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Zito readies money pitch
From: New York Daily News
BY ROGER RUBIN
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
OAKLAND - New York baseball fans might want to try a little experiment when
they tune into tonight's Game 1 of the ALCS between the A's and Tigers. Watch
Oakland lefthander Barry Zito and try to envision him in Mets threads or
Yankees pinstripes.
There a reasonable chance he'll be wearing one of those uniforms next season.
Zito is in the final days of his contract and likely will command far more
money on the free-agent market than the "Moneyball" A's will want to pay. The
Mets, having already lost Pedro Martinez for the first half of next year,
will need a quality arm for the front of their rotation. The Yankees, stung
by another early playoff exit, could use a young arm with a rep for
delivering in the clutch.
Zito, 28, is 4-2 with a 2.43 ERA in six postseason starts. He prevailed in
last week's ALDS Game 1 matchup against Minnesota's Johan Santana - about as
tough a proposition as the AL has to offer.
"I've been watching Barry pitch for a long time and I've seen him in a lot of
big games," Oakland's Eric Chavez said. "Even he surprised me in Minnesota.
The way he was hitting his spots, I think he showed everyone something about
how good he is."
Zito pitched eight innings and allowed one run on four hits. It was a money
start, both literally and figuratively, starting the A's on the road to their
first ALCS since 1992 and raising what he commands into a stratosphere only a
handful of teams - the Mets and Yankees included - can afford.
He isn't interested in discussing potential destinations during this playoff
run, but his words clearly indicate that he knows he'll be leaving Oakland.
"There was some speculation I might not pitch here again in Oakland and that
my last start (of the regular season) against (Jered) Weaver and the Angels
would be my last one," he said. "It's good to come home to the fans and see
them in person under a playoff atmosphere."
Zito was rumored to be a target of the Mets before this season and again
right before the July 31 trading deadline. He never shied away from the idea
of pitching under the scrutiny of New York while that was going on. He seemed
to enjoy the speculation.
There will be other teams anxious to land him, including the Angels and
Dodgers and possibly the Padres. Those clubs offer the chance to live in
Southern California, where he resides. The New York teams can't offer that,
but they can offer other things beyond the big payday.
With the Mets he would be reunited with pitching coach Rick Peterson, who
held the same post in Oakland when Zito emerged as one of the game's top
pitchers. With the Yankees he could locker again with close friends Jason
Giambi and Johnny Damon and it would remove his biggest pitching obstacle -
he's 3-9 with a 5.20 ERA against the Bombers.
The departures of the other two members of the so-called "Big Three" - Mark
Mulder was traded to St. Louis and Tim Hudson to Atlanta - made him the A's
staff's leader.
"It gave me an opportunity to become a solidified No. 1," Zito said. "I got
the opportunity to keep and eye on the little chicks, all the A's players in
the clubhouse. ... Being 27 and dealing with that really helped me. It's been
a good role."
TIGER PAWS: Tigers manager Jim Leyland did something a little unexpected when
he kept his rotation for this series the same as it had been against the
Yankees. It means Nate Robertson and Justin Verlander will pitch the first
two games in Oakland, and not Kenny Rogers, who is 25-4 there.
"We considered that very strongly, but ... we felt the effort against the
Yankees was such a draining effort, we'd give him the (extra) time," Leyland
said of Rogers' 7-2/3 scoreless innings Friday against the Bombers. "If by
chance the series would go seven games, he would be able to pitch (Game 7)."
Originally published on October 10, 2006
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