Carlos Zambrano: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Content deleted Content added
No edit summary
m Reverted edits by Liltaytaylyfe (talk) to last version by 208.127.103.113
Line 1: Line 1:
{{for|Peruvian football player|Carlos Augusto Zambrano}}
{{sprotected2}}
{{Infobox actor
{{Infobox MLB player
| name = Bob Saget
| name = Carlos Zambrano
| image = Bob Saget.jpg
| image = Carlos Zambrano - 2008 - cropped.jpg
| width = 300
| caption = Saget at the 2007 [[Opie and Anthony|O&A]] [[Opie and Anthony's Traveling Virus Comedy Tour (2007)|Traveling Virus]] at [[PNC Bank Arts Center|PNC]]
| caption =
| birthname = Robert Lane Saget
| team = Chicago Cubs
| birthdate = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1956|05|17}}
| number = 38
| location = [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]], [[United States|USA]]
| position = Starting pitcher
| othername =
| birthdate = {{birth date and age|1981|6|1}}
| homepage =
| birthplace = [[Puerto Cabello]], [[Venezuela]]
| spouse = Sherri Kramer (1982–1997)
| bats = Switch
| throws = Right
| debutdate = August 20
| debutyear = 2001
| debutteam = Chicago Cubs
| statyear = September 30, 2008
| stat1label = [[Win (baseball)|Win-Loss]]
| stat1value = 96-61
| stat2label = [[Earned run average]]
| stat2value = 3.48
| stat3label = [[Strikeout]]s
| stat3value = 1,172
| teams = <nowiki></nowiki>
*[[Chicago Cubs]] ({{by|2001}}–present)
| awards = <nowiki></nowiki>
* 3x [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] selection ({{by|2004}}, {{by|2006}}, {{by|2008}})
*[[Silver Slugger Award]] winner ({{by|2006}})
*Led [[National League|NL]] in [[win (baseball)|wins]] in {{by|2006}}
* [[No-hitter]] (September 14, {{by|2008}})
}}
}}
'''Carlos Alberto Zambrano''' (born June 1, 1981 in [[Puerto Cabello]], [[Venezuela]]), popularly known as '''"Big Z"''', is a right-handed [[starting pitcher]] in [[Major League Baseball]] who has played for the [[Chicago Cubs]] since [[2001 in baseball|2001]]. He is signed with the Cubs through the 2012 season. He is one of the few switch-hitting pitchers in the MLB and has won a [[Silver Slugger Award]] for his hitting.<ref>Muskat, Carrie, [http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061109&content_id=1737774&vkey=news_chc&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc Big Z's big bat earns him Silver Slugger], MLB.com, Retrieved on August 9, 2007</ref>


Zambrano, an imposing figure at 6' 5" and 255 pounds, was signed by the Cubs as a free agent in 1997 and made his debut in 2001. After being used in both starting and [[relief pitcher|relief]] duties, he enjoyed his first full season as a starter in [[2003 in baseball|2003]], finishing with a 13-11 record, 168 [[strikeout]]s and a 3.11 [[earned run average|ERA]]. He was also in the Cubs starting rotation during the Cubs' run to the [[National League]] playoffs, in which they would come up five outs shy of the [[World Series]], losing to the eventual world champion [[Florida Marlins]].
'''Robert "Bob" Lane Saget''' (born [[May 17|May 17,]] 1956) is an American [[stand-up comedian]], [[television host]], actor, and [[filmmaker]]. Although he is most famous for his past roles in family-oriented shows like ''[[Full House]]'' and ''[[America's Funniest Home Videos]]'', Saget is known outside of television for his remarkably [[blue comedy|blue stand-up routine]].<ref name="Gale">{{Citation |last=Contemporary Authors: Gale Reference Team |author-link=Thomson Gale |title=Biography - Saget, Bob |year=2004 |publisher=Thomson Gale }}</ref> He was also the host of the [[NBC]] game show ''[[1 vs. 100 (US game show)|1 vs. 100]]''.


Widely regarded as one of the best hitting pitchers in the game, he has a career .240 batting average with 16 [[home runs]], 46 [[Run batted in|RBIs]] and a slugging percentage of .386. The 16 home runs is the most ever by a Cubs pitcher in history. He also tied the club record for home runs by a pitcher in a single season after clubbing six round trippers in 2006. [[Ferguson Jenkins]] is the other Cub great who compiled six home runs in one season as a pitcher. Due to his impressive stats at the plate he is occasionally even called upon to pinch hit.
== Early life and career ==
Saget was born in [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]] and moved to [[Lexington, Virginia|Lexington]], [[Virginia]], when he was 2-years-old. His father, Benjamin, was a supermarket executive and his mother, Rosalyn, was a hospital administrator. He attended [[Rockbridge County High School]] before moving back to Philadelphia and graduating from [[Abington Senior High School]]. Saget originally intended to become a doctor, but his Honors English teacher, Elaine Zimmerman, saw his creative potential and urged him to seek a career in films.<ref name="Gale" />


Zambrano is one of only two National League pitchers to have won at least 13 games in each year from 2003–2007, the other being former teammate [[Greg Maddux]]. In 2006, he became the first player from Venezuela to lead the National League in wins.
He enrolled at [[Temple University]]'s film school, where he made a student film, ''Through Adam's Eyes'', a [[black-and-white]] film about a boy who received reconstructive facial surgery. In 1978, the film was honored with an award of merit in the [[Student Academy Awards]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/saa/winners/winners.pdf |title=Student Academy Awards Winners |format=PDF}}</ref> Saget enrolled in graduate school at the University of Southern California but quit a few days later. Saget describes himself at the time in an article by Glenn Esterly in the, ''[[Saturday Evening Post]]'', "I was a cocky, overweight twenty-two-year-old. Then I had a [[gangrene|gangrenous]] [[appendix]] taken out, almost died, and I got over being cocky or overweight."


==Pitching style==
Saget started doing stand-up comedy and did a number of national tours. Later, in 1987, Saget became the co-host of, ''[[The Early Show#The Morning Program|The Morning Program]]'', an attempt by [[CBS]] to take a different direction with [[breakfast television|morning television]], where he also wrote and produced content for the show. However, Saget left the show after only six months due to low ratings, with both Saget and producers feeling he was not meant for morning TV.
Zambrano is noted for his vibrant personality on the mound.{{Fact|date=June 2007}} He allows his electric emotions to be readily evident, always indicating whether he is happy with his performance or not. Zambrano's pitches match this eclectic nature, as every pitch in his repertoire has significant movement. His pitches come out of a slinging, three-quarter to low three-quarter delivery. His main pitch is his hard, moving two-seam fastball that clocks around 90-94mph & a four-seam fastball that clocks anywhere from 94-99mph, but usually settles around 96 or 97 mph.{{Fact|date=June 2007}} Carlos has a devastating, heavy cannonball of a sinker that he loves to throw with a split grip, a pitch that usually winds up getting beaten into the ground by hitters - something of an advantage considering [[Wrigley Field]] and its tall, thick grass.<ref>[http://www.baseball-statistics.com/Ballparks/ChiC/index.htm Chicago Cubs Stadium], baseball-statistics.com, Retrieved on [[August 9]], [[2007]]</ref> He always makes sure to mix in plenty of sharp-breaking sliders & split-finger fastballs to keep hitters from sitting on his fastball. In addition, Carlos has also developed a change-up that he throws mostly to left-handed batters. His main weakness is a lack of pinpoint control, leading to a tendency to surrender [[base on balls|walks]]. Nevertheless, Zambrano seems to be hurt less by giving up walks than most pitchers, due to the fact that batters hit many more [[ground ball]]s than [[pop fly|fly balls]] against him. This can be attributed to the sinking movement of his fastball.


==Professional career==
== ''Full House'' and ''America's Funniest Home Videos'' ==
===2001-02 seasons===
Soon after, Saget was cast as [[Danny Tanner]] in ''[[Full House]]'', which became a huge success through family viewers and landed in the [[Nielsen Ratings]]'s Top 30 from the third season onward. In 1989, Saget was cast as the host of ''[[America's Funniest Home Videos]]'', which also became a smash hit. From 1989–1995, Saget was quite busy with his career, doing both ''Full House'' and ''AFV'' simultaneously. In 1995, ''Full House'' ended its run after eight years (due to increasing production costs), and Saget continued to host ''AFV'', despite his desire to pursue other works. In 1997, his contract finally expired, and he left the show. His former ''Full House'' cast, except for [[Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen|the Olsen twins]], were present at his last episode.{{Fact|date=August 2008}}
Zambrano was called up to the Cubs and pitched in his first game on August 20, 2001, starting against the [[Milwaukee Brewers]] at [[Wrigley Field]] in the second game of a double header. Zambrano started the game well, retiring the first nine of the first ten batters faced. He ran into difficulties in the fourth inning, and was removed before getting any outs in the fifth. He was charged with seven earned runs, walked four batters, and threw just 74 pitches.<ref>[http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN200108202.shtml Brewers 10, Cubs 2], baseball-reference.com, Retrieved on [[June 6]], [[2007]].</ref>


One month later on September 20th, Zambrano gained his first big-league victory by finishing out the fifth inning against the [[Houston Astros]]. Zambrano pitched just two thirds of an inning in relief of [[Juan Cruz (baseball)|Juan Cruz]], and was just twenty years old.<ref>[http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/HOU/HOU200109210.shtml Cubs 12, Astros 4], baseball-reference.com, Retrieved on [[June 6]], [[2007]].</ref> Zambrano did not have any additional starts in the season, and the Cubs finished in third place with an 88-74 record.
== Continued career ==
Saget is currently host of NBC's game show ''[[1 vs. 100 (US game show)|1 vs. 100]]'', which debuted October 13, 2006, and the uncredited narrator of the [[CBS]] [[sitcom]] ''[[How I Met Your Mother]]'', that premiered on September 19, 2005.


Zambrano started the 2002 season with the AAA [[Iowa Cubs]], but was quickly called up to the big-leagues. Upon arriving, he was dispatched to the bullpen, and pitched in sixteen games during the first three months of the season. On July 1, 2002, Zambrano started against the [[Florida Marlins]] taking the spot of [[Jason Bere]] in the rotation who had been struggling. Zambrano logged sixteen starts for the Cubs, mixing in four wins with eight losses. At times he showed his immense potential, including eight innings of shutout ball against the [[Milwaukee Brewers]] on September 4th.<ref>[http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN200209040.shtml Brewers 0, Cubs 3], baseball-reference.com, Retrieved on [[June 6]], [[2007]].</ref> Zambrano did struggle with his control, logging 63 walks in just over a hundred innings of work. The Cubs posted a disappointing 67-95 record for the season, finishing in fifth place.
His [[HBO]] comedy special, ''[[That Ain't Right]],'' came out on DVD on August 28, 2007. It is dedicated to his father, Ben Saget, who passed away on January 30, 2007 due to complications from congestive heart failure. He was 89.


===2003 season===
Saget appeared in the [[Broadway Theatre|Broadway]] [[Musical theatre|musical]] ''[[The Drowsy Chaperone]]'' for a limited four-month engagement. He played "Man in Chair", while Jonathon Crombie, who normally played the character on Broadway, was with the national tour of the musical. On January 4, 2008 Saget's caricature was unveiled at [[List of caricatures at Sardi's restaurant|Sardi's Restaurant]].<ref>[http://my.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=24093 Photo Coverage: Bob Saget Receives Sardi's Portrait (BroadwayWorld.com)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
Zambrano maintained his position in the Cubs starting rotation in 2003 and started 32 games with a 3.11 ERA and 13 wins in the fourth spot in the rotation, behind [[Mark Prior]], [[Kerry Wood]], and [[Matt Clement]]. The Cubs won the National League Central division, and were one win away from going to the World Series before being defeated by the [[Florida Marlins]]. The following year, Zambrano improved his statistics by lowering his ERA to 2.75 and increasing his strikeout total to 188. His record was the best on the Cubs staff that year, compiling a 16-8 record.


On August 22, 2003, Zambrano started against [[Curt Schilling]] and the [[Arizona Diamondbacks]]. While Curt pitched a strong game and recorded 14 strikeouts, it was Zambrano that received the attention as he took a no-hitter into the eighth inning. Zambrano got the first two batters out before [[Shea Hillenbrand]] broke up the no-hitter with an infield single down the third-base line. The play was very close at first, with TV replays indicating that the call may have been blown by first base umpire Bill Miller. Zambrano retired the next three batters (which would have been the final three outs) before giving up two more hits in the game.<ref>Author Unknown,[http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=230822129 Cubs 4, Arizona 1], Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on [[June 14]], [[2007]]</ref> The previous no-hitter for the Cubs was thrown in 1972 by [[Milt Pappas]].
On August 17, 2008, Saget was roasted by [[Comedy Central]] in a special titled ''[[Comedy Central Roast|The Comedy Central Roast of Bob Saget]]''.


Zambrano got his first post-season start on October 1st in Atlanta against the [[Atlanta Braves|Braves]] in game two of the NLDS. He pitched 5.2 innings, giving up eleven hits and three runs. The last hit by [[Rafael Furcal]] bounced off of Zambrano's leg, and he was removed from the game as a precaution.<ref>Newberry, Paul, [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=231001115 Atlanta 5, Chi Cubs 3], Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on [[August 9]], [[2007]]</ref> The Cubs did come back to tie the game in the eighth inning, with Zambrano getting a no-decision. The Cubs won the series 3-2, with Zambrano seeing no additional action.
== Other works ==
Saget directed the 1996 ABC [[television movie]], ''[[For Hope]]'', which was inspired by the life story of his sister, Gay Saget, who died from [[scleroderma]] three years earlier.<ref name="Gale" /> Saget is currently a board member of the [http://www.srfcure.org Scleroderma Research Foundation].


Zambrano was the starter in the first game of the NLCS at Wrigley Field on October 7th. While the Cubs spotted him a first inning 4-0 lead, he was unable to hold it, giving up five earned runs in six innings, including three home runs in the top of the third inning. The Cubs did come back, with a dramatic two-run home run by [[Sammy Sosa]] in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game. The Marlins did win the game in extra-innings 9-8.<ref>Walker, Ben, [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=231007116 Florida 9, Chi Cubs 8], Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on [[August 9]], [[2007]]</ref> Zambrano got his third chance for a post-season victory as the starter in the fifth game in Miami. Once again, Zambrano wasn't sharp, giving up four walks, five hits, and two earned runs in just five innings, along with the loss. [[Josh Beckett]] for the Marlins had a magnificent outing, throwing a two-hitter sending the series back to Chicago.<ref>Walker, Ben, [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=231012128 Florida 4, Chi Cubs 0], Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on [[August 9]], [[2007]]</ref>
In 2006, [[Jamie Kennedy]] released a [[Hip hop music|rap song]] and [[music video]] entitled ''[[Rollin' With Saget]]'' which featured Saget.


===2004 season===
Saget wrote, directed, and stars in ''[[Farce of the Penguins]]'', a parody of 2005's ''[[March of the Penguins]]'', that was released [[direct-to-video|direct-to-DVD]] in January 2007.
On May 7th, Zambrano had another fantastic start, throwing a two-hitter against the [[Colorado Rockies]]. Zambrano retired the first 14 batters he faced until giving up a single to [[Matt Holliday]]. Only 97 pitches were required on the afternoon for the victory, with Colorado managing to hit just four of them out of the infield on a breezy, cold day at Wrigley.<ref>Armour, Nancy, [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=240507116 Chi Cubs 11, Colorado 0], Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on [[June 14]], [[2007]]</ref> Zambrano continued his brilliance in his next start against the Dodgers, stringing together an additional eight innings without giving up an earned run.<ref>Harris, Beth, [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=240513119 Chi Cubs 7, LA Dodgers 3], Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on [[June 14]], [[2007]]</ref>
[[Image:Carloszambrano1.jpg|right|thumb|250px| Zambrano at [[Coors Field]] in 2004.]]
Through his first fourteen starts of the season, Zambrano had posted an 8-2 record, with quality starts in twelve of the games. His early season performance also earned him his first trip to the All-Star game where he pitched one inning in relief.<ref>[http://www.baseball-almanac.com/asgbox/07132004.shtml 2004 All-Star Game Box Score], Baseball-Almanac.com, Retrieved on [[August 9]], [[2007]]</ref>


Some of his most memorable starts have been against the rival [[St. Louis Cardinals]]. The first was on [[May 2]] where he and [[Matt Morris]] threw shutout innings, and Zambrano registered 12 strikeouts before being lifted in the 8th inning for a pinch hitter.
==Personal life==

Saget married Sherry Kramer in 1982 and with her had three daughters--Aubrey, Lara, and Jenny. In 1997, though, Bob and Sherry divorced.
The next was on July 19th, where he and [[Jim Edmonds]] built upon the rivalry between two Midwestern teams. In the first inning, Edmonds was hit by a pitch to load the bases. In the fourth inning, Edmonds connected for a home run, and watched the ball go over the fence from home plate. An agitated Zambrano yelled at Edmonds as he crossed the plate, but the night was far from over. In his next at bat in the sixth inning, Zambrano struck Edmonds out on three pitches, and wagged his finger at Edmonds on his way to the dugout. In the eighth inning with the score tied, [[Scott Rolen]] hit a two-out, two-run home run to break a 3-3 tie. Edmonds was the next batter, whom Zambrano immediately hit with a pitch and was ejected from the game. Zambrano indicated that it was not intentional, but Rolen and manager [[Tony LaRussa]] didn't agree.<ref>Gano, Rick, [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=240719116 St. Louis 5, Chi Cubs 4], Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on [[June 15]], [[2007]]</ref>
{{Expand-section|date=May 2008}}

Zambrano was awarded the NL Pitcher of the Month for September.<ref>[http://www.baseball-almanac.com/awards/pitcher_of_the_month_award.shtml Pitcher of the Month Award], Baseball-Almanac.com, Retrieved on [[August 9]], [[2007]]</ref> In his five starts during the month, Zambrano posted a 4-0 record over 35.2 innings, giving up only four earned runs. It wasn't enough for the Cubs as they finished with a late season losing streak, and missed the playoffs.

In 2004, Zambrano led his team in ERA (2.75, fourth in the league), won 16 games (tied with teammate [[Greg Maddux]]), collected 188 strikeouts, and led the league in [[Hit by pitch|hit batsmen]] (20). He also got his first [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] berth.

===2005 season===

With injuries to key starters, and Zambrano's improving game, Zambrano began the new season as the opening day starter for the Cubs. Zambrano was cautious about the opportunity, but was less cautious arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire Dale Scott after being pulled in the fifth inning and earned an ejection.<ref>Baum, Bob, [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/preview?gid=250404129], Yahoo! Sports, Referenced on [[June 15]], [[2007]]</ref> Two starts later, Zambrano gave up one hit but left in the eighth inning after throwing 111 pitches. He had cramps at the beginning of the game that concerned some Cubs fans still wondering about the other starters.<ref>Author Unknown, [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=250409116 Chi Cubs 4, Milwaukee 0], Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on [[June 15]], [[2007]]</ref>

Continuing to build on the rivalry with the Cardinals, Zambrano turned in good performances once again in '05. The first was on April 20th, facing [[Jeff Suppan]] in St. Louis. Zambrano gained the victory pitching within one out of a complete game and had his first career triple.<ref>Fallstrom, R.B., [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=250420124 Chi Cubs 3, St. Louis 1], Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on [[June 15]], [[2007]]</ref> He returned to St. Louis again on July 22nd to face ace [[Chris Carpenter]]. Zambrano turned in another excellent performance, striking out twelve and giving up only three hits over nine complete innings.<ref>Fallstrom, R.B., [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=250722124 St. Louis 2, Chi Cubs 1], Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on [[June 15]], [[2007]]</ref> St. Louis picked up the victory in extra innings on a [[David Eckstein]] squeeze play. The Cardinals made the trip to Chicago on August 12th, starting [[Jason Marquis]] against Zambrano. Once again Zambrano gained the victory, this time pitching six shutout innings before leaving with tightness in his back<ref>Rick Gano, [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=250812116 Chi Cubs 4, St. Louis 1], Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on [[June 15]], [[2007]].</ref> A final start against the rivals was completed on [[September 18]] as a rematch with Carpenter, with similar results as Zambrano pitched a complete game, giving up two earned runs and gaining the victory, his third of the season against the Cardinals. The final results for the four games - three victories, no defeats, four earned runs, and averaging over eight innings a start.

Zambrano had a strange injury surface early in the season that was first diagnosed as "tennis elbow"<ref>Author Unknown, [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=250514120 Washington 4, Chi Cubs 3], Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on [[June 15]], [[2007]].</ref> but was later traced to his use of the internet to stay in contact with relatives in Venezuela.<ref>Muskat, Carrie, [http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050522&content_id=1058873&vkey=news_chc&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc Notes: Zambrano needs quiet time], MLB.com, Retrieved on [[June 15]], [[2007]].</ref>

[[August 7]] - In just the fourth meeting of [[pitcher]]s with the same last name since [[2000 in baseball|2000]], [[Víctor Zambrano]] of the [[New York Mets]] outdueled Carlos Zambrano in front of 40,321 fans at [[Shea Stadium]], pitching the [[New York Mets]] to a 6-1 win and a sweep of the three-game series. Both Zambranos entered with 42 career wins, the second time in Major League history that opposing [[starting pitcher|starters]] with the same last name came in with matching victory totals, according to the ''Elias Sports Bureau''. The other was on [[June 15]], [[1944 in sports|1944]], when [[Red Barrett]] of the [[Atlanta Braves|Boston Braves]] and [[Dick Barrett]] of the [[Philadelphia Phillies]] each had 19 career wins. Like the Barretts, Víctor and Zambrano obviously share a double feat, but the similarities don't end there. The Zambranos were born in [[Venezuela]], both throw with their right arm, both switch hit, and both wear No. 38. Beside this, it was the fourth time in modern Major League history that starting pitchers with a last name beginning with Z faced each other, according to ''ESPN''. Víctor and Carlos Zambrano have both faced [[Barry Zito]] of the [[San Francisco Giants]].

Zambrano had an excellent year hitting, with a .300 [[batting average]] and one [[home run]].
Zambrano finished the season sixth in the [[National League]] in [[strikeouts]] (202), tenth in [[earned run average]] (3.26), and third in [[winning percentage]] (70%, with a record of 14-6), seventh in [[walks plus hits per inning pitched|WHIP]] (1.15), tenth in [[strikeouts per nine innings]] (8.14), and ninth in [[innings pitched]] (223 1/3).

===2006 season===
{{too long}}
For the second consecutive season, Zambrano was the Cubs opening day starter, and with similar results from the previous year. Zambrano was wild, giving up five walks, and five earned runs without getting through the fifth inning. The Cubs did score runs posting 16 in the victory.<ref>Kay, Joe, [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=260403117 Chi Cubs 16, Cincinnati 7], Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on [[August 9]], [[2007]]</ref>

After a poor opening game, the Cubs did not give Zambrano much offensive support in his next six starts, providing less than two runs a game. This led to Zambrano going winless until [[May 10]] even though he pitched four quality starts in his first seven.

On [[June 5]] Zambrano made another bid for a no-hitter against the [[Houston Astros|Astros]] in Houston. Zambrano had a perfect game go one out into the eighth inning before [[Preston Wilson]] hit a single.
{{cquote|I made one mistake today and I did pay for it. It cost me the no-no.<ref>Rieken, Kristie, [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=260605118 Chi Cubs 8, Houston 0], Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on [[August 9]], [[2007]]</ref>}}
In addition to an excellent pitching performance, Zambrano hit a three-run home run in the second inning, his first of the season.

Zambrano went to his second All-Star Game during the 2006 season. He was slated to pitch two innings in the game, however, he had to sit out the game after suffering a minor injury when he was accidentally hit by White Sox third base coach [[Joey Cora]]'s [[fungo bat]] during pre-game warmups.
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Cubs-Zambrano Zambrano3.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Zambrano points to the sky after leaving the mound.]] -->
Zambrano peaked during the month of July, posting a perfect 6-0 record for the month, the first time a Cubs pitcher had recorded as many victories since 1979 when [[Rick Reuschel]] recorded seven in a month. He also was a star at the plate, hitting two home runs during the six games. Included in the month was a two-hit, ten strikeout, eight inning, 123 pitch performance against the [[Houston Astros|Astros]].

Zambrano finished out the month with a 6-3 victory over the arch-rival Cardinals, where he bested [[Chris Carpenter]]. While the Cubs were far out of contention for a playoff spot, Zambrano continued with a positive attitude.<ref>Gano, Rick, [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=260730116 Chi Cubs 6, St. Louis 3], Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on [[June 16]], [[2007]]</ref> Zambrano was rewarded with his second National League Pitcher of the Month award for his July efforts.

Wildness did impact Zambrano's ability to throw complete games based on the number of pitches required to get deep into the game. On August 14th, he shut out the Astros through eight innings on just four hits, but he also gave up seven walks, hit a batter, and recorded a wild pitch. He also needed 121 pitches to get through eight innings, and was replaced by closer [[Ryan Dempster]] in the ninth to finish the game.<ref>Duncan, Chris, [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=260814118 Chi Cubs 3, Houston 0], Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on [[June 16]], [[2007]]</ref>

In his 30th start of the season on September 4th, Zambrano suffered a setback leaving the game early in the second inning with lower back stiffness, but an MRI indicated no significant disc injuries. Zambrano gave up four hits and four walks before leaving in the shortest start in his career.<ref>Author Unknown, [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=260904116 Pittsburgh 5, Chi Cubs 4], Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on [[June 16]], [[2007]]</ref> Zambrano avoided a trip to the disabled list, but was skipped in his next two starts - pitching again on September 17th against the [[Cincinnati Reds|Reds]]. Cub fans were relieved to see him pitch seven scoreless innings, and not showing any signs of the injury from his previous outing.<ref>[http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=260917116 MLB - Cincinnati Reds/Chicago Cubs Recap Sunday September 17, 2006 - Yahoo! Sports<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

He finished the 2006 season 16-7 with a 3.41 ERA and 8.83 strikeouts per 9 innings. He gave up a major-league-worst 4.84 walks per 9 innings.<ref>[http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=pit&lg=all&qual=y&type=1&season=2006 Baseball Leaderboard | Fan Graphs<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Despite the Cubs' generally miserable season, finishing with the worst record in the National League, 2006 was a transformative year for Zambrano, as he thrived under the pressure of assuming the number-one role in the Cubs' rotation as the former aces apparent, [[Mark Prior]] and [[Kerry Wood]], were incapacitated for the vast majority of the season.

====Attitude====
Zambrano, despite still being occasionally prone to letting a bad start get away from him, developed from an emotional [[fireballer]] to a more mature and calculating pitcher who gained greater placement and movement on his breaking pitches while retaining his devastating two-seam and four-seam fastballs, the latter often showing that most unhittable combination of 98 mph heat and unexpected movement. Zambrano has always been well-known for his displays of emotion: he rises and falls with the ups and downs of the game, unable or unwilling to hide exuberance after a key out or great frustration after failure. This unsuppressed emotionality has sometimes been called a weakness, and at times in 2006 it appeared to many fans that Zambrano was consciously attempting to tamp his emotions down. However, Zambrano's apparent experiment failed quickly, as his least emotional starts were rarely the most dominating. Furthermore, Zambrano's indulgence of his emotion not only seemed to have a net positive effect on his performance, but endeared him to fans and made him today indisputably the Cubs' fan favorite by a wide margin. Always popular and an exciting pitcher, it was arguably not until 2006 that Cubs fans collectively accepted that both Prior and Wood were unlikely to overcome their injuries, and Zambrano's combination of intimidating attitude and performance made him the team's top draw and only truly indispensable player.

Zambrano's ERA of 3.41, was inflated by a couple of quick exits in the beginning of the season and a somewhat less effective final few starts, possibly due to running up relatively high [[pitch count]]s throughout the season. During the middle months of the season, Zambrano was generally dominant, and established himself as one of the National League's top pitchers. He was often mentioned as a Cy Young candidate, although the Cubs' last-place finish made wins hard to come by. Despite getting no-decisions or losses towards the end of the season, his 16-7 record was still noteworthy for a weak-hitting, 66-win team. He also registered 210 strikeouts and a .207 [[Opponents batting average|batting average against]]; both led the [[National League]]. His summer streak earned him the National League Pitcher of the Month award for the month of July.

Over the course of his career, Zambrano has also been able to produce on offense. Zambrano's batting average had previously been relatively high for a pitcher, averaging in the .230s and even reaching .300 in 2005, in 80 at bats (a full season for a pitcher). In 2006, however, Zambrano apparently decided to forgo the traditional sacrifice bunts and slap-singles that are the only option for most NL pitchers, and test his skills at swinging away. While Zambrano's batting average dipped to a more pitcher-like .151 (although this figure was higher at many times during the season), Zambrano began to hit home runs with more frequency. Despite his low batting average, Zambrano's 12.2 AB/HR ratio that season was on par with that of top power hitters. Zambrano finished the season with six [[home run]]s as a batter, the most by a pitcher in a season since [[Mike Hampton]] of the [[Colorado Rockies]] hit seven in [[2001 in baseball|2001]], and not far from the all-time mark of nine (excluding Babe Ruth), set by Wes Ferrell in 1931. His hitting prowess led then-Cubs manager [[Dusty Baker]] to take the very rare step of using him as a pinch-hitter four times during the 2006 season, in which he went 0-4 with 2 strikeouts. Still, Zambrano's dangerous hitting earned him a [[Silver Slugger]] award. He avoided arbitration with the Cubs by agreeing to a one year, $12.4 million dollar deal.

===2007 season===he did not make them clinch
[[Image:20070616 Chris Young visits Wrigley (11).JPG|thumb|right|250px|Zambrano delivers to [[Chris Young (pitcher)|Chris Young]] before the [[June 16]] brawl and ejection.]]
Based on his tenure with the MLB, Zambrano was eligible for arbitration at the end of the 2007 season. Originally, Zambrano indicated he needed to have a new contract signed before the start of the season, but it appeared that a deal was almost in place, so his agent extended the deadline to go into the season. The contract was close to being done, but then the sale of the team was announced, and all talks were put on hold. Zambrano ultimately signed a five-year, [[United States dollar|US$]] 91.5 million dollar contract on August 17, 2007.<ref>ESPN, [http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2978642 Zambrano deal for five years, $90 million in Chicago] (August 17, 2007) espn.com. Retrieved on August 17, 2007.</ref><ref>TSN.ca Staff, [http://www.tsn.ca/mlb/news_story/?ID=216327&hubname=mlb Report: Zambrano gets 5-year, $90M deal] ] (August 17, 2007) The Sports Network. Retrieved on August 17, 2007.</ref>
[[Image:Zambrano2.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Zambrano warming up before a game.]]
After his last start of the 2006 season where the Cubs dropped to 30 games below .500, Zambrano identified the need for quality pitching to be added before the next season.<ref>Gano, Rick, [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=260929116 Colorado 5, Cubs 2],Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on [[June 6]], [[2007]].</ref> The Cubs management added [[Ted Lilly]] and [[Jason Marquis]] in the off-season as part of a $300 million spending spree. After the acquisitions, Zambrano speculated on the fortunes for the 2007 season, declaring that he was to win the [[Cy Young Award]] and the Cubs would win the [[World Series]].<ref>Muskat, Carrie,[http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070302&content_id=1824086&vkey=spt2007news&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc Big Z makes some bold predictions], MLB.com, Retrieved on [[June 6]], [[2007]].</ref>

Zambrano and the Cubs start to the season was anything but predicted. In Zambrano's first five starts, only one was a [[quality start]] with Zambrano posting a 6.91 ERA with 19 walks and 7 home runs allowed in just 28.1 innings. The Cubs did not fare much better, posting a 10-14 record in April. After a difficult game against Cincinnati where they blew a big early lead, Cubs manager [[Lou Piniella]] began to show a little frustration on the inconsistency being shown early in the season by Big-Z and the team.<ref>Author Unknown, [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=270413116 Cincinnati 6, Chi Cubs 5], Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on [[June 16]], [[2007]]</ref>

One of the causes for his statistics being less than in previous years is Zambrano' difficulties in the first inning. After giving up three first-inning runs in a loss on May 10th, Zambrano described the challenge as being related to bad luck and control.<ref>Author Unknown, [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=270510116 Pittsburgh 6, Chi Cubs 4], Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on [[June 16]], [[2007]]</ref>

Zambrano made some changes in his delivery with Cubs pitching coach [[Larry Rothschild]] and turned in a stellar performance in New York yielding only one run while providing eight strong innings.
{{cquote|The best I felt as far as command and throwing the ball anywhere. I’ve been working in the bullpen with Larry. Hopefully, this can be the start of a good streak.<ref>[http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/cubs.asp?id=313120 Daily Herald | Chicago Cubs<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>}}

In his next start, Zambrano faced the cross-town rival [[Chicago White Sox|White Sox]] at Wrigley. Zambrano didn't get much support as [[Alfonso Soriano]] misplayed a foul ball in the second inning, extending the inning by an out which cost two runs, and [[Neal Cotts]] in the bullpen gave up a grand-slam in the seventh inning with two outs which charged back three addition runs. The official statistics looked poor as he was charged with seven earned runs, however it wasn't as poor of an outing as the box score recorded.<ref>[http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=270520116 MLB - Chicago White Sox/Chicago Cubs Recap Sunday May 20, 2007 - Yahoo! Sports<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

Zambrano continued to improve his performance in his following performance in Los Angeles against the [[Los Angeles Dodgers|Dodgers]]. He indicated his control issues were improving, and got ahead of hitters early in the count.
{{cquote|I was feeling good. I was able to throw strikes and that was the key. I threw a lot of first-pitch strikes and that helped me a lot. When you make your pitches and attack the strike zone, you're going to win games.<ref>[http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=270526119 MLB - Chicago Cubs/Los Angeles Dodgers Recap Saturday May 26, 2007 - Yahoo! Sports<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>}}

On [[June 1]], [[2007]], [[Michael Barrett (baseball)|Michael Barrett]] and Cubs pitcher Zambrano got into an altercation in the Cubs dugout. The dispute stemmed from a passed ball and errant throw (on the same play) by Barrett in the previous half inning that allowed a run to score and contributed to the unraveling of Zambrano who ended up allowing six earned runs on thirteen hits in five innings. Shortly after the controversy, he went on to win his next two starts. Zambrano came close to pitching a no hitter on June 16. However, he fell short of his goal in the eighth inning, when he failed to catch a ball that resulted in a single. Zambrano would later lose the game 1-0 on a solo home run by the [[San Diego Padres|Padres']] [[Russell Branyan]].<ref>[http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=270616116 MLB - San Diego Padres/Chicago Cubs Recap Saturday June 16, 2007 - Yahoo! Sports<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

He finished July with 5-1 record, which was the best in the league.<ref name="nlaward">Fastenau, Stephen. [http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070802&content_id=2125588&vkey=news_chc&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc Big Z named NL Pitcher of the Month] (August 2, 2007). mlb.com. Retrieved on August 2, 2007.</ref> which led the National League.<ref name="nlaward"/> He became the first pitcher to win fourteen games in 2007, and won the "National League Pitcher of the Month" in July.<ref name="nlaward"/> After winning the award, Zambrano began to struggle throughout August. He started the month by earning a no decision on August 3, after leaving the game early due to [[dehydration]].<ref>Gano, Rick, [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=270803116 NY Mets 6, Chi Cubs 2] (August 3, 2007), Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on September 4, 2007.</ref> He recorded his one thousandth strike-out during his subsequent start, but proceeded to lose the game.<ref>Duncan, Chris, [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap;_ylt=AqxI36ajZTyDblpY7so83jUV0bYF?gid=270808118 Houston 8, Chi Cubs 2], Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on [[August 9]], [[2007]]</ref> Zambrano went winless in August, despite signing a rich multi-year contract with the Cubs.<ref name="boo"/> He started September by failing to win a game against the [[LA Dodgers]]. Zambrano, who only lasted four innings, was booed by [[Wrigley Field]]’s audience as he left the field.<ref name="boo"/> In a post game interview, he retaliated at fans by stating, "I thought these were the greatest fans in baseball, but they showed me today that they only care about themselves. That's not fair, when you are struggling, you want to feel like you have their support. I don't accept their reaction”.<ref name="boo">Yahoo! Sports, [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=At9z6nPL5tg4twb_LQG9fXIRvLYF?slug=txcubszambrano&prov=st&type=lgns Cubs ace Zambrano fires back at booing fans after latest loss] (September 3, 2007), Retrieved on September 4, 2007.</ref> He apologized for making the remarks the following day.<ref>Gano, Rick, [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AqdkwhharCDQRZcnNr4RwakRvLYF?slug=ap-zambranoapologizes&prov=ap&type=lgns Zambrano apologizes after outburst against Cubs fans] (September 4, 2007), Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on September 4, 2007. Zambrano also came under criticism for allegedly sodomizing a goat in late 1007. He stated that he was trying to get rid f the curse the only way he would ever be able to. </ref>

Zambrano started Game 1 of the 2007 NLDS against the [[Arizona Diamondbacks]] but left after only six innings and 85 pitches because Cubs manager Lou Piniella planned to bring the right-hander back on three days’ rest in Game 4.<ref>{{cite web | last = Baum | first = Bob | title = Webb wins duel, kids’ homers help Diamondbacks beat Cubs 3-1 | publisher = Yahoo! Sports | date = October 4, 2007 | url = http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=271003129 | accessdate = 2008-07-05}}</ref> It was a failed tactic, as the Cubs lost in three games, with Piniella's Game 1 move to be "questioned for years".<ref>{{cite web | last = Gano | first = Rick | title = Diamondbacks finish first-round sweep with 5-1 win over Cubs | publisher = Yahoo! Sports | date = October 7, 2007 | url = http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=271006116 | accessdate = 2008-07-05}}</ref>

===2008 season===
[[Image:Big Z pitch.jpg|thumb|300px|''"Big Z"'' lets one loose during pregame warmups in August of 2008 in the [[Wrigley Field]] bullpen before the Cubs defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates.]]
Zambrano started the 2008 season by compiling a 12-4 record with a 2.76 ERA through July 27. At the plate, he has a batting average of .354 thru September 14. Zambrano also had a four-hit game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 23, making him the first Cubs pitcher since [[Lew Burdette]] in 1964 to accomplish this feat. On June 21, the Cubs placed Zambrano on the 15-day disabled list (retroactive to June 19), because of a right shoulder strain. In his return off the DL on July 4, Zambrano pitched six shutout innings and recorded the victory in the Cubs' 2-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. On July 7, Zambrano was one of seven [[Chicago Cubs]] players announced as participants of the [[2008 MLB All-Star Game]]. On July 19 he set the club record for home runs by a pitcher, when he hit a seventh inning homer in Houston off [[Wandy Rodriguez]].

In his first start back after missing two starts due to [[rotator cuff]] [[tendinitis]], Zambrano pitched a [[no-hitter]] on [[September 14]] against the [[Houston Astros]]. The game was moved to [[Miller_Park_(Milwaukee)|Miller Park]] in [[Milwaukee]] because of damage in Houston due to [[Hurricane Ike]] making it the first ever neutral site no-hitter.<ref>http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=280914118</ref> Zambrano only allowed two base-runners as he walked Michael Bourn in the 4th inning and hit Hunter Pence in the 5th inning. It was the first no-hitter by a Cubs pitcher since [[Milt Pappas]] did so [[September 2]], [[1972]] breaking the longest drought of any team to have already had a no-hitter. The record now belongs to the [[San Francisco Giants]]. Zambrano gave up one walk and threw 10 strikeouts over 110 pitches in his 14th win for the season and his 95th all time.<ref>http://mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2008_09_14_chnmlb_houmlb_1</ref>

==Career statistics==
===Minor league statistics===
Source.<ref>[http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/Z/Carlos-Zambrano.shtml Carlos Zambrano], The Baseball Cube, Retrieved on [[June 16]], [[2007]]</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|-
!Year
!Team
!League (Level)
!W
!L
!ERA
!G
!GS
!IP
!H
!K
!BB
!WHIP
!K/9
|-
|1998
|Arizona Cubs
|Arizona (Rookie)
|0
|1
|3.15
|14
|2
|40
|36
|36
|25
|1.6
|8.1
|-
|1999
|Lansing
|Midwest League (A)
|13
|2
|4.17
|27
|24
|153.1
|150
|98
|62
|1.38
|5.7
|-
|2000
|West Tennessee
|Southern League (AA)
|3
|1
|1.34
|9
|9
|60.1
|39
|43
|21
|0.99
|6.4
|-
|2000
|Iowa Cubs
|Pacific Coast AAA
|2
|5
|3.97
|34
|0
|56.2
|54
|46
|40
|1.66
|7.3
|-
|2001
|Iowa Cubs
|Pacific Coast AAA
|10
|5
|3.88
|26
|25
|150.2
|124
|155
|68
|1.27
|9.3
|-
|2002
|Iowa Cubs
|Pacific Coast AAA
|0
|0
|0.00
|3
|3
|9
|2
|11
|6
|0.89
|11
|-
!-colspan="2" | Totals
|
|
|28
|14
|2.75
|113
|63
|468.6
|405
|389
|222
|1.29
|7.97
|}

===Major league statistics===
''current as of [[August 30]], [[2008]].''
{| class="wikitable"
!Season
!W
!L

![[Earned run average|ERA]]
!G
!GS
![[innings pitched|IP]]
![[hit (baseball)|H]]
![[strikeout|K]]
![[base on balls|BB]]
![[Walks plus hits per inning pitched|WHIP]]
!K/9
|-
|align="center" width="50px" | 2001
|align="center" width="50px" | 1
|align="center" width="50px" | 2
|align="center" width="50px" | 15.26
|align="center" width="50px" | 6
|align="center" width="50px" | 1
|align="center" width="50px" | 7.2
|align="center" width="50px" | 19
|align="center" width="50px" | 4
|align="center" width="50px" | 8
|align="center" width="50px" | 2.48
|align="center" width="50px" | 5.0
|-
|align="center" width="50px" | 2002
|align="center" width="50px" | 4
|align="center" width="50px" | 8
|align="center" width="50px" | 3.66
|align="center" width="50px" | 32
|align="center" width="50px" | 16
|align="center" width="50px" | 108.1
|align="center" width="50px" | 94
|align="center" width="50px" | 93
|align="center" width="50px" | 63
|align="center" width="50px" | 1.45
|align="center" width="50px" | 7.7
|-
|align="center" width="50px" | 2003
|align="center" width="50px" | 13
|align="center" width="50px" | 11
|align="center" width="50px" | 3.11
|align="center" width="50px" | 32
|align="center" width="50px" | 32
|align="center" width="50px" | 214.0
|align="center" width="50px" | 188
|align="center" width="50px" | 168
|align="center" width="50px" | 94
|align="center" width="50px" | 1.32
|align="center" width="50px" | 7.1
|-
|align="center" width="50px" | 2004
|align="center" width="50px" | 16
|align="center" width="50px" | 8
|align="center" width="50px" | 2.75
|align="center" width="50px" | 31
|align="center" width="50px" | 31
|align="center" width="50px" | 209.2
|align="center" width="50px" | 174
|align="center" width="50px" | 188
|align="center" width="50px" | 81
|align="center" width="50px" | 1.22
|align="center" width="50px" | 8.1
|-
|align="center" width="50px" | 2005
|align="center" width="50px" | 14
|align="center" width="50px" | 6
|align="center" width="50px" | 3.26
|align="center" width="50px" | 33
|align="center" width="50px" | 33
|align="center" width="50px" | 223.1
|align="center" width="50px" | 170
|align="center" width="50px" | 202
|align="center" width="50px" | 86
|align="center" width="50px" | 1.15
|align="center" width="50px" | 8.1
|-
|align="center" width="50px" | 2006
|align="center" width="50px" | 16
|align="center" width="50px" | 7
|align="center" width="50px" | 3.41
|align="center" width="50px" | 33
|align="center" width="50px" | 33
|align="center" width="50px" | 214.0
|align="center" width="50px" | 162
|align="center" width="50px" | 210
|align="center" width="50px" | 115
|align="center" width="50px" | 1.29
|align="center" width="50px" | 8.8
|-
|align="center" width="50px" | 2007
|align="center" width="50px" | 18
|align="center" width="50px" | 13
|align="center" width="50px" | 3.60
|align="center" width="50px" | 34
|align="center" width="50px" | 34
|align="center" width="50px" | 216.1
|align="center" width="50px" | 187
|align="center" width="50px" | 177
|align="center" width="50px" | 101
|align="center" width="50px" | 1.33
|align="center" width="50px" | 7.4
|-
|align="center" width="50px" | 2008
|align="center" width="50px" | 14
|align="center" width="50px" | 5
|align="center" width="50px" | 3.53
|align="center" width="50px" | 26
|align="center" width="50px" | 26
|align="center" width="50px" | 168.1
|align="center" width="50px" | 158
|align="center" width="50px" | 114
|align="center" width="50px" | 61
|align="center" width="50px" | 1.30
|align="center" width="50px" | 5.83
|}

==See also==
* [[List of players from Venezuela in Major League Baseball|Players from Venezuela in ''MLB'']]
* [[List of Major League Baseball wins champions]]
He also won a title in China


==Filmography and TV appearances==
*''[[Roast of Bob Saget]]'' as guest of honor (2008)
*''[[Rove (TV Series)|Rove]]'' as himself. Appeared while Rove was in [[Los Angeles]]. Comedy duo [[Hamish and Andy]] visited several stars' homes in an attempt to convince them to join their fictional gang, the "Gangaroos." Bob was the only one to accept. (2007)
*''[[Farce of the Penguins]]'' director (2007)
*''The Art of Making Cheese'' as host
*''[[1 vs. 100 (US game show)|1 vs. 100]]'' as host
*''[[Law & Order: SVU]]'' in episode: [[Choreographed (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)|"Choreographed"]]
*''[[Blowin' Up]]'' as himself in Episode 1 (2006)
*''[[Farce of the Penguins]]'' (2006)
*''Army Armine'' (2006?)
*''[[Casper's Scare School]]'' (2006)
*''[[How I Met Your Mother]]'' as narrator (2005–Present)
*''[[Madagascar (film)|Madagascar]]'' (voice) (2005)
*''[[Entourage (TV series)|Entourage]]'' HBO series; as himself in Episode 13 ''Neighbors'' (2005)
*''[[The Aristocrats (film)|The Aristocrats]]'' (2005)
*''[[Huff (TV series)|Huff]]'' as Butch in Episode 5 "Flashpants" (2004)
*''[[New York Minute (film)|New York Minute]]'' (2004) (cameo)
*''[[Joey (sitcom)|Joey]]'' as himself in Episode 11 "Joey and the Roadtrip" (2004)
*''[[Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd]]'' (2003)
*''[[Raising Dad]]'' (2001)
*''[[Becoming Dick]]'' (2000)
*''[[Half Baked]]'' (1998)
*''[[Dirty Work (film)|Dirty Work]]'' (1998)
*''Jitters'' (1997)
*''[[For Hope]]'' (1996)
*''[[Father and Scout]]'' (1994)
*''[[The Larry Sanders Show]]'' (1992,1994) as himself in "Hey Now" and "Office Romance"
*''[[America's Funniest Home Videos]]'' as host (1989–1997)
*''[[Full House]]'' (1987–1995) as [[Danny Tanner]]
*''[[Critical Condition]]'' (1987)
*''[[The Early Show|The Morning Program]]'' (1987)
*''New Love, American Style'' (1985)
*''[[The Greatest American Hero]]'' (1983)
*''[[Apartment Hunting]]'' (1981)
*''[[Full Moon High]]'' (1981)
*''[[Bosom Buddies]]'' (1981)
*''[[Devices]]'' (1980)
*''Outer Touch'' (1979)
*''Through Adam's Eyes'' (1977)


==References==
==References==
<!-- ----------------------------------------------------------
{{reflist}}
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes for a
discussion of different citation methods and how to generate
<!-- ----------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------- -->
{{reflist|2}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
{{Wikiquote}}
{{baseballstats |mlb=407296 |espn=4499 |br=z/zambrca01 |fangraphs=305 |cube=Z/carlos-zambrano}}
*[http://www.bobsaget.com/ Official website]
{{s-start-collapsible|header={{s-ach}}}}
*{{imdb|name = Bob Saget|id = 0756114}}

{{start}}
{{succession box
{{succession box
| title = Host of ''[[America's Funniest Home Videos]]''
| title = [[List of Major League Baseball wins champions|National League Wins Champion]]
| years = 2006<br>(with [[Aaron Harang|Harang]], [[Derek Lowe|Lowe]], [[Brad Penny|Penny]], [[John Smoltz|Smoltz]] & [[Brandon Webb|Webb]])
| years = 1989–1997
| before = None
| before = [[Dontrelle Willis]]
| after = [[Daisy Fuentes]] and [[John Fugelsang]]
| after = [[Jake Peavy]]
}}
}}
{{succession box | before = [[Jake Peavy]]<br />[[Chris Young (pitcher)|Chris Young]]<br />[[Ben Sheets]] | title = [[National League]] [[Pitcher of the Month]] | years = September 2004<br />June 2006<br />July 2007 | after = [[Dontrelle Willis]]<br />[[Derek Lowe]]<br />[[Jake Peavy]]}}
{{end}}
{{end box}}

{{Venezuela 2006 World Baseball Classic Roster}}
{{Chicago Cubs roster navbox}}



{{DEFAULTSORT:Saget, Bob}}
{{BD|1981||Zambrano, Carlos}}
[[Category:National League All-Stars]]
<!-- Categories -->
[[Category:1 vs. 100]]
[[Category:National League wins champions]]
[[Category:1956 births]]
[[Category:Chicago Cubs players]]
[[Category:American comedians]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball pitchers]]
[[Category:American film directors]]
[[Category:2006 World Baseball Classic players of Venezuela]]
[[Category:American game show hosts]]
[[Category:Venezuelan baseball players]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball pitchers who have pitched a no-hitter]]
[[Category:American Jews]]
[[Category:American stage actors]]
[[Category:American stand-up comedians]]
[[Category:American television actors]]
[[Category:Groundlings]]
[[Category:Jewish comedians]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Participants in American reality television series]]
[[Category:Pennsylvania actors]]
[[Category:People from Philadelphia]]
[[Category:Temple University alumni]]
[[Category:Virginia actors]]


[[de:Bob Saget]]
[[es:Carlos Zambrano]]
[[fr:Bob Saget]]
[[fr:Carlos Zambrano]]
[[ja:カルロス・ザンブラーノ]]
[[id:Bob Saget]]
[[nl:Bob Saget]]
[[ja:ボブ・サゲット]]
[[simple:Bob Saget]]
[[sv:Bob Saget]]
[[tr:Bob Saget]]

Revision as of 01:47, 3 October 2008

Carlos Zambrano
Chicago Cubs – No. 38
Starting pitcher
Bats: Switch
Throws: Right
debut
August 20, 2001, for the Chicago Cubs
Career statistics
(through September 30, 2008)
Win-Loss96-61
Earned run average3.48
Strikeouts1,172
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Carlos Alberto Zambrano (born June 1, 1981 in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela), popularly known as "Big Z", is a right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who has played for the Chicago Cubs since 2001. He is signed with the Cubs through the 2012 season. He is one of the few switch-hitting pitchers in the MLB and has won a Silver Slugger Award for his hitting.[1]

Zambrano, an imposing figure at 6' 5" and 255 pounds, was signed by the Cubs as a free agent in 1997 and made his debut in 2001. After being used in both starting and relief duties, he enjoyed his first full season as a starter in 2003, finishing with a 13-11 record, 168 strikeouts and a 3.11 ERA. He was also in the Cubs starting rotation during the Cubs' run to the National League playoffs, in which they would come up five outs shy of the World Series, losing to the eventual world champion Florida Marlins.

Widely regarded as one of the best hitting pitchers in the game, he has a career .240 batting average with 16 home runs, 46 RBIs and a slugging percentage of .386. The 16 home runs is the most ever by a Cubs pitcher in history. He also tied the club record for home runs by a pitcher in a single season after clubbing six round trippers in 2006. Ferguson Jenkins is the other Cub great who compiled six home runs in one season as a pitcher. Due to his impressive stats at the plate he is occasionally even called upon to pinch hit.

Zambrano is one of only two National League pitchers to have won at least 13 games in each year from 2003–2007, the other being former teammate Greg Maddux. In 2006, he became the first player from Venezuela to lead the National League in wins.

Pitching style

Zambrano is noted for his vibrant personality on the mound.[citation needed] He allows his electric emotions to be readily evident, always indicating whether he is happy with his performance or not. Zambrano's pitches match this eclectic nature, as every pitch in his repertoire has significant movement. His pitches come out of a slinging, three-quarter to low three-quarter delivery. His main pitch is his hard, moving two-seam fastball that clocks around 90-94mph & a four-seam fastball that clocks anywhere from 94-99mph, but usually settles around 96 or 97 mph.[citation needed] Carlos has a devastating, heavy cannonball of a sinker that he loves to throw with a split grip, a pitch that usually winds up getting beaten into the ground by hitters - something of an advantage considering Wrigley Field and its tall, thick grass.[2] He always makes sure to mix in plenty of sharp-breaking sliders & split-finger fastballs to keep hitters from sitting on his fastball. In addition, Carlos has also developed a change-up that he throws mostly to left-handed batters. His main weakness is a lack of pinpoint control, leading to a tendency to surrender walks. Nevertheless, Zambrano seems to be hurt less by giving up walks than most pitchers, due to the fact that batters hit many more ground balls than fly balls against him. This can be attributed to the sinking movement of his fastball.

Professional career

2001-02 seasons

Zambrano was called up to the Cubs and pitched in his first game on August 20, 2001, starting against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field in the second game of a double header. Zambrano started the game well, retiring the first nine of the first ten batters faced. He ran into difficulties in the fourth inning, and was removed before getting any outs in the fifth. He was charged with seven earned runs, walked four batters, and threw just 74 pitches.[3]

One month later on September 20th, Zambrano gained his first big-league victory by finishing out the fifth inning against the Houston Astros. Zambrano pitched just two thirds of an inning in relief of Juan Cruz, and was just twenty years old.[4] Zambrano did not have any additional starts in the season, and the Cubs finished in third place with an 88-74 record.

Zambrano started the 2002 season with the AAA Iowa Cubs, but was quickly called up to the big-leagues. Upon arriving, he was dispatched to the bullpen, and pitched in sixteen games during the first three months of the season. On July 1, 2002, Zambrano started against the Florida Marlins taking the spot of Jason Bere in the rotation who had been struggling. Zambrano logged sixteen starts for the Cubs, mixing in four wins with eight losses. At times he showed his immense potential, including eight innings of shutout ball against the Milwaukee Brewers on September 4th.[5] Zambrano did struggle with his control, logging 63 walks in just over a hundred innings of work. The Cubs posted a disappointing 67-95 record for the season, finishing in fifth place.

2003 season

Zambrano maintained his position in the Cubs starting rotation in 2003 and started 32 games with a 3.11 ERA and 13 wins in the fourth spot in the rotation, behind Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, and Matt Clement. The Cubs won the National League Central division, and were one win away from going to the World Series before being defeated by the Florida Marlins. The following year, Zambrano improved his statistics by lowering his ERA to 2.75 and increasing his strikeout total to 188. His record was the best on the Cubs staff that year, compiling a 16-8 record.

On August 22, 2003, Zambrano started against Curt Schilling and the Arizona Diamondbacks. While Curt pitched a strong game and recorded 14 strikeouts, it was Zambrano that received the attention as he took a no-hitter into the eighth inning. Zambrano got the first two batters out before Shea Hillenbrand broke up the no-hitter with an infield single down the third-base line. The play was very close at first, with TV replays indicating that the call may have been blown by first base umpire Bill Miller. Zambrano retired the next three batters (which would have been the final three outs) before giving up two more hits in the game.[6] The previous no-hitter for the Cubs was thrown in 1972 by Milt Pappas.

Zambrano got his first post-season start on October 1st in Atlanta against the Braves in game two of the NLDS. He pitched 5.2 innings, giving up eleven hits and three runs. The last hit by Rafael Furcal bounced off of Zambrano's leg, and he was removed from the game as a precaution.[7] The Cubs did come back to tie the game in the eighth inning, with Zambrano getting a no-decision. The Cubs won the series 3-2, with Zambrano seeing no additional action.

Zambrano was the starter in the first game of the NLCS at Wrigley Field on October 7th. While the Cubs spotted him a first inning 4-0 lead, he was unable to hold it, giving up five earned runs in six innings, including three home runs in the top of the third inning. The Cubs did come back, with a dramatic two-run home run by Sammy Sosa in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game. The Marlins did win the game in extra-innings 9-8.[8] Zambrano got his third chance for a post-season victory as the starter in the fifth game in Miami. Once again, Zambrano wasn't sharp, giving up four walks, five hits, and two earned runs in just five innings, along with the loss. Josh Beckett for the Marlins had a magnificent outing, throwing a two-hitter sending the series back to Chicago.[9]

2004 season

On May 7th, Zambrano had another fantastic start, throwing a two-hitter against the Colorado Rockies. Zambrano retired the first 14 batters he faced until giving up a single to Matt Holliday. Only 97 pitches were required on the afternoon for the victory, with Colorado managing to hit just four of them out of the infield on a breezy, cold day at Wrigley.[10] Zambrano continued his brilliance in his next start against the Dodgers, stringing together an additional eight innings without giving up an earned run.[11]

Zambrano at Coors Field in 2004.

Through his first fourteen starts of the season, Zambrano had posted an 8-2 record, with quality starts in twelve of the games. His early season performance also earned him his first trip to the All-Star game where he pitched one inning in relief.[12]

Some of his most memorable starts have been against the rival St. Louis Cardinals. The first was on May 2 where he and Matt Morris threw shutout innings, and Zambrano registered 12 strikeouts before being lifted in the 8th inning for a pinch hitter.

The next was on July 19th, where he and Jim Edmonds built upon the rivalry between two Midwestern teams. In the first inning, Edmonds was hit by a pitch to load the bases. In the fourth inning, Edmonds connected for a home run, and watched the ball go over the fence from home plate. An agitated Zambrano yelled at Edmonds as he crossed the plate, but the night was far from over. In his next at bat in the sixth inning, Zambrano struck Edmonds out on three pitches, and wagged his finger at Edmonds on his way to the dugout. In the eighth inning with the score tied, Scott Rolen hit a two-out, two-run home run to break a 3-3 tie. Edmonds was the next batter, whom Zambrano immediately hit with a pitch and was ejected from the game. Zambrano indicated that it was not intentional, but Rolen and manager Tony LaRussa didn't agree.[13]

Zambrano was awarded the NL Pitcher of the Month for September.[14] In his five starts during the month, Zambrano posted a 4-0 record over 35.2 innings, giving up only four earned runs. It wasn't enough for the Cubs as they finished with a late season losing streak, and missed the playoffs.

In 2004, Zambrano led his team in ERA (2.75, fourth in the league), won 16 games (tied with teammate Greg Maddux), collected 188 strikeouts, and led the league in hit batsmen (20). He also got his first All-Star berth.

2005 season

With injuries to key starters, and Zambrano's improving game, Zambrano began the new season as the opening day starter for the Cubs. Zambrano was cautious about the opportunity, but was less cautious arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire Dale Scott after being pulled in the fifth inning and earned an ejection.[15] Two starts later, Zambrano gave up one hit but left in the eighth inning after throwing 111 pitches. He had cramps at the beginning of the game that concerned some Cubs fans still wondering about the other starters.[16]

Continuing to build on the rivalry with the Cardinals, Zambrano turned in good performances once again in '05. The first was on April 20th, facing Jeff Suppan in St. Louis. Zambrano gained the victory pitching within one out of a complete game and had his first career triple.[17] He returned to St. Louis again on July 22nd to face ace Chris Carpenter. Zambrano turned in another excellent performance, striking out twelve and giving up only three hits over nine complete innings.[18] St. Louis picked up the victory in extra innings on a David Eckstein squeeze play. The Cardinals made the trip to Chicago on August 12th, starting Jason Marquis against Zambrano. Once again Zambrano gained the victory, this time pitching six shutout innings before leaving with tightness in his back[19] A final start against the rivals was completed on September 18 as a rematch with Carpenter, with similar results as Zambrano pitched a complete game, giving up two earned runs and gaining the victory, his third of the season against the Cardinals. The final results for the four games - three victories, no defeats, four earned runs, and averaging over eight innings a start.

Zambrano had a strange injury surface early in the season that was first diagnosed as "tennis elbow"[20] but was later traced to his use of the internet to stay in contact with relatives in Venezuela.[21]

August 7 - In just the fourth meeting of pitchers with the same last name since 2000, Víctor Zambrano of the New York Mets outdueled Carlos Zambrano in front of 40,321 fans at Shea Stadium, pitching the New York Mets to a 6-1 win and a sweep of the three-game series. Both Zambranos entered with 42 career wins, the second time in Major League history that opposing starters with the same last name came in with matching victory totals, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The other was on June 15, 1944, when Red Barrett of the Boston Braves and Dick Barrett of the Philadelphia Phillies each had 19 career wins. Like the Barretts, Víctor and Zambrano obviously share a double feat, but the similarities don't end there. The Zambranos were born in Venezuela, both throw with their right arm, both switch hit, and both wear No. 38. Beside this, it was the fourth time in modern Major League history that starting pitchers with a last name beginning with Z faced each other, according to ESPN. Víctor and Carlos Zambrano have both faced Barry Zito of the San Francisco Giants.

Zambrano had an excellent year hitting, with a .300 batting average and one home run. Zambrano finished the season sixth in the National League in strikeouts (202), tenth in earned run average (3.26), and third in winning percentage (70%, with a record of 14-6), seventh in WHIP (1.15), tenth in strikeouts per nine innings (8.14), and ninth in innings pitched (223 1/3).

2006 season

For the second consecutive season, Zambrano was the Cubs opening day starter, and with similar results from the previous year. Zambrano was wild, giving up five walks, and five earned runs without getting through the fifth inning. The Cubs did score runs posting 16 in the victory.[22]

After a poor opening game, the Cubs did not give Zambrano much offensive support in his next six starts, providing less than two runs a game. This led to Zambrano going winless until May 10 even though he pitched four quality starts in his first seven.

On June 5 Zambrano made another bid for a no-hitter against the Astros in Houston. Zambrano had a perfect game go one out into the eighth inning before Preston Wilson hit a single.

I made one mistake today and I did pay for it. It cost me the no-no.[23]

In addition to an excellent pitching performance, Zambrano hit a three-run home run in the second inning, his first of the season.

Zambrano went to his second All-Star Game during the 2006 season. He was slated to pitch two innings in the game, however, he had to sit out the game after suffering a minor injury when he was accidentally hit by White Sox third base coach Joey Cora's fungo bat during pre-game warmups. Zambrano peaked during the month of July, posting a perfect 6-0 record for the month, the first time a Cubs pitcher had recorded as many victories since 1979 when Rick Reuschel recorded seven in a month. He also was a star at the plate, hitting two home runs during the six games. Included in the month was a two-hit, ten strikeout, eight inning, 123 pitch performance against the Astros.

Zambrano finished out the month with a 6-3 victory over the arch-rival Cardinals, where he bested Chris Carpenter. While the Cubs were far out of contention for a playoff spot, Zambrano continued with a positive attitude.[24] Zambrano was rewarded with his second National League Pitcher of the Month award for his July efforts.

Wildness did impact Zambrano's ability to throw complete games based on the number of pitches required to get deep into the game. On August 14th, he shut out the Astros through eight innings on just four hits, but he also gave up seven walks, hit a batter, and recorded a wild pitch. He also needed 121 pitches to get through eight innings, and was replaced by closer Ryan Dempster in the ninth to finish the game.[25]

In his 30th start of the season on September 4th, Zambrano suffered a setback leaving the game early in the second inning with lower back stiffness, but an MRI indicated no significant disc injuries. Zambrano gave up four hits and four walks before leaving in the shortest start in his career.[26] Zambrano avoided a trip to the disabled list, but was skipped in his next two starts - pitching again on September 17th against the Reds. Cub fans were relieved to see him pitch seven scoreless innings, and not showing any signs of the injury from his previous outing.[27]

He finished the 2006 season 16-7 with a 3.41 ERA and 8.83 strikeouts per 9 innings. He gave up a major-league-worst 4.84 walks per 9 innings.[28] Despite the Cubs' generally miserable season, finishing with the worst record in the National League, 2006 was a transformative year for Zambrano, as he thrived under the pressure of assuming the number-one role in the Cubs' rotation as the former aces apparent, Mark Prior and Kerry Wood, were incapacitated for the vast majority of the season.

Attitude

Zambrano, despite still being occasionally prone to letting a bad start get away from him, developed from an emotional fireballer to a more mature and calculating pitcher who gained greater placement and movement on his breaking pitches while retaining his devastating two-seam and four-seam fastballs, the latter often showing that most unhittable combination of 98 mph heat and unexpected movement. Zambrano has always been well-known for his displays of emotion: he rises and falls with the ups and downs of the game, unable or unwilling to hide exuberance after a key out or great frustration after failure. This unsuppressed emotionality has sometimes been called a weakness, and at times in 2006 it appeared to many fans that Zambrano was consciously attempting to tamp his emotions down. However, Zambrano's apparent experiment failed quickly, as his least emotional starts were rarely the most dominating. Furthermore, Zambrano's indulgence of his emotion not only seemed to have a net positive effect on his performance, but endeared him to fans and made him today indisputably the Cubs' fan favorite by a wide margin. Always popular and an exciting pitcher, it was arguably not until 2006 that Cubs fans collectively accepted that both Prior and Wood were unlikely to overcome their injuries, and Zambrano's combination of intimidating attitude and performance made him the team's top draw and only truly indispensable player.

Zambrano's ERA of 3.41, was inflated by a couple of quick exits in the beginning of the season and a somewhat less effective final few starts, possibly due to running up relatively high pitch counts throughout the season. During the middle months of the season, Zambrano was generally dominant, and established himself as one of the National League's top pitchers. He was often mentioned as a Cy Young candidate, although the Cubs' last-place finish made wins hard to come by. Despite getting no-decisions or losses towards the end of the season, his 16-7 record was still noteworthy for a weak-hitting, 66-win team. He also registered 210 strikeouts and a .207 batting average against; both led the National League. His summer streak earned him the National League Pitcher of the Month award for the month of July.

Over the course of his career, Zambrano has also been able to produce on offense. Zambrano's batting average had previously been relatively high for a pitcher, averaging in the .230s and even reaching .300 in 2005, in 80 at bats (a full season for a pitcher). In 2006, however, Zambrano apparently decided to forgo the traditional sacrifice bunts and slap-singles that are the only option for most NL pitchers, and test his skills at swinging away. While Zambrano's batting average dipped to a more pitcher-like .151 (although this figure was higher at many times during the season), Zambrano began to hit home runs with more frequency. Despite his low batting average, Zambrano's 12.2 AB/HR ratio that season was on par with that of top power hitters. Zambrano finished the season with six home runs as a batter, the most by a pitcher in a season since Mike Hampton of the Colorado Rockies hit seven in 2001, and not far from the all-time mark of nine (excluding Babe Ruth), set by Wes Ferrell in 1931. His hitting prowess led then-Cubs manager Dusty Baker to take the very rare step of using him as a pinch-hitter four times during the 2006 season, in which he went 0-4 with 2 strikeouts. Still, Zambrano's dangerous hitting earned him a Silver Slugger award. He avoided arbitration with the Cubs by agreeing to a one year, $12.4 million dollar deal.

===2007 season===he did not make them clinch

Zambrano delivers to Chris Young before the June 16 brawl and ejection.

Based on his tenure with the MLB, Zambrano was eligible for arbitration at the end of the 2007 season. Originally, Zambrano indicated he needed to have a new contract signed before the start of the season, but it appeared that a deal was almost in place, so his agent extended the deadline to go into the season. The contract was close to being done, but then the sale of the team was announced, and all talks were put on hold. Zambrano ultimately signed a five-year, US$ 91.5 million dollar contract on August 17, 2007.[29][30]

Zambrano warming up before a game.

After his last start of the 2006 season where the Cubs dropped to 30 games below .500, Zambrano identified the need for quality pitching to be added before the next season.[31] The Cubs management added Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis in the off-season as part of a $300 million spending spree. After the acquisitions, Zambrano speculated on the fortunes for the 2007 season, declaring that he was to win the Cy Young Award and the Cubs would win the World Series.[32]

Zambrano and the Cubs start to the season was anything but predicted. In Zambrano's first five starts, only one was a quality start with Zambrano posting a 6.91 ERA with 19 walks and 7 home runs allowed in just 28.1 innings. The Cubs did not fare much better, posting a 10-14 record in April. After a difficult game against Cincinnati where they blew a big early lead, Cubs manager Lou Piniella began to show a little frustration on the inconsistency being shown early in the season by Big-Z and the team.[33]

One of the causes for his statistics being less than in previous years is Zambrano' difficulties in the first inning. After giving up three first-inning runs in a loss on May 10th, Zambrano described the challenge as being related to bad luck and control.[34]

Zambrano made some changes in his delivery with Cubs pitching coach Larry Rothschild and turned in a stellar performance in New York yielding only one run while providing eight strong innings.

The best I felt as far as command and throwing the ball anywhere. I’ve been working in the bullpen with Larry. Hopefully, this can be the start of a good streak.[35]

In his next start, Zambrano faced the cross-town rival White Sox at Wrigley. Zambrano didn't get much support as Alfonso Soriano misplayed a foul ball in the second inning, extending the inning by an out which cost two runs, and Neal Cotts in the bullpen gave up a grand-slam in the seventh inning with two outs which charged back three addition runs. The official statistics looked poor as he was charged with seven earned runs, however it wasn't as poor of an outing as the box score recorded.[36]

Zambrano continued to improve his performance in his following performance in Los Angeles against the Dodgers. He indicated his control issues were improving, and got ahead of hitters early in the count.

I was feeling good. I was able to throw strikes and that was the key. I threw a lot of first-pitch strikes and that helped me a lot. When you make your pitches and attack the strike zone, you're going to win games.[37]

On June 1, 2007, Michael Barrett and Cubs pitcher Zambrano got into an altercation in the Cubs dugout. The dispute stemmed from a passed ball and errant throw (on the same play) by Barrett in the previous half inning that allowed a run to score and contributed to the unraveling of Zambrano who ended up allowing six earned runs on thirteen hits in five innings. Shortly after the controversy, he went on to win his next two starts. Zambrano came close to pitching a no hitter on June 16. However, he fell short of his goal in the eighth inning, when he failed to catch a ball that resulted in a single. Zambrano would later lose the game 1-0 on a solo home run by the Padres' Russell Branyan.[38]

He finished July with 5-1 record, which was the best in the league.[39] which led the National League.[39] He became the first pitcher to win fourteen games in 2007, and won the "National League Pitcher of the Month" in July.[39] After winning the award, Zambrano began to struggle throughout August. He started the month by earning a no decision on August 3, after leaving the game early due to dehydration.[40] He recorded his one thousandth strike-out during his subsequent start, but proceeded to lose the game.[41] Zambrano went winless in August, despite signing a rich multi-year contract with the Cubs.[42] He started September by failing to win a game against the LA Dodgers. Zambrano, who only lasted four innings, was booed by Wrigley Field’s audience as he left the field.[42] In a post game interview, he retaliated at fans by stating, "I thought these were the greatest fans in baseball, but they showed me today that they only care about themselves. That's not fair, when you are struggling, you want to feel like you have their support. I don't accept their reaction”.[42] He apologized for making the remarks the following day.[43]

Zambrano started Game 1 of the 2007 NLDS against the Arizona Diamondbacks but left after only six innings and 85 pitches because Cubs manager Lou Piniella planned to bring the right-hander back on three days’ rest in Game 4.[44] It was a failed tactic, as the Cubs lost in three games, with Piniella's Game 1 move to be "questioned for years".[45]

2008 season

"Big Z" lets one loose during pregame warmups in August of 2008 in the Wrigley Field bullpen before the Cubs defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Zambrano started the 2008 season by compiling a 12-4 record with a 2.76 ERA through July 27. At the plate, he has a batting average of .354 thru September 14. Zambrano also had a four-hit game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 23, making him the first Cubs pitcher since Lew Burdette in 1964 to accomplish this feat. On June 21, the Cubs placed Zambrano on the 15-day disabled list (retroactive to June 19), because of a right shoulder strain. In his return off the DL on July 4, Zambrano pitched six shutout innings and recorded the victory in the Cubs' 2-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. On July 7, Zambrano was one of seven Chicago Cubs players announced as participants of the 2008 MLB All-Star Game. On July 19 he set the club record for home runs by a pitcher, when he hit a seventh inning homer in Houston off Wandy Rodriguez.

In his first start back after missing two starts due to rotator cuff tendinitis, Zambrano pitched a no-hitter on September 14 against the Houston Astros. The game was moved to Miller Park in Milwaukee because of damage in Houston due to Hurricane Ike making it the first ever neutral site no-hitter.[46] Zambrano only allowed two base-runners as he walked Michael Bourn in the 4th inning and hit Hunter Pence in the 5th inning. It was the first no-hitter by a Cubs pitcher since Milt Pappas did so September 2, 1972 breaking the longest drought of any team to have already had a no-hitter. The record now belongs to the San Francisco Giants. Zambrano gave up one walk and threw 10 strikeouts over 110 pitches in his 14th win for the season and his 95th all time.[47]

Career statistics

Minor league statistics

Source.[48]

Year Team League (Level) W L ERA G GS IP H K BB WHIP K/9
1998 Arizona Cubs Arizona (Rookie) 0 1 3.15 14 2 40 36 36 25 1.6 8.1
1999 Lansing Midwest League (A) 13 2 4.17 27 24 153.1 150 98 62 1.38 5.7
2000 West Tennessee Southern League (AA) 3 1 1.34 9 9 60.1 39 43 21 0.99 6.4
2000 Iowa Cubs Pacific Coast AAA 2 5 3.97 34 0 56.2 54 46 40 1.66 7.3
2001 Iowa Cubs Pacific Coast AAA 10 5 3.88 26 25 150.2 124 155 68 1.27 9.3
2002 Iowa Cubs Pacific Coast AAA 0 0 0.00 3 3 9 2 11 6 0.89 11
Totals 28 14 2.75 113 63 468.6 405 389 222 1.29 7.97

Major league statistics

current as of August 30, 2008.

Season W L ERA G GS IP H K BB WHIP K/9
2001 1 2 15.26 6 1 7.2 19 4 8 2.48 5.0
2002 4 8 3.66 32 16 108.1 94 93 63 1.45 7.7
2003 13 11 3.11 32 32 214.0 188 168 94 1.32 7.1
2004 16 8 2.75 31 31 209.2 174 188 81 1.22 8.1
2005 14 6 3.26 33 33 223.1 170 202 86 1.15 8.1
2006 16 7 3.41 33 33 214.0 162 210 115 1.29 8.8
2007 18 13 3.60 34 34 216.1 187 177 101 1.33 7.4
2008 14 5 3.53 26 26 168.1 158 114 61 1.30 5.83

See also

He also won a title in China


References

  1. ^ Muskat, Carrie, Big Z's big bat earns him Silver Slugger, MLB.com, Retrieved on August 9, 2007
  2. ^ Chicago Cubs Stadium, baseball-statistics.com, Retrieved on August 9, 2007
  3. ^ Brewers 10, Cubs 2, baseball-reference.com, Retrieved on June 6, 2007.
  4. ^ Cubs 12, Astros 4, baseball-reference.com, Retrieved on June 6, 2007.
  5. ^ Brewers 0, Cubs 3, baseball-reference.com, Retrieved on June 6, 2007.
  6. ^ Author Unknown,Cubs 4, Arizona 1, Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on June 14, 2007
  7. ^ Newberry, Paul, Atlanta 5, Chi Cubs 3, Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on August 9, 2007
  8. ^ Walker, Ben, Florida 9, Chi Cubs 8, Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on August 9, 2007
  9. ^ Walker, Ben, Florida 4, Chi Cubs 0, Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on August 9, 2007
  10. ^ Armour, Nancy, Chi Cubs 11, Colorado 0, Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on June 14, 2007
  11. ^ Harris, Beth, Chi Cubs 7, LA Dodgers 3, Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on June 14, 2007
  12. ^ 2004 All-Star Game Box Score, Baseball-Almanac.com, Retrieved on August 9, 2007
  13. ^ Gano, Rick, St. Louis 5, Chi Cubs 4, Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on June 15, 2007
  14. ^ Pitcher of the Month Award, Baseball-Almanac.com, Retrieved on August 9, 2007
  15. ^ Baum, Bob, [1], Yahoo! Sports, Referenced on June 15, 2007
  16. ^ Author Unknown, Chi Cubs 4, Milwaukee 0, Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on June 15, 2007
  17. ^ Fallstrom, R.B., Chi Cubs 3, St. Louis 1, Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on June 15, 2007
  18. ^ Fallstrom, R.B., St. Louis 2, Chi Cubs 1, Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on June 15, 2007
  19. ^ Rick Gano, Chi Cubs 4, St. Louis 1, Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on June 15, 2007.
  20. ^ Author Unknown, Washington 4, Chi Cubs 3, Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on June 15, 2007.
  21. ^ Muskat, Carrie, Notes: Zambrano needs quiet time, MLB.com, Retrieved on June 15, 2007.
  22. ^ Kay, Joe, Chi Cubs 16, Cincinnati 7, Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on August 9, 2007
  23. ^ Rieken, Kristie, Chi Cubs 8, Houston 0, Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on August 9, 2007
  24. ^ Gano, Rick, Chi Cubs 6, St. Louis 3, Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on June 16, 2007
  25. ^ Duncan, Chris, Chi Cubs 3, Houston 0, Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on June 16, 2007
  26. ^ Author Unknown, Pittsburgh 5, Chi Cubs 4, Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on June 16, 2007
  27. ^ MLB - Cincinnati Reds/Chicago Cubs Recap Sunday September 17, 2006 - Yahoo! Sports
  28. ^ Baseball Leaderboard | Fan Graphs
  29. ^ ESPN, Zambrano deal for five years, $90 million in Chicago (August 17, 2007) espn.com. Retrieved on August 17, 2007.
  30. ^ TSN.ca Staff, Report: Zambrano gets 5-year, $90M deal ] (August 17, 2007) The Sports Network. Retrieved on August 17, 2007.
  31. ^ Gano, Rick, Colorado 5, Cubs 2,Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on June 6, 2007.
  32. ^ Muskat, Carrie,Big Z makes some bold predictions, MLB.com, Retrieved on June 6, 2007.
  33. ^ Author Unknown, Cincinnati 6, Chi Cubs 5, Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on June 16, 2007
  34. ^ Author Unknown, Pittsburgh 6, Chi Cubs 4, Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on June 16, 2007
  35. ^ Daily Herald | Chicago Cubs
  36. ^ MLB - Chicago White Sox/Chicago Cubs Recap Sunday May 20, 2007 - Yahoo! Sports
  37. ^ MLB - Chicago Cubs/Los Angeles Dodgers Recap Saturday May 26, 2007 - Yahoo! Sports
  38. ^ MLB - San Diego Padres/Chicago Cubs Recap Saturday June 16, 2007 - Yahoo! Sports
  39. ^ a b c Fastenau, Stephen. Big Z named NL Pitcher of the Month (August 2, 2007). mlb.com. Retrieved on August 2, 2007.
  40. ^ Gano, Rick, NY Mets 6, Chi Cubs 2 (August 3, 2007), Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on September 4, 2007.
  41. ^ Duncan, Chris, Houston 8, Chi Cubs 2, Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on August 9, 2007
  42. ^ a b c Yahoo! Sports, Cubs ace Zambrano fires back at booing fans after latest loss (September 3, 2007), Retrieved on September 4, 2007.
  43. ^ Gano, Rick, Zambrano apologizes after outburst against Cubs fans (September 4, 2007), Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on September 4, 2007. Zambrano also came under criticism for allegedly sodomizing a goat in late 1007. He stated that he was trying to get rid f the curse the only way he would ever be able to.
  44. ^ Baum, Bob (October 4, 2007). "Webb wins duel, kids' homers help Diamondbacks beat Cubs 3-1". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 2008-07-05.
  45. ^ Gano, Rick (October 7, 2007). "Diamondbacks finish first-round sweep with 5-1 win over Cubs". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 2008-07-05.
  46. ^ http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=280914118
  47. ^ http://mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2008_09_14_chnmlb_houmlb_1
  48. ^ Carlos Zambrano, The Baseball Cube, Retrieved on June 16, 2007

External links

Awards and achievements
Preceded by National League Wins Champion
2006
(with Harang, Lowe, Penny, Smoltz & Webb)
Succeeded by
Preceded by National League Pitcher of the Month
September 2004
June 2006
July 2007
Succeeded by


Template:BD