The Oakland Athletics called up pitcher Barry Zito last week, which pleased many A’s fans. Zito is a beloved veteran who came up through the Athletics’ farm system and pitched in Oakland’s starting rotation from 2000 – 2006. Zito was part of a powerful rotation along with Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder. These three pitchers were fondly known as “The Big Three”.
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When Zito was called up this September, it quickly became known that he would be sent to the bullpen. Since he was on the disabled list for the final month of the Minor League season with left shoulder tendinitis, his pitch count was not high enough for the A’s to feel comfortable sticking him in the rotation. Zito pitched in his first Major League game as a reliever on Sunday against the Houston Astros. He pitched one inning and gave up a two-run home run.
However, the real news is the fact that the A’s will be playing the San Francisco Giants next week and it has been revealed that Hudson will be starting one of the three games in this series. Thus, there are many people pushing for a Zito versus Hudson matchup. Additionally, Mulder has told the press that he will be at the game and there have been rumors that he may even throw out the first pitch.
Even though it would be great to see these two accomplished veterans pitch against each other at the O.co Coliseum, it is not a good idea to start Zito. First of all, he is not physically ready. He has just recently returned from the disabled list and has only pitched two innings since August 6. This may be his last MLB season and it would be a shame for him to injure himself trying to be a starter for the A’s.
Additionally, if Zito did start in the game, it would be extremely taxing on the bullpen. Zito’s pitch count has not been built up since returning from the DL, so he would not be able to go very deep into the game. By starting Zito, it would be almost a certainty that the Athletics would need to turn to their relievers quite early in the game. The A’s bullpen is already stretched extremely thin and this would not help.
Recently, the Oakland Athletics have had some extremely bad luck when it comes to injured players. If Zito were to start in the game against Hudson, the possibility of another player landing on the disabled list is high. It would not be worth risking a player’s health for a nostalgic moment.
It would be great to see Zito pitch against Hudson. Perhaps Hudson could last long enough into the game in order to pitch against Zito when he comes in for relief. The Athletics need to stick with the original plan of keeping Zito in the bullpen.
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