Former MLB pitcher Barry Zito revealed himself Wednesday night as a rhino singer in "The Masked Singer", presenting his post-baseball career as a professional musician to the television audience.
While Zito was a big deal in the early 2000s for baseball fans, many who have watched the series have not heard of it.
After being removed from "The Masked Singer" in the show's semifinals, online interest in him increased. We are here to help explain your journey to those who are not familiar.
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Here's the gist of what made Zito such a cool player and person:
The curve
Zito distinguished himself stylistically from the rest of the league with his slow curved ball, which entered the hitting zone in a way that often froze opponents in the hitting zone.
His left-handed hook was good enough to allow him to be an elite pitcher early in his career with athletics, even if he didn't have an impressive fastball . His best year came in 2002, when he posted a 23-5 record to go with a 2.75 ERA for Oakland. He has accumulated 182 strikeouts this season.
Take a look at the curved ball of Zito in all its splendor:
The big 3
Zito's years of training in MLB were made more convincing by the fun team that surrounded him. With Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder, he helped build a trio of generational pitchers that led four consecutive playoff appearances.
That athletics never made it through the first round of the playoffs with its three aces is a critical part of a disappointing recent history in October. However, these shortcomings were not Zito's fault. In five playoff starts between 2000 and 2003, he posted a 2.76 ERA.
These teams were immortalized in the 2011 film "Moneyball" with Brad Pitt.
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Zito has always been a natural artist, and athletics has harnessed his talent with several classic commercial excerpts.
Here he is in 2005 with the young Dan Haren and Joe Blanton:
And him the year before before going to court with Mulder:
The world series
While Zito failed to match his continued success with athletics by signing with the Giants before the 2007 season, he produced a playoff magic for San Francisco.
With the Giants facing the playoff elimination against the Cardinals in game 5 of the 2012 NLCS, he pitched 7 2/3 shutout innings in an effort that was crucial for his team to reach the World Series. He then won the first World Series game against Tigers right-hander Justin Verlander. The Giants swept Detroit for their second title in three years.
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