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.

Shut Out is the compelling story of Boston's racial divide viewed through the lens of one of the city's greatest institutions - its baseball team, and told from the perspective of Boston native and noted sports writer Howard Bryant. This well written and poignant work contains striking interviews in which blacks who played for the Red Sox speak for the first time about their experiences in Boston, as well as groundbreaking chapter that details Jackie Robinson's ill-fated tryout with the Boston Red Sox and the humiliation that followed.

When Pedro Martinez won his first Cy Young Award with the Boston Red Sox in 1999 many people in the baseball world claimed it to be one of, if not, the greatest pitching achievement of all-time. Though a remarkable campaign it hardly ranks as the greatest ever. This book lists in order the top 150 pitching performances for a single season between the years 1900-1999. Based on the grading system developed for this book Pedro’s season ranks as the 45th best season for a pitcher. Who is the greatest pitcher in the history of baseball? Is it Walter Johnson or Christy Mathewson? Some may argue for Roger Clemens or Nolan Ryan. The debate as to the best ever will continue but the chapter comparing pitchers of today and yesteryear will offer some new insights. This book will truly interest the baseball enthusiast because it offers clear and interesting data. Plus the measuring stick used for the rankings is not based on opinion, potential or favoritism but rather on fair and unbiased criteria. Eighty-seven pitchers (biographies included), from the famous to the one season wonders, make up the list of the greatest 150 pitching seasons. Included as well are brief summaries of an additional 130 pitchers.

O.B. Benson knows that, as a gay baseball player, his only chance to keep from being shut out of the Major Leagues is to stay as far from the public eye as possible. His low profile is threatened when the team manager insists O.B. take part in a TV interview to help boost lagging fan support. Avery Turner, TV reporter, is handsome, fit, and definitely pushes O.B.'s libido into high gear. He’s also out -- something O.B.'s situation doesn’t allow. And Avery believes in monogamous commitment -- something O.B. cannot identify with. But when Avery delivers a curveball to the catcher, O.B. doesn’t know how to handle it. When O.B.'s interview is aired, he’s forced to evaluate his life of meaningless one night stands. Can O.B. and Avery work out their differences and build a winning team, or will O.B. strike out?

In 1936, the Baseball Hall of Fame was established to honor the legends of the sport. The first inductees were some of the greatest names of the dugout, including Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth. Less than ten years later, in 1945, the Hockey Hall of Fame inducted its first members. The Soccer Hall of Fame was established in 1950, followed by the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1959, and the Football Hall of Fame in 1963. In all, more than 1,400 inductees—players, teams, and behind the scenes personnel—have been enshrined in these five halls of fame. The Sports Hall of Fame Encyclopedia is a comprehensive listing of each inductee elected into one or more of these major sports halls of fame. From Hank Aaron to Fred Zollner, this book contains biographical information, sport and position(s) played, and career statistics (when applicable) of each of the more than 1,400 honorees. The book also includes specific appendixes for each shrine, in which inductees are listed alphabetically and by year of induction. Also included are appendixes briefly describing the history of each hall of fame.

Throughout baseball's long history, only twenty pitchers have thrown fifty or more complete game shutouts. In all probability, the author contends, this list of baseball elite has likely seen its last inductee, as the emergence of relief pitchers and the increasing brevity of playing careers have changed the game considerably. The twenty players are Walter Johnson, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Christy Mathewson, Cy Young, Eddie Plank, Warren Spahn, Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, Bert Blyleven, Don Sutton, Ed Walsh, Bob Gibson, Steve Carlton, Mordecai "Three-Finger" Brown, Jim Palmer, Gaylord Perry, Juan Marichal, Rube Waddell, Vic Willis, and Pud Galvin. All but Blyleven are members of the Hall of Fame. The author presents anecdotal information about each of the pitchers, paying special attention to their shutout games, and also covers other significant games in their careers.

The New York Yankees are baseball's most storied team. They first played at Hilltop Park, then moved to the Polo Grounds, then Yankee Stadium, Shea Stadium, back to the renovated Yankee Stadium, and now in the new Yankee Stadium. They also frequently opened the season in Boston's historic Fenway Park, fondly remembered Shibe Park in Philadelphia, Griffith Stadium in Washington, and all around the expanded leagues after 1961. This book details every opening-day celebration and game from 1903 to 2017, while noting how each was affected by war, the economy, political and social protest and population shifts. We see presidents and politicians, entertainers, celebrities, and fans, owners, managers, and most of all, the players.