Pictured: Barry Zito gets a hug from catcher Hector Sanchez after throwing a complete game shutout against the Rockies in Denver on Monday.Can I just say that I was extremely thrilled to see Giants pitcher Barry Zito throw a complete game shutout today against the Rockies? Nobody could have seen that coming (I don't think Zito could have even seen that even if he expected to pitch well).
Zito has been much maligned since signing a 7 year, $126 million contract prior to the 2007 season. In my view, it hasn't been from lack of heart or effort. Things just haven't gone his way for the most part. It felt good to see him have some success today. I hope it's the start of more good things to come. I've always kind of been a fan of Zito, dating back to his days with the Athletics, so it was a good day for me to see him have some success.
Last night I read a quote from Zito following the Giants getting swept in Arizona to open the season saying something like "I look forward to picking the boys up tomorrow." Notice that the quote wasn't "Hopefully I'll turn it around for the team tomorrow," or "Hopefully I'll be able to give the guys a chance to win." Even as a Zito fan, I thought that his comments were perhaps a bit too optimistic after the struggles he's had the past five seasons since moving across the bay to San Francisco and particularly in light of the rough Spring Training he had. But I also thought it was good that he still has confidence in himself. And today, Zito turned in his best start since putting on the orange and black. Hopefully he'll be able to contribute to this team all season long.
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