Cy Young – Library of Congress photo.
On this date (September 22) in 1911, right-hander Cy Young won his 511th and final major league regular-season game. It was, fittingly, a complete-game shutout – a 1-0 Boston Rustlers win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. It brought Young’s career record to 511-313, and he should have quit while he was ahead. The 44-year-old Young, in his 22nd MLB season, was 7-6 on the on the 1911 season at the time. Young pitched just three more games that season – going 0-3 and giving up 21 runs in 22 2/3 innings.
That final win – again, a complete-game shutout – led Baseball Roundtable to look at the past (and likely dismal future) of complete-game white-washings. As Idid that, I learned that Young was one of just 26 pitchers in MLB history to notch double-digit shutouts in a season.
Trivia Teaser – Who was the last pitcher to log double-digit complete-game shutouts in a season?
That would be southpaw John Tudor of the Cardinals – back in 1985. That season, Tudor went 21-8, with a 1.93 earned run average for the Redbirds. He tossed 14 complete games in 36 starts, and ten of those complete-game outings were shutouts. It was the only season Tudor’s 12-campaign MLB career in which he threw more than two shutouts. (He had a career total of 16 CG shutouts.) Tudor finished his career at 117-72, 3.12, with 50 complete games in 263 starts.
The last American Leaguer to throw at least ten shutouts in a season was Orioles’ right-hander (and Hall of Famer) Jim Palmer in 1975. That season, Palmer went 23-11, 2.09 and tossed 25 complete games in 38 starts. Palmer’s career line was 268-152, 2.86 with 211 complete games and 53 shutouts in 521 starts.
There have been 28 instances of pitchers logging ten or more shutouts in a season – and 26 pitchers have accomplished the feat. Only two have logged ten or more shutouts in a season more than once: The Phillies’ Grover Cleveland (Pete) Alexander (12 shutouts in 1915 and an MLB-record 16 shutouts in 1916) and the White Sox’ Ed Walsh (10 shutouts in 1906 and 11 whitewashings in 1908).
How Likely Are We to See Ten Shutouts in a Season in Today’s Game?
Since the 2000 season, only one pitcher has thrown at least ten complete games in a season (James Shields of the Rays with 11 in 2011) – much less ten shutouts.
In 2017, the most shutouts by any pitcher was three (Corey Kluber, Indians and Ervin Santana, Twins) and the most complete games was five (same two pitchers). As this post is written no pitcher has more than two complete games or more than one CG shutout in the 2018 season.
A few more shutout tidbits.
- Walter Johnson (Senators … 1907-1927) holds the career shutout record with 110. No one else has more than 90.
- The record for shutouts in a season is 16 shared by Grover Cleveland (Pete) Alexander (Phillies, 1916) and George Bradley (Saint Louis Brown Stockings, 1876).
Babe Ruth shares the AL record for shutouts in a season by a southpaw at nine (Red Sox, 1916). Yankee Ron Guidry also threw nine shutouts (1978).
- Walter Johnson, who drew the Opening Day assignment in 14 seasons, threw a record seven Opening Day shutouts.
- On August 10, 1944 The Braves’ Red Barrett shutout the Red 2-0 – throwing only 58 pitches (the fewest pitches ever – not just in a shutout, but in a nine-inning complete game of any score.) Barrett pitched a two-hitter with zero walks and zero strikeouts.
- Don Drysdale of the Dodgers tossed a record six consecutive complete-game shutouts between May 14, 1856 and June 4, 1968.
Playing the Lead Role
In 2008, C.C. Sabathia led the AL, NL and MLB in shutouts. He started the season with the Cleveland Indians and was 6-8, 3.83 with three complete games and two shutouts before being traded to the NL Milwaukee Brewers on July 7. With the Brewers, Sabathia went 11-2 with seven complete games and three shutouts. His two AL shutouts tied for the American League lead, while he three whitewashings tied for the NL lead.
______________________________________________________________
Pitchers with Ten or More Shutouts in a Season
George Bradley, 1876 St. Louis Brown Stockings (NL) ….. 16
Pud Galvin, 1884, Buffalo Bisons (NL) ….. 12
Charles “Old Hoss” Radbourn, 1884 Providence Grays (NL) ….. 11
Jim McCormick, 1884 (two teams) ….. 10
John Clarkson, 1885 Chicago White Stockings (NL) ….. 10
Ed Morris, 1886 Pittsburgh Alleghenys (AA) ….. 12
Dave Foutz, 1886 Saint Louis Browns (AA) ….. 11
Tommy Bond, 1879 Boston Red Stockings (NL) ….. 11
Christy Mathewson, 1908 Giants (NL) ….. 11
Cy Young, 1904 Boston Americans (AL) ….. 10
Ed Walsh, 1906 White Sox (AL) ….. 10
Ed Walsh, 1908 White Sox (AL) ….. 11
Jack Combs, 1910 Athletics (AL) ….. 13
Smokey Joe Wood, 1912 Red Sox (AL) ….. 10
Walter Johnson, 1913 Senators (AL) ….. 11
Grover Cleveland Alexander, 1915 Phillies (NL) ….. 12
Grover Cleveland Alexander, 1916 Phillies (NL) ….. 16
Dave Davenport, 1915 St. Louis Terriers (FL) …..10
Carl Hubbell, 1933 Giants (NL) ….. 10
Mort Cooper, 1942 Cardinals (NL) ….. 10
Bob Feller, 1946 Indians (AL) ….. 10
Bob Lemon, 1948 Indians (AL) ….. 10
Sandy Koufax, 1963 Dodgers (NL) ….. 11
Dean Chance, 1964 Angels (AL) ….. 11
Juan Marichal, 1965 Giants (NL) ….. 10
Bob Gibson, 1968 Cardinals (NL) ….. 13
Jim Palmer, 1975 Orioles (AL) ….. 10
John Tudor, 1985 Cardinals (NL) … 10
Primary Resouces: MLB.com; Baseball-reference.com; Baseball-Almanac.com
I tweet baseball @David BBRT
Like/Follow the Baseball Roundtable Facebook page here.
Member: Society for American Baseball Research; The Baseball Reliquary; The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
