There have been a few games in which Barry Zito pitched eight innings for the Giants. Most of them were only barely impressive -- there were a lot of high-walk/low-hit games mixed in, which probably had as much to do with good fortune as they did with good pitching.
Tonight, though, Zito pitched his best game as a Giant. It was the consummate "Oh, that Barry Zito"-game. This pitcher, this exact same collection of cells and neurons, won a freaking Cy Young once. Yep. After some Zito outings, mentioning the Old Zito was like talking about a handsome, svelte Orson Welles. Not tonight. Tonight it was 2002. Throw on that newfangled Shakira album and party, folks.
And while it was so easy to root for the complete game shutout, it was hard not to agree with Bruce Bochy's decision to pull Zito. A fine Zito outing has devolved into a fine Zito mess far too often in the late innings. Romo is a mustachioed relief god from the planet Out, and the only thing separating him from Goose Gossage is an avian nickname and more mustache. So, yeah, going to Romo wasn't a bad move.
Congrats to Barry Zito for his best game as a San Francisco Giant.