OAKLAND – The emotions had yet to sink in for Barry Zito as he addressed reporters late Saturday afternoon.
All he could draw upon were isolated mental snapshots from a day that he never dreamed would happen in the first place.
The stats weren’t pretty for the A’s lefty in a game that served as a ceremonial swan song for him and Giants right-hander Tim Hudson. What Zito will take from Oakland’s 14-10 loss is the mutual love and appreciation he felt from his teammates and a sold-out Coliseum crowd.
After sitting out the entire 2014 season and then toiling through an entire year in Triple-A ball for the A’s this season, he relished the chance to make one more major league start in the ballpark where he first rose to stardom.