In Major League Baseball, a shutout (denoted statistically as ShO or SHO) refers to the act by which a single pitcher pitches a complete game and does not allow the opposing team to score a run. If two or more pitchers combine to complete this act, no pitcher is awarded a shutout, although the team itself can be said to have "shut out" the opposing team.
The ultimate single achievement among pitchers is a perfect game, which has been accomplished 24 times, most recently by Domingo Germán of the New York Yankees on June 28, 2023. Until a rule change implemented by MLB in 2020, a perfect game was previously also, by definition, counted as a shutout. A no-hitter completed by one pitcher is also a shutout unless the opposing team manages to score through errors, base on balls, catcher's interference, dropped third strikes, or hit batsmen. The all-time career leader in shutouts is Walter Johnson, who pitched for the Washington Senators from 1907 to 1927. He accumulated 110 shutouts, which is 20 more than the second place leader, Pete Alexander. The record for shutouts in a single season is 16, a mark which was achieved by George Bradley in and Alexander in . These records are considered among the most secure records in baseball, because pitchers rarely earn more than one or two shutouts per season anymore due to a heavy emphasis on pitch count and relief pitching. Complete games themselves have also become rare among starting pitchers.
Overview 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). To achieve a shutout, a pitcher must pitch a complete game without allowing the other team to score a run. However, there are exceptions and other stipulations to this rule.
Jim Creighton of the Excelsior of Brooklyn club is widely regarded to have thrown the first official shutout in history on November 8, 1860. 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, not including the 11th shutout that Tudor threw in the World Series that year.
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. Christy Mathewson holds the postseason record with four shutouts, including an unprecedented three (also a record) during the 1905 World Series.
Recording a shutout without starting 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.Vass, G. (June 1998). "Here Are the 13 Most Fascinating No-Hitters", Baseball Digest.
Games lasting shorter or longer than nine innings
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.
Conversely, if a game goes into scoreless extra innings, the same pitcher must pitch until the end of the game, despite having already pitched a full nine innings without allowing a run. If the pitcher is replaced or allows a run during an extra inning, he cannot receive a shutout. This situation is very rare, because starting pitchers will rarely pitch into extra innings. On June 3, 1995, Pedro Martínez of the Montreal Expos had a perfect game through nine innings against the San Diego Padres. The Expos failed to score as well, and the game was forced into extra innings. The Expos scored a run in the top of the 10th inning. In the bottom of the same inning, Martínez gave up a leadoff double to Bip Roberts to break up the perfect game and no-hitter. Martínez was immediately replaced by Mel Rojas, who retired the next three batters to end the game. Martínez was credited as the winning pitcher in a 1–0 Expos victory, but he did not record a complete game or a shutout for his efforts since another pitcher had taken part in the game. 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).
No-hitters that are not shutouts
In the majority of cases, a no-hitter is also recorded as a shutout if it is performed by a single pitcher pitching a complete game. If a no-hitter is achieved with more than one pitcher, no pitcher is awarded a shutout or a no-hitter, but a team shutout and no-hitter is still acknowledged. It is possible under rare circumstances for a no-hitter to not be a shutout (either individually or a combined effort). If the opposing team manages to score through a series of errors, sacrifice flies, hit batsman, or base on balls, the no-hitter remains intact while the shutout is lost. Since 1875, there have been 322 recorded no-hitters, and the vast majority of these have been completed by a single pitcher. Of that number, 25 instances resulted in a no-hitter that was not a shutout since the other team managed to score without actually getting a hit. Of these, there have only been two instances where the team that achieved no hits in the game actually won. One of these games was a combined no-hitter loss accomplished by more than one pitcher, and there has only been one recorded instance in history where a single pitcher lost a complete-game no-hitter.
On April 23, 1964, Ken Johnson of the Houston Colt .45s was beaten 1–0 by the Cincinnati Reds despite the Reds not getting a single hit. 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.