Zito’s Strikeouts Help Troops

May 15 is Armed Forces Day and it’s nice to know that even though the Bay Area isn’t always the most military-friendly place on Earth, there’s one guy who still cares about the troops. That’s Giants pitcher Barry Zito. Since its inception in April 2005, Zito’s Strikeouts for Troops program has raised close to $2 million to help injured military servicemen and women.

Five years ago, Zito started out by donating $100 for each of his strikeouts. He’s now up to $500 per K this season. That could prove to be a costly venture for the lefty, who chalked up 154 strikeouts last season. But Zito is more than happy to give.

The money goes to troops recuperating at Walter Reed, Bethesda Naval Hospital, Brooke Army Medical Center and other military hospitals. Soldiers have used their grants to pay for travel and housing costs for visiting family members, holiday gifts for their children, special furniture needed for their recovery at home and personal items, such as phone cards and CDs. The program has also paid for Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners for troops spending the holidays in the hospital.

Strikeouts for Troops works with several charitable organizations to solicit requests for aid from needy troops, screen the applicants and then distribute funds.

“It’s about surrounding an injured soldier with love and support from his family. When you’re sick or injured, you want to be around your family and sometimes that’s not always something that’s considered,” says Zito, who came up with Strikeouts for Troops after visiting injured service men and women at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. five years ago.

Zito has gotten other Major League players, including teammates Matt Cain and Brian Wilson, to also pledge dollars for every batter they whiff. And, he’s expanded his program to include position players, such as Nick Swisher and Eric Chavez, who donate based on the number of hits, home runs and RBIs they produce. His goal is to get at least one player from each Major League team to participate in the program.

Zito says that he’s happy to see growing support for the troops. During the Giants’ recent road trip, military servicemen and women were honored before games in New York and Florida. “It’s great to see support take hold across the country. In New York, there was an ad that said, “When they come home, will you be ready to greet them and say, ‘Thank you.’ I thought that was a really great message.”