Barry Zito makes it official: He’s retiring

OAKLAND - Left-handed pitcher Barry Zito, who spent his entire 15 years in the big leagues with the A’s and Giants, announced his retirement Monday.

Zito spent most of the 2015 season pitching for the A’s Triple-A farm team in Nashville, and thought his career would end with a one-inning relief appearance for the Sounds on Sept. 6.

But the A’s, suffering from a series of injuries to the pitching staff, asked him to join them a week later, and he wound up making three appearances, including one final start against Tim Hudson of the Giants on Sept. 26.

The next day the A’s celebrated their “Big Three” starting rotation of 2000-04 - Zito, Hudson and Mark Mulder.

In announcing his retirement, Zito wrote, “I am thankful beyond belief to be at peace with walking away, thanks in large part to my year of renewal in Nashville with the Sounds.

“My return to Oakland last month was a ‘cherry on top’ moment in my life that my family and I will never forget. I will no doubt be in the stands on both sides of the Bay in years to come.”

Up next for Zito is a foray into songwriting. A musician for about as long as he’s been a baseball player, Zito connected with the music scene in Nashville and returned there after the season, putting off a return to his Southern California home for at least a couple of months.

“I am very excited to be a ‘rookie’ all over again in a new field, songwriting,” he wrote. “I am sure the lessons baseball has taught me will help me develop the thick skin I’ll need for this new endeavor.

“I feel so blessed to have been able to play with and also face some of this game’s greatest players over the last 15 years. Experiencing the highest levels of the sport I fell in love with as a kid was a dream come true.”

Zito finished with a 165-143 career record and a 4.04 ERA. Pitching for the A’s from 2000-06 and again in September, he went 102-64 with a 3.58 ERA and won the American League Cy Young Award in 2002. With the Giants from 2007-13, he went 63-80 with a 4.62 ERA.

The left-hander was 6-3 with a 2.83 ERA in 10 postseason starts, including a win over the Tigers in the 2012 World Series, which the Giants swept. Zito allowed one run in 52/3 innings.