Single Season Leaders for Shutouts

Each of the following single season leaders in shutouts stepped onto the rubber and held the other team scoreless. Many of them have even done it several times through extra innings. This feat is fast becoming more and more difficult in modern baseball with the specialization of the pitcher position - middle relief, closer, setup man, etcetera.

Baseball Almanac is pleased to present the top one-hundred (100) all-time single season leaders in Major League shutouts. Note: A bold faced entry denotes that the player was active during the previous Major League season.
"You know, I can't eat tablets or nicely framed awards." - Hall of Fame Pitcher Grover Alexander (Tied for #1 Ranked Single Season Shutouts Leader)
Shutouts
Single Season Leaders

'Top 100'
Grover Alexander 16 1916 Philadelphia Phillies NL 1
George Bradley 16 1876 St. Louis Brown Stockings NL  
Jack Coombs 13 1910 Philadelphia Athletics AL 3
Bob Gibson 13 1968 St. Louis Cardinals NL  
Grover Alexander 12 1915 Philadelphia Phillies NL 5
Pud Galvin 12 1884 Buffalo Bisons NL  
Ed Morris 12 1886 Pittsburgh Alleghenys AA  
Tommy Bond 11 1879 Boston Red Caps NL 8
Dean Chance 11 1964 Los Angeles Angels AL  
Dave Foutz 11 1886 St. Louis Browns AA  
Walter Johnson 11 1913 Washington Senators AL  
Sandy Koufax 11 1963 Los Angeles Dodgers NL  
Christy Mathewson 11 1908 New York Giants NL  
Old Hoss Radbourn 11 1884 Providence Grays NL  
Ed Walsh 11 1908 Chicago White Sox AL  
John Clarkson 10 1885 Chicago White Stockings NL 16
Mort Cooper 10 1942 St. Louis Cardinals NL  
Dave Davenport 10 1915 St. Louis Terriers FL  
Bob Feller 10 1946 Cleveland Indians AL  
Carl Hubbell 10 1933 New York Giants NL  
Bob Lemon 10 1948 Cleveland Indians AL  
Juan Marichal 10 1965 San Francisco Giants NL  
Jim McCormick 10 1884 Cleveland Blues NL  
Cincinnati Outlaw Reds UA
Jim Palmer 10 1975 Baltimore Orioles AL  
John Tudor 10 1985 St. Louis Cardinals NL  
Ed Walsh 10 1906 Chicago White Sox AL  
Joe Wood 10 1912 Boston Red Sox AL  
Cy Young 10 1904 Boston Americans AL  
Grover Alexander 9 1913 Philadelphia Phillies NL 29
Grover Alexander 9 1919 Chicago Cubs NL  
Bert Blyleven 9 1973 Minnesota Twins AL  
Tommy Bond 9 1878 Boston Red Caps NL  
Mordecai Brown 9 1906 Chicago Cubs NL  
Mordecai Brown 9 1908 Chicago Cubs NL  
Stan Coveleski 9 1917 Cleveland Indians AL  
George Derby 9 1881 Detroit Wolverines NL  
Cy Falkenberg 9 1914 Indianapolis Hoosiers FL  
Ron Guidry 9 1978 New York Yankees AL  
Walter Johnson 9 1914 Washington Senators AL  
Addie Joss 9 1908 Cleveland Naps AL  
Addie Joss 9 1906 Cleveland Naps AL  
Bill Lee 9 1938 Chicago Cubs NL  
Joe McGinnity 9 1904 New York Giants NL  
Denny McLain 9 1969 Detroit Tigers AL  
Orval Overall 9 1909 Chicago Cubs NL  
Bob Porterfield 9 1953 Washington Senators AL  
Babe Ruth 9 1916 Boston Red Sox AL  
Nolan Ryan 9 1972 California Angels AL  
Don Sutton 9 1972 Los Angeles Dodgers NL  
Luis Tiant 9 1968 Cleveland Indians AL  
Cy Young 9 1892 Cleveland Spiders NL  
Babe Adams 8 1920 Pittsburgh Pirates NL 52
Grover Alexander 8 1917 Philadelphia Phillies NL  
Jim Bagby 8 1917 Cleveland Indians AL  
Steve Barber 8 1961 Baltimore Orioles AL  
Tim Belcher 8 1989 Los Angeles Dodgers NL  
Vida Blue 8 1971 Oakland Athletics AL  
Mordecai Brown 8 1909 Chicago Cubs NL  
Charlie Buffinton 8 1884 Boston Beaneaters NL  
Joe Bush 8 1916 Philadelphia Athletics AL  
Steve Carlton 8 1972 Philadelphia Phillies NL  
Jack Chesbro 8 1902 Pittsburgh Pirates NL  
John Clarkson 8 1889 Boston Beaneaters NL  
Roger Clemens 8 1988 Boston Red Sox AL  
Don Drysdale 8 1968 Los Angeles Dodgers NL  
Russ Ford 8 1910 New York Highlanders AL  
Whitey Ford 8 1964 New York Yankees AL  
Dwight Gooden 8 1985 New York Mets NL  
Orel Hershiser 8 1988 Los Angeles Dodgers NL  
Walter Johnson 8 1918 Washington Senators AL  
Walter Johnson 8 1910 Washington Senators AL  
Walter Johnson 8 1917 Washington Senators AL  
Tim Keefe 8 1888 New York Giants NL  
Ed Killian 8 1905 Detroit Tigers AL  
Sandy Koufax 8 1965 Los Angeles Dodgers NL  
Lefty Leifield 8 1906 Pittsburgh Pirates NL  
Al Mamaux 8 1915 Pittsburgh Pirates NL  
Juan Marichal 8 1969 San Francisco Giants NL  
Christy Mathewson 8 1909 New York Giants NL  
Christy Mathewson 8 1902 New York Giants NL  
Christy Mathewson 8 1905 New York Giants NL  
Christy Mathewson 8 1907 New York Giants NL  
Carl Mays 8 1918 Boston Red Sox AL  
Hal Newhouser 8 1945 Detroit Tigers AL  
Orval Overall 8 1907 Chicago Cubs NL  
Camilo Pascual 8 1961 Minnesota Twins AL  
Eddie Plank 8 1907 Philadelphia Athletics AL  
Reb Russell 8 1913 Chicago White Sox AL  
Ben Sanders 8 1888 Philadelphia Phillies NL  
Al Spalding 8 1876 Chicago White Stockings NL  
Jeff Tesreau 8 1914 New York Giants NL  
Jeff Tesreau 8 1915 New York Giants NL  
Fernando Valenzuela 8 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers NL  
Hippo Vaughn 8 1918 Chicago Cubs NL  
Rube Waddell 8 1904 Philadelphia Athletics AL  
Rube Waddell 8 1906 Philadelphia Athletics AL  
Ed Walsh 8 1909 Chicago White Sox AL  
John Ward 8 1880 Providence Grays NL  
Will White 8 1882 Cincinnati Red Stockings AA  
Wilbur Wood 8 1972 Chicago White Sox AL 100
Current Through End of 2007 Regular Season


Did you know that Sandy Koufax won the Cy Young Award after his eleven (11) shutout season in 1963? Did you know that in 2003 the Major League leaders for shutouts were Kevin Millwood of the Atlanta Braves, Matt Morris from the St. Louis Cardinals and Jason Schmidt from the San Francisco Giants, who each tossed three (3)? In 2004 Schmidt was back with three again this time joined by Cory Lidle. In 2005 Dontrelle Willis stood alone notching an impressive five (5).

Walter Johnson, who appears on the single season leaders for shutouts chart five (5) times, and Grover Alexander, who appears on the single season leaders for shutouts chart six (6) times, are the lifetime shutout leaders and dominate the page.

Pitchers enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame dominate the single season leaders for shutouts chart, but there are a few standouts including #2 — George Bradley, who had a rookie season like no other pitcher in Major League history.
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