The Shutout in Major League Baseball

The shutout—a game in which a team prevents its opponent from scoring—remains relatively rare. Of the roughly 200,000 regular season games that have been played since the origins of the major leagues, only about 10 percent have been shutouts. Gold Glove defense, astonishing pitching talent, and the combined efforts of a team working toward baseball artistry must all come together.
This work covers every shutout from the beginning of professional baseball through the 2010 World Series, including no-hitters and perfect games. With in-depth statistics and play-by-play descriptions to bring to life the action on the field, it is the definitive history of one of baseball’s premier achievements.

Warren N. Wilbert, a veteran baseball historian and SABR member, is the author of numerous books about baseball. He lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Warren N. Wilbert
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 216
Bibliographic Info: 45 photos, appendices, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2013
pISBN: 978-0-7864-6851-5
eISBN: 978-0-7864-9118-6
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents


Acknowledgments vi

Prologue 1

Introduction 5

 1. May 4, 1871: 2–0 … With More to Come 11

 2. A Shutout in the Making 20

 3. The Nineteenth Century Shutout Story 30

 4. Grubby Baseballs and Shutout Artistry 39

 5. From the 1920s to the 1940s 46

 6. There’s a War Going On … and After 51

 7. The Shutout During an Era of Transition: 1961–1984 61

 8. The Modern Era: 1985–2010 73

 9. Shutouts in Other Leagues and Venues 84

10. Zeroes in the Ballbag 111

11. The No-No 130

12. Perfection 151

13. With One Swat 158

14. Shutout Summitry 179

Appendix A: The First One 187

Appendix B: From 50′ to 60’6″ 191

Appendix C: Crushed and Chicagoed 192

Selected Bibliography 195

Name Index 199

“a complete statistical record from the first in 1871 up to 2010”—ProtoView.