SEATTLE – Barry Zito nearly made a third farewell appearance for the A’s.
The lefty was warming in the bullpen during the eighth inning of Sunday’s 3-2 loss to the Mariners, and manager Bob Melvin apparently wasn’t going to hesitate to bring Zito in if the game had remained tied. Rookie Ryan Dull gave up a tie-breaking homer to Seth Smith with two outs in the eighth, then struck out Logan Morrison to end the inning.
“If Dull had given up another base runner he would have come in,” Melvin said.
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Zito’s last two appearances were starts that were built up as goodbye outings, as all indications have been that the 37-year-old will retire. But he said with a smile following his last start, Wednesday against the Angels, that he’d be ready for anything. Melvin said Sunday morning he would use Zito, but only in the right type of situation.
As it played out, Wednesday’s outing in Anaheim – when Zito pitched well over four innings – will serve as a strong finish if he indeed hangs up his spikes. The lefty reiterated Sunday that he hasn’t made a final decision yet and will contemplate things with his family.