Complete-game shutout always regarded as a jewel in pitching trade

Baseball Digest, July, 2005 by John Kuenster

JON GARLAND WAS ON THE MOUND IN OAKLAND'S MCAFEE COLISEUM ONE night last April, setting down the A's through seven, then eight and finally through nine full innings as he fashioned a four-hit, 6-0 shutout for the White

The 25-year-old right-hander threw 116 pitches, 79 for strikes, as he outdueled Barry Zito to give the Sox their eighth consecutive win and a record of 16-4, best in the majors at that juncture of the season.

It was only the second shutout of Garland's young career, so he had good reason to savor the accomplishment at game's end.

"I had a real good changeup and kept guys off balance," he said. "When I did throw my fastball, they couldn't jump on it and for the most part I was ahead in the count."

In staying ahead of the batters on ball-and-strike counts, Garland maintained an advantage most pitchers enjoy as they zero in on a complete-game shutout.

"He deserved it," manager Ozzie Guillen said of his decision to let Garland finish the game. "He throws strikes, and he's not afraid to attack people."

Before his next start oil May 1 against the Tigers in Chicago, Garland was discussing reasons for his early-season success. "If you get strike one, then strike two, you're on top of the batters and they can't sit on a pitch," he said. "They have to protect the plate, and you become a better pitcher."

When he put together his second straight shutout with a four-hit, 8-0 win over Detroit, he left little doubt he has matured into "a better pitcher" than he ever has been since first coming up to the White Sox in 2000.

"He's about as hot as anybody in baseball," Tigers manager Alan Trammell admitted after the game. "His sinker is really outstanding right now with a lot of movement. He's throwing a lot of strikes and working fast. He's pitching With confidence."

A complete-game shutout--always regarded as a jewel in the pitching trade --will do that for starters who are coming of age in the majors.

Mark Mulder of the Cardinals created just such a gem in late April when he blanked the Astros, 1-0, in a ten-inning masterpiece.

He needed a mere 101 pitches, 75 of them strikes, to finish his work of art at Busch Stadium, getting the win when Larry Walker singled home Reggie Sanders in the last inning.

"It was good to get the hit," Walker said, "but I think all the focus should be on what was on the mound to start the game, (Roger) Clemens and Mulder. It was phenomenal.

"It was one of those days where if you paid money for a ticket to come watch, you got to watch something pretty special. For two guys to go out there and battle like that, it was a lot of fun. Not only to watch, but to play in, too."

Clemens pitched seven shutout innings to increase his scoreless streak to 23 straight, but was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the top of the eighth inning.

At the end of play on May 1, a total of 40 shutouts had been pitched in the majors. Ten of them were complete-game efforts, including two by Garland and two by the Marlins' left-hander Dontrelle Willis.

Based on the number of shutouts tossed in the first month of the season, there was some speculation a pitching renaissance was taking place in the big leagues. While speculation in that regard appeared to be ill-founded, close pitching duels are welcomed by cerebral observers of the game, fans who enjoy 1-0 or 3-2 contests over high-scoring encounters that frequently leave little room for drama or old-style baseball to be played out in late innings.

For starters, there's no question complete-game shutouts rank high on their list of individual achievements. Even if such games increase this season, they will be a far cry from totals amassed years ago.

In 2004, for example, there were 69 complete-game shutouts recorded, but go back to 1968 when pitching dominated both leagues. That year, when the majors embraced only 20 teams, 12 pitchers alone piled up 86 complete-game shutouts.

They included Bob Gibson of the Cardinals, 13; Luis Tiant of the Indians, 9; Don Drysdale, Dodgers, 8; Steve Blass, Pirates, 7; Jerry Koosman, Mets, 7; Denny McLain, Tigers, 6: Mel Stottlemyre, Yankees, 6; Jim Nash, A's, 6; Ray Culp, Red Sox, 6: Dean Chance, Twins, 6; Ray Sadecki, Giants, 6; and Bill Singer, Dodgers, 6.

Final figures that season included a then-record 339 shutouts, and meager overall batting averages (.230 in the American League and .243 in the National League).

With such an imbalance between pitching and hitting, owners hastened to have the rules committee lower the height of the mound from 15 inches to ten inches so hitters would have a better chance of making contact if the balls thrown to the plate didn't come in at such a downward angle.

Whatever, one of the reasons starters today can't be blamed if they cherish complete-game shutouts perhaps more so than their counterparts did in the past is the fact they aren't allowed to go the distance when so many current managers frown at high pitch counts and consistently call on the bullpen to work the last two or even three innings of a close contest.