A shutout is defined by
Major League Baseball rule 10.18: A shutout in
baseball statistics is abbreviated as
ShO or
SHO, not to be confused with
strikeout (
SO). In the
National League's inaugural season of 1876, the eight teams played between 59 and 70 games, but it was common for each team to only have one pitcher on the team who pitched every inning of every game. For that reason,
George Bradley pitched 16 shutouts in 1876, which still stands as the Major League record (tied with
Pete Alexander who pitched the same number in 1916). Bradley's 16 shutouts in one year were almost half the total number he pitched in his nine-year career as a pitcher. From 1876 to 1916, 10 shutouts or more a season was recorded 19 times. With the increase in power hitting in the
live-ball era, as well as the increased utilization of
relief pitchers, shutouts and
complete games dramatically declined. Since 1917, 10 or more shutouts a season has only been achieved 10 times by pitchers with very exceptional seasons.
Jim Palmer was the last
American League pitcher to achieve this mark with 10 in 1975, and
John Tudor was the last National League pitcher with 10 in 1985, In 1968 for the
Los Angeles Dodgers,
Don Drysdale pitched a Major League record six consecutive shutouts on his way to a total of eight. While his statistics that year are often overlooked when compared to fellow
National League pitcher
Bob Gibson, Drysdale did pitch a then-record consecutive scoreless
innings pitched over the course of a month, whereby he did not allow an opposing run. He can be said to have "shut out" the opposition for consecutive innings pitched. That scoreless streak would later be broken by Dodgers pitcher
Orel Hershiser in 1988, who pitched one more out than Drysdale to record
59 consecutive shutout innings.
Ed Reulbach of the
Chicago Cubs is the only pitcher in Major League Baseball history to have pitched two shutouts on the same day. On September 26, 1908, the Cubs played a
doubleheader against the
Brooklyn Dodgers. Reulbach pitched both games to completion, in which the Dodgers failed to score in both games.
Red Barrett (1944) holds the record for the fewest pitches needed to complete a nine-inning shutout with only 58 pitches—the fewest ever pitched in any nine-inning game in Major League history, as well as the quickest night game ever at one hour and 15 minutes. Among other records,
Walter Johnson has the most
Opening Day shutouts with seven, and
Jamie Moyer (2010) is the oldest player to ever pitch a Major League shutout at 47 years 170 days old.
Recording a shutout without starting or pitching a complete game (on the right next to
Babe Ruth) earned a shutout without
starting the game or pitching a
complete game. It is possible for a pitcher to record a shutout without
starting the game or pitching a
complete game, so long as all the
outs in the game are recorded under the same pitcher with no opposing runs scored by the other team. A pitcher who begins the game is recorded as the
starting pitcher, regardless of how long that pitcher pitches in the game. A pitcher must
face at least one batter before being removed to be considered the starting pitcher and get recorded with the game started, whether the batter faced reached base or was put
out in any way. If the starting pitcher is removed from the game before the first recorded out by the opposing team, the pitcher that replaces him can still be eligible for a shutout if the game ends with the opposing team failing to score a run. However, the replacement pitcher cannot be credited with a game started or complete game. In addition to that, the replacement pitcher must complete the rest of the game without being taken out himself for another pitcher at any time during the game. An instance of this occurred on June 23, 1917, when
Babe Ruth of the
Boston Red Sox walked the first batter of the
Washington Senators,
Ray Morgan, in the bottom of the first inning. Ruth engaged in an argument with home plate umpire
Brick Owens, whereby Ruth was
ejected and escorted off the field. Ruth's replacement,
Ernie Shore, proceeded to finish the game without allowing the Senators to score. In fact, Morgan was
caught stealing, and Shore retired the next 26 batters in a row. The game was regarded as a
perfect game for many years until it was officially downgraded to a
combined no-hitter due to Ruth giving up the walk. Shore and Ruth were credited with a combined no-hitter, even though Ruth pitched unsuccessfully to only one batter in the game. Shore was credited with a shutout for his effort, despite not starting the game or pitching a complete game. However, if Ruth had conceded a run in the first inning without recording an out, such as allowing consecutive walks or hits, Shore would not be able to record a shutout since the other team had scored a run.
Games lasting shorter or longer than nine innings pitched nine scoreless innings but did not record a shutout. The game went to
extra innings, and Martínez lost his shutout opportunity when he was replaced in the 10th inning. A shutout must fall under the technical definitions of a
complete game, which consists of only one pitcher pitching an entire game, regardless of how long the game lasts. However, the complete game stipulation is waived if the same pitcher records every
out in the game without having technically
started the game, as in the game pitched by
Ernie Shore. A standard Major League Baseball game consists of nine innings, unless weather or other uncontrollable elements prevent the game from being completed. If five or more innings have been played and the game cannot be resumed in a timely manner under normal conditions, it can be ruled as a "complete game" according to Major League Baseball rule 4.10. In this case, it is possible for a pitcher to complete only five
innings pitched and still be credited with a complete-game shutout if the other team fails to score by the time the game is ended. However,
no-hitter and
perfect game bids are not official unless the game lasts at least nine innings. A shortened game cannot be considered a no-hitter or perfect game, but it can be counted as a shutout if applicable. Arguably the most famous extra inning shutout was recorded by
Jack Morris in Game 7 of the
1991 World Series. Morris was named the Series MVP for his 10-inning effort. The longest complete-game shutout is 18 innings pitched by a single pitcher, which has occurred four times in Major League history:
John Montgomery Ward (1882),
Ed Summers (1909),
Walter Johnson (1918), and
Carl Hubbell (1933). The only other instance of a lost no-hitter occurred when the
Baltimore Orioles lost to the
Detroit Tigers by a score of 2–1 on April 30, 1967. While the Tigers recorded no hits during this game and still won, the Orioles used more than one pitcher (
Steve Barber and
Stu Miller), therefore eliminating an individual shutout opportunity. Barber was replaced with two outs in the ninth inning and came one out away from joining Johnson as the only pitcher to single-handedly lose a no-hitter. For games that were shortened due to weather, darkness, or other uncontrollable scenarios, a shutout can still be recorded by a single pitcher, but under Major League Baseball's official definition of a no-hitter, a no-hitter cannot be achieved unless the game lasts nine innings. Any game lasting shorter than a full nine innings cannot qualify, even if one team fails to achieve a hit before the game ends. Conversely, if a starting pitcher on the visiting team is losing the game (despite giving up no hits) after his team bats in the top of the ninth inning, his team will not take the field again unless they tied or took the lead. By this unusual situation, the starting pitcher will only have pitched eight complete innings with no chance to pitch a ninth-inning to attempt a no-hitter. If the starting pitcher is on the home team, he will have a chance to pitch in the top of the ninth inning—a situation that occurred with Ken Johnson and later the combined efforts of Barber and Miller. However, a winning home team will not bat (and the visiting team will not field) in the bottom of the ninth if they are winning, and the game will end with only innings played. In 1991, Major League Baseball changed the definition of a no-hitter to require that a pitcher throw at least nine full innings for the no-hitter to be official. With that change, there have been five no-hit performances ruled ineligible despite the pitcher pitching an eight-inning complete game in a losing effort:
Silver King (June 21, 1890),
Andy Hawkins (July 1, 1990),
Matt Young (April 12, 1992), the combined pitching of
Jered Weaver and
José Arredondo (June 28, 2008), and the combined pitching of
Hunter Greene and
Art Warren (May 15, 2022).
Team shutouts If two or more pitchers combine to throw a shutout, no pitcher is credited individually with a shutout, but the team as a whole can be said to have "shut out" the other team. The record for the most consecutive shutouts by a single team is held by the
Pittsburgh Pirates, who recorded six consecutive shutouts in 1903. That team also holds the record for most consecutive scoreless innings pitched with 56. The
Chicago White Sox and the
Chicago Cubs hold the record for the most shutout victories achieved in a single season with 32; the White Sox did so in 1906, and the Cubs did so in 1907 and 1909. The
1908 St. Louis Cardinals hold the record of being shut out 33 times in one season. Only five teams in Major League Baseball history have gone an entire season without recording a single shutout victory. In 1898, three teams—the
Brooklyn Bridegrooms,
St. Louis Browns, and
Washington Senators—failed to defeat a team all season without allowing a run. The
1899 Cleveland Spiders also achieved this record—winning 20 games to a record 134 losses. The only team since then to record no shutout victories was the expansion
1993 Colorado Rockies. The largest margin of victory in a "shutout" game is held by the
Providence Grays, who defeated the
Philadelphia Quakers 28–0 on August 21, 1883. The largest shutout margin of victory in recent times was 22–0 when the
Cleveland Indians defeated the
New York Yankees on August 31, 2004. ==League leaders==