The following is a list of annual leaders inshutouts inMajor League Baseball (MLB). A shutout occurs when a single pitcher throws acomplete game and does not allow the opposing team to score a singlerun.
Walter Johnson holds the career shutout record with 110. The most shutouts pitched in one season was 16, which was a feat accomplished by bothPete Alexander (1916) andGeorge Bradley (1876). In thedead-ball era and throughout much of the first three-quarters of the twentieth century, starting pitchers were generally expected to perform complete games, and starting pitchers would throw dozens of complete games a year — thereby increasing a pitcher's chances of achieving a shutout. These shutout records are among the most secure records in baseball, as pitchers today rarely earn more than one or two shutouts per season with the heavy emphasis onpitch counts andrelief pitching. Pitchers today will often pitch only a few, if any, complete games a season. The2018 season marked a new low for complete-game shutouts; no pitcher threw for more than one shutout during the season, with eleven American League and seven National League pitchers finishing with only one shutout that season.
* –Denotes a member of theBaseball Hall of Fame.
‡ –Denotes a pitcher that led the league in shutouts in their rookie year.
* –Denotes a member of theBaseball Hall of Fame.
‡ –Denotes a pitcher that led the league in shutouts in their rookie year.
| Year | Player(s) | Team(s) | Shutouts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1914 | Cy Falkenberg | Indianapolis Hoosiers | 9 |
| 1915 | Dave Davenport | St. Louis Terriers | 10 |
| Year | Player(s) | Team(s) | Shutouts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | Silver King | Chicago Pirates | 4 |
| Year | Player(s) | Team(s) | Shutouts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1884 | Jim McCormick | Cincinnati Outlaw Reds | 7 |
* –Denotes a member of theBaseball Hall of Fame.
‡ –Denotes a pitcher that led the league in shutouts in their rookie year.