Great Shutout Pitchers: Twenty Profiles of a Vanishing Breed »

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.

School Library Journal

Gr 6 Up-A detailed examination of the careers of 20 pitchers who recorded 50 or more complete game shutouts. All except Bert Blyleven have won places in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Ten players hail from baseball's "dead ball" era, prior to 1920; they include Walter Johnson, Cy Young, Christy Mathewson, and Grover Cleveland Alexander. Among the more recent players are Warren Spahn, Bob Gibson, Juan Marichal, Tom Seaver, and Nolan Ryan. Baseball fans will find many fascinating anecdotes in these accounts. For example, the great lefthander, Spahn, gave Willie Mays his first hit in the majors: a home run. Unfortunately, MacKay's writing style is awkward and often riddled with clich s: "His strong achievement was the advent of greatness waiting to be fulfilled." At times, the abundance of details feels both cumbersome and muddled. Jeff Kisseloff's Who Is Baseball's Greatest Pitcher? (Cricket, 2003) is much more accessible for young readers: it has clear, lively writing and a good overall perspective on the history of the game.-Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

	Acknowledgments
	Introduction	1
	Walter Johnson: "The Big Train:" The Greatest of Them All	5
	Grover Cleveland Alexander: A Winner Wherever He Went	17
	Christy Mathewson: A True Baseball Idol	27
	Cy Young: So Great They Named an Award After Him	39
	Eddie Plank: The First Great Left-Hander	51
	Warren Spahn: The Greatest Left-Hander Ever	62
	Tom Seaver: The Franchise	74
	Nolan Ryan: Mr. No-Hitter	86
	Bert Blyleven: A Class Act	98
	Don Sutton: A Quiet and Consistent Performer	110
	Ed Walsh: King of the Spitballers	123
	Bob Gibson: The Intimidator	135
	Steve Carlton: Mr. Lefty	147
	Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown: The Mainstay of the Cubs	158
	Jim Palmer: From Oblivion to Greatness	170
	Gaylord Perry: The Master of Deception	177
	Juan Marichal: The Dominican Dandy	187
	Rube Waddell: The Man-Child of Major League Baseball	196
	Vic Willis: Ultimate Recognition at Long Last	208
	Jim Galvin: The "Little Engine That Could"	216
	Index	227