ANAHEIM – Barry Zito was preparing to volunteer for duty when his manager beat him to the punch.
It was Sunday morning, after a disappointing start for Zito on Saturday in a much-hyped game that was supposed to be the final start of his career. Zito wanted back on the mound, and then Melvin called him into his office and simply pointed to Wednesday on a schedule.
“He’s like, ‘How’s this sound?’” Zito said. “My eyes got all big, and I was like, ‘Let’s do it.”
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And so the 37-year-old left-hander will get a second chance to make a good last impression.
[RECAP: Instant Replay: A's downed, Bassitt blasted by Angels]
Zito will take the ball Wednesday against the Angels, taking the start of Sonny Gray, who was shut down with a hip injury. Not every athlete gets the chance to re-write their career ending, but Zito will gladly take it after lasting just two-plus innings against the Giants on Saturday.
And though Zito had sort of written it in pencil that he’ll retire after this season, now it appears he’s reaching for permanent ink.
Oakland Athletics
He doesn’t forget the feeling he had during the nine days between his last outing with Triple-A Nashville and the time A’s general manager Billy Beane called offering a promotion to Oakland. He had begun shifting into a retirement frame of mind, and he was quite at peace with that.
“I haven’t made anything official, but I knew what my mindset was for those nine days before I came back,” Zito said. “I was just really enjoying being with my family and starting to do some music and things like that. I can’t say for sure, but I sure know I was enjoying life without knowing that training was coming up around the corner three weeks later.”
So it appears Wednesday’s outing at Angel Stadium will be the honest-to-goodness last start of his major league career. And though Saturday’s matchup against former “Big Three” teammate Tim Hudson provided a perfect final chapter, this start against the Angels might be a juicy epilogue.
[STIGLICH: Zito to start Wednesday for A's, Gray shut down]
Zito made his big league debut against the Angels on July 22, 2000, allowing one run over five innings and getting the victory at the Coliseum. He didn’t remember it was the Angels he debuted against until it was brought up, but he’s quite aware of how other things are fitting into place Wednesday.
He grew up in San Diego and finished his collegiate career at USC. He’s made 13 starts at Angel Stadium (going 6-5 with a 3.07 ERA), tied for second-most among his career visiting starts. Globe Life Park in Texas is the only ballpark in which he’s started more games as a visiting pitcher. Zito will have plenty of loved ones in the crowd Wednesday.
“It’s pretty special,” he said.
His team could certainly use a shot in the arm after Tuesday’s 8-1 defeat, the A’s ninth loss in their past 10 games. Melvin stayed true to his word about keeping Zito on a pitch count of roughly 50 in Saturday’s outing. The lefty needed to rebuild his arm strength after more than a week’s worth of inactivity.
As for Wednesday?
“He and I usually have a different pitch count in mind,” Melvin said with a smile. “… I don’t think 70 is out of the question if he feels good.”
Zito is just happy to get another last chance.
“It didn’t go the way I wanted on Saturday, so I wanted to come up and tell (Melvin), ‘Hey man, if you have a slot available and you need a guy, I’m all in for a start,’” he said. “… I don’t wanna just sit around for a week and travel with the team, so the fact I’m gonna be a starter is just so cool.”