Star team for the first time in his career. On July 18, he went 7 + 1 ⁄ 3 innings while giving up no runs against the Angels. That win gave Zito a team-record 16th straight win at home. Zito again faced the Angels in his next start and produced similar results. He went 6 + 1 ⁄ 3 innings and gave up just one run. That win gave Zito the most wins by an AL pitcher (14). Zito would become

18632-423: Was taken by the Seattle Mariners in the 59th round (1,586th overall) of the 1996 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft , and in the third round (83rd overall) by the Texas Rangers in 1998 , but did not sign with either team. In the 1999 draft , he was selected by the Oakland Athletics with the ninth pick of the first round, and signed for a $ 1.59 million bonus. In 1999, Zito began his professional career with

18769-410: Was the best start by a Giants' pitcher since 2004 when Lowry started 6–0. On June 12, 2010, Zito earned his first win against his former team, the Athletics, which gave him victories against every MLB team. Zito is one of eighteen pitchers to record a win against all 30 MLB teams, and the first pitcher to accomplish the feat while only with two clubs. Through June 12, Zito was 7–2 with a 3.10 ERA. After

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