Those who think Barry Zito was a bad signing simply don't know SF Giants history

If you are a SF Giants fan who spends an inordinate amount of time on the cesspool known as X, then there is a decent chance a graphic has come across your feed recently which lists the top ten worst free agent contracts in MLB history.

No. 1 on the list is Barry Zito. That’s right, the Barry Zito who signed a seven-year, $126 million deal with San Francisco which looked like a big mistake for a lot of his tenure with San Francisco, but those around in 2012 know that Zito made it all worth it.

Zito’s regular season numbers with the Giants were never that impressive. The finesse lefty had a collective 4.62 ERA with the Giants across seven seasons, but it was what he did in the playoffs in 2012 that every Giants fan remembers.

Barry Zito became a legend during Giants' 2012 playoff run

After Zito was left off San Francisco’s playoff rosters in 2010, he was looking to redeem himself in 2012. He got off to a bad start in the NLDS against the Cincinnati Reds as he pitched 2 and 2/3 innings in Game 4 and allowed two earned runs before being pulled. The Giants went on to win that game, though.

Then San Francisco went down 3-1 in the NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Giants gave Zito the ball in Game 5 knowing they needed to win or their season was over. Not many had high hopes for Zito given his track record with San Francisco, but he pitched the game of his life, going 7 and 2/3 scoreless innings as the Giants won 5-0 to send the series back to San Francisco. The Giants won Game 6 and Game 7 easily and earned themselves a date with the Detroit Tigers in the World Series.

Basically no one gave San Francisco a chance in that series. The Tigers had Justin Verlander and a great pitching staff along with a lineup headlined by Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera. The fact that Zito toed the rubber opposite Verlander in Game 1 probably just added to the feeling amongst many national observers that the Tigers were going to make quick work of the Giants.

Then Pablo Sandoval hit three homers and Zito delivered another gem, pitching 5 and 2/3 innings of one-run ball while also recording an RBI single off Verlander at the plate. The Giants won 8-3 and didn’t look back as they swept Detroit for their second title in three years.

All of Zito’s bad outings and poor performances were completely absolved by those two starts in October of 2012. Every dollar he made was totally worth it when it mattered the most so his free agent contract does not belong on that list since Zito is remembered as a hero in San Francisco. 

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