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Barry Zito Belts National Anthem to Begin A's Final Game at Oakland Coliseum

The former Athletics pitcher hopped on the microphone for a special moment in Oakland.

Tom Dierberger

Zito pitched seven seasons in Oakland from 2000 to '06 and again in '15.
Zito pitched seven seasons in Oakland from 2000 to '06 and again in '15. / Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images
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A surprise guest was introduced over the Oakland Coliseum loudspeakers on Thursday to sing the national anthem for the Oakland Athletics' final home game in the East Bay—former AL Cy Young winner Barry Zito.

Zito, who pitched for the A's from 2000 to '06 and rejoined the club for three appearances in '15, sang "The Star Spangled Banner" in front of a sold-out crowd of 46,889 fans.

After 57 years in the Oakland Coliseum, the A's will play their home games at Sutter Health Park, the home of the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, in California's capital city for the next three seasons as they attempt to relocate the franchise to Las Vegas by 2028.

"You can't prepare for something like this," Zito said of the final Coliseum game on the NBC Sports California broadcast. " ... I had to be a part of this. This is just so special. I love seeing all the fans and all the green and gold, man."

Zito's singing talent didn't come out of nowhere. He has a long history as a musician, as he began playing guitar in the minor leagues and played with his sister Sally's band during each offseason from 2000 to '07. After he retired from baseball in 2015, Zito released his first EP in 2017 and appeared on season three of The Masked Singer on Fox.

Although he has plenty of talent on the microphone, Zito was even better on the mound. Across 15 seasons, Zito was a three-time All-Star and logged a 165–143 record and 4.04 ERA. He was named the 2002 AL Cy Young winner after registering a 23–5 record, 2.75 ERA and 182 strikeouts in 35 starts, leading the "Moneyball A's" to an AL West division title.

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Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

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