Shutout

For other uses, seeShut Out (disambiguation).

Not to be confused withPenalty shootout.

In team sports, ashutout(US) orclean sheet(UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such asbasketball.

Shutouts are usually seen as a result of effective defensive play even though a weak opposing offense may be as much to blame. Some sports credit individual players, particularlygoalkeepersandstarting pitchers,with shutouts and keep track of them as statistics; others do not.

American football

A shutout inAmerican footballis uncommon but not exceptionally rare. Keeping an opponent scoreless in American football requires a team's defense to be able to consistently shut down both pass and run offenses over the course of a game. The difficulty of completing a shutout is compounded by the many ways a team can score in the game. For example, teams can attempt field goals, which have a high rate of success. The range of NFL caliber kickers makes it possible for a team with a weak offense to getclose enough (within 50 yards) to the goalpostsand kick a field goal. Of 2,544 regular season NFL games from 2000–2009, 89 (3.5%) were shutouts.

There are at least five instances in American football in which a team had been shut out throughout an entire season, and four in which a team has shut out all of their opponents in the season (the longest of these being the ten-gameperfect seasonin which the 1933Providence Huskiesdid not concede a single point).

The achievement of a shutout is much more difficult inCanadian football,where scoring and offensive movement is generally more frequent and asingle pointcan be scored simply bypuntingthe ball from any point on the field into the end zone.

Association football

Inassociation footballand other sports with agoalkeeper,the goalkeeper may be said to "keep aclean sheet"if they prevent their opponents from scoring during an entire match. Because football is a relatively low-scoring game, it is common for one team, or even both teams, to score no goals.A theory as to the term's origin is that sports reporters used separate pieces of paper to record the different statistical details of a game. If one team did not allow a goal, then that team's "details of goals conceded" page would appear blank, leaving a clean sheet. If a game ends with a final score of 0–0, both sides are considered to have kept a clean sheet.

Baseball

Main article:Shutout (baseball)

InMajor League Baseball,a shutout (denoted statistically asShOorSHO) refers to the act by which a singlepitcherpitches acomplete gameand does not allow the opposing team to score arun.If two or more pitchers combine to complete this act, no pitcher will be awarded a shutout, although the team itself can be said to have "shut out" the opposing team. The only exception to this is when a pitcher enters a game before the opposing team scores a run or makes an out and then completes the game without allowing a run to score. That pitcher is then awarded a shutout, although not a complete game.

The all-time career leader in shutouts isWalter Johnson,who pitched for theWashington Senatorsfrom 1907 to 1927. He accumulated 110 shutouts,which is 20 more than second placedGrover Cleveland Alexander.The most shutouts recorded in one season was 16, which was a feat accomplished by both Grover Alexander (1916) andGeorge Bradley(1876).These records are considered among the most secure records in baseball, as pitchers today rarely earn more than one or two shutouts per season with a heavy emphasis onpitch countandrelief pitching.Complete games themselves have also become rare amongstarting pitchers.As of 2021, the current active leader in shutouts isClayton Kershawof theLos Angeles Dodgers,whose 15 shutouts ties him for 463rd all time. Only four pitchers whose entire careers were in the post-1920live-ball erathrew as many as 60 career shutouts, withWarren Spahnleading those pitchers with 63.

Ice hockey

Inice hockey,a shutout (SO) is credited to agoaltenderwho successfully stops the other team from scoring during the entire game. In regular season games, if the score is 0–0 with the game going to a penalty shootout, both goaltenders are credited with a shutout.A shutout may be shared between two goaltenders, but will not be listed in either of their individual statistics. The record holder for most regular-season career shutouts in theNational Hockey League(NHL) isMartin Brodeurwith 125 (see theall-time regular season shutout leaders). The modern-day record for a team being shut out in a season is held by theColumbus Blue Jacketsat 16, during the2006–07 season.In the event a shutout happens while using several goaltenders, the shutout will be credited to the team who shut out the opponent. However, no single goaltender will be awarded the shutout. This has happened several times in NHL history:

• On April 3, 1983, theWashington Capitalswon 3–0 against theNew York RangerswithAl Jensenin goals for the first two periods andPat Rigginfor the last period.
• On November 23, 2006, theNashville Predatorswon 6–0 against theVancouver Canuckswith goaltenderTomáš Vokounbeing replaced at the start of the third period byChris Masondue to injury.
• On December 1, 2009, theToronto Maple Leafswon 3–0 against theMontreal Canadiens.Jonas Gustavssonstarted in goal but was replaced after the first period byJoey MacDonaldbecause of a cardiac problem.
• On March 26, 2013, thePittsburgh Penguinswon 1–0 against the Montreal Canadiens withMarc-André Fleurystarting the game and being replaced because of injury by Tomáš Vokoun for the third period.
• On December 3, 2021, theNew York Rangerswon 1–0 against theSan Jose SharksafterIgor Shesterkinwas injured and replaced byAlexandar Georgievin the third period.
• On March 10, 2024, theEdmonton Oilerswon 4-0 against thePittsburgh PenguinsafterCalvin Pickardwas replaced withStuart Skinnerfor the last 1:16 of the second period and did not face a shot. Pickard then returned for the third period.

Rugby

Clean sheets are not common in eitherrugby unionorleague,since it is relatively simple to score a penalty kick. The 2005 GilletteRugby League Tri-Nationsfinal was the first time thatAustraliahad been "nilled" since 1981.There is no alternative term for the occurrence of a team failing to score, except to say that the team scored "nil" (or "zero" or "nothing" in North America). For example, the December 2006Celtic Leaguematch betweenMunsterandConnachtended 13–0 to Munster;it was, therefore, said that Munster won "thirteen–nil."

Recent examples of clean sheets in international rugby union include England vs Scotland in2014,France vs Italy in2015,France vs Argentina in2016,Scotland vs Italy in2017,New Zealand vs South Africa in2017,New Zealand vs Australia in2019,and Wales vs Italy in2020.

Generally, a team that is well-disciplined defensively, as well as behaviorally (not giving away penalty kicks), is most likely to not concede scores. This may also occur if there is a significant difference in class between the two teams, for example, whenScotlandbeatSpain(who were playing in their only Rugby World Cup) 48–0 in the1999 Rugby World Cup,or when Australia beatNamibia142–0 in the2003 Rugby World Cup.

See also

• Whitewash

External links

• Football (soccer) clean sheet statisticsArchivedJune 27, 2006, at theWayback Machine