Skip to content

You are here: Home Double Whammy
The Double Whammy Print E-mail

By James Watkins and Paul Doherty*

       A real "put-down" for a club is to get shut out in both games of a doubleheader.   This happened to the Red Sox on Labor Day of 1974 when the Orioles almost put the Beantowners out of business for the season.  Actually, they were close games, with Ross Grimsley beating Luis Tiant 1-0 in the first game, and Mike Cuellar taking Bill Lee by the same score in the nightcap.   This was the first double 1-0 shutout of a club in American League history.  Ironically, it has been accomplished 10 times in the National League since 1900.

       Riding the crest of the Labor Day sweep of Boston, the Orioles dealt Cleveland a double shutout on September 6.  Dave McNally won the first game 2-0, and Mike Cuellar again won by 1-0.  It was a great day for these two seasoned southpaws, who lend considerable class to the list of doubleheader whitewash winners.

       There have been many such "double whammies" -- 82 in the American and 94 in the National.  This averages out to more than one in each league each season.   Of course, they seem to occur in clusters -- nine in 1906, and only seven in the 10-year period 1921-30.  Of course, with all the runs that were being scored in the latter period, it is no wonder.

       Reviewing the list of double shutout winners, you unconsciously look for the names of great team pitching duos, such as Mathewson and McGinnity of the Giants, Grove and Earnshaw of the Athletics, Ruffing and Gomez of the Yankees, Lemon and Wynn of the Indians, and Koufax and Drysdale of the Dodgers.  Ironically, none of these popular duos ever worked twinbill shutouts in tandem.

       Of course, doubleheader shutouts are unpredictable events.  Carl Hubbell of the Giants participated in four such winning efforts, but each time with a different partner -- with Bill Walker, with Hal Schumacher, and with Roy Parmelee.  The latter occasion, on July 2, 1933, was one of the spectacular twinbills.  Hubbell, opposing the Cardinals, dueled Tex Carleton for 16 innings and Jesse Haines for 2 before winning a 1-0 thriller in 18 innings.  In the second game, teammate Parmelee beat Dizzy Dean 1-0 in the regulation 9.   Roy fanned 13, a very high figure for those days.

     No more spectacular double shutouts were recorded, however, than the Cub triumphs over the Dodgers on September 26, 1908.  On that day, Ed Reulbach pitched both complete game victories by scores of 5-0 and 3-0, the only time this feat was ever recorded.  Reulbach also played a role in two other twin blankings, so he figures pretty prominently on the accompanying list.  In the American League, Herb Pennock participated in four twin shutouts, but in one of these games for the Athletics, he was relieved by Eddie Plank.   In fact, multiple pitchers were used in a number of these shutouts, and they weren't all in recent years when it has become more common for relievers to be used in shutout games.

     Has there ever been a shutout combination that repeated?  There have been two such occasions.   In 1918

Claude Hendrix and George Tyler of the Cubs shut out the Cards twice on July 4 and the Phils twice on August 17.  On August 20, 1941, Johnny Vander Meer and Elmer Riddle dealt the Phils a double shutout; two years later, on September 26, 1943, they both shut out the Braves.

     Earlier we made reference to the only double 1-0 shutout in American League history.  The highest scoring double shutout also was made in the Junior Circuit, on September 22, 1936, when submariner Eldon Auker of the Tigers beat the Browns 12-0 in the opener, and Tommy Bridges and Company throttled them 14-0 in the nightcap.  The poor Browns, they never won a double shutout, and lost an even dozen.

     Three no-hitters were pitched as a part of double shutouts.  On September 6, 1905, Doc White of the White Sox whitewashed the Tigers 2-0 in the opener, and Frank Smith no-hit them 15-0 in the finale.  Fans probably have forgotten that the famous Babe Ruth-Ernie Shore no-hitter over the Washington Senators on June 23, 1917, was accompanied by a nightcap shutout authored by Hubert "Dutch" Leonard, who allowed the Nats only four hits.   In the opener Shore had relieved Ruth in the first inning with nobody out and pitched perfect ball the rest of the way.

      On September 21, 1934, with the Cardinals beating the Dodgers, Dizzy Dean took the opener 13-0, and was somewhat chagrined when younger brother Paul pitched a no-hitter in the second game.  Diz had allowed only three hits, and this is a record for fewest hits allowed in a double shutout.

      The full list of twinbill shutout victories by one club since 1900 is carried below.  To complete the record it should be mentioned here that there were also three "double whammies" in the Federal League.  On July 4, 1914, Bob Groom and Mordecai Brown of St. Louis blanked Kansas City twice; on July 14, 1914, Earl Moore and Fred Anderson of Buffalo shut out Baltimore twice; and on August 13, 1915, Al Schultz and Fred Anderson of Buffalo held St. Louis scoreless.

      In the list below, * indicates extra-inning games, and # indicates less than 9 innings but a complete game.

         AL DOUBLEHEADER SHUTOUT WINS BY ONE TEAM

Date of Games

Won

Hurlers and Scores

 

Lost

Sep.

3

1901

Clev.

Moore

1-0;

Cristall

 4-0

Bos.

Aug.

13

1902

Phil.

Waddell

8-0;

Husting

 9-0

Det.

Sep.

1

1902

Clev.

Moore

10-0;

Bernhard

 8-0

Bos.

June

28

1903

Bos.

Young

1-0;

Hughes

 3-0

StL.

Aug.

22

1904

Bos.

Young

8-0;

Gibson

 3-0

StL.

Sep.

6

1905

Chi.

White

2-0;

F. Smith

15-0

Det.

July

6

1906

N.Y.

Chesbro

4-0;

Newton

 8-0

Bos.

Aug.

25

1906

N.Y.

Doyle

2-0;

Clarkson

 2-0

Clev.

Sep.

4

1906

N.Y.

Clarkson

7-0;

Orth

 1-0

Bos.

Sep.

9

1907

N.Y.

Neuer

10-0;

Chesbro

 2-0

Wash.

Aug.

28

1908

Wash.

Hughes

2-0;

Johnson

 8-0

Clev.

July

31

1909

Chi.

Burns

1-0;

F. Smith

 4-0

Wash.

Sep.

25

1909

Phil.

Bender

5-0;

Morgan

 3-0

Clev.

Sep.

16

1911

Bos.

Wood

6-0;

O'Brien

 3-0

Clev.

Sep.

22

1911

Chi.

J. Scott

3-0;

Lange-Walsh

 1-0

Wash.

Sep.

22

1913

Phil.

J. Bush

4-0;

Pennock-

 1-0

 

Plank

July

3

1914

Phil.

Bender

2-0;

Shawkey

 1-0

N.Y.

Aug.

11

1914

Chi.

Wolfgang

2-0;

Cicotte

 2-0

Clev.

Aug.

25

1914

Phil.

Bressler

9-0;

Pennock

 1-0

StL.

July

5

1915

Bos.

Foster

#4-0;

Ruth

 6-0

Wash.

May

28

1916

Chi.

J. Scott

2-0;

Faber

 2-0

Clev.

July

10

1916

Chi.

Williams

4-0;

E. Russell

 3-0

Bos.

May

30

1917

N.Y.

Cullop

6-0;

Love-Shocker

2-0*

Phil.

June

23

1917

Bos.

Ruth-Shore

4-0;

Leonard

 5-0

Wash.

Sep.

15

1917

Wash.

Harper

5-0;

Johnson

 4-0

Phil.

July

17

1918

Bos.

J. Bush

7-0;

Ruth

 4-0#

StL.

July

22

1918

Bos.

J. Bush

*1-0;

C. Nays

 3-0

Det.

Sep.

11

1919

Bos.

Pennock

4-0;

A. Russell

 4-0

StL.

July

7

1920

Phil.

Keefe

6-0;

Perry

 1-0

Bos.

Aug.

21

1920

Bos.

Hoyt

12-0;

Pennock

 4-0

Clev.

July

10

1921

Clev.

Mails

10-0;

Norton

 1-0

Phil.

Sep.

2

1922

Bos.

Ferguson

3-0;

Piercy

 1-0

Wash.

Sep.

17

1925

Bos.

Wingfield

2-0;

Zahniser

 4-0

StL.

Sep.

18

1929

Wash.

Hadley

2-0;

L. Brown

 1-0

Det.

June

23

1931

Clev.

C. Brown

13-0;

Hudlin

10-0

Bos.

June

18

1933

Clev.

Hildebrand

7-0;

Harder

 4-0

Bos.

July

15

1933

Wash.

Stewart

1-0;

Burke

 2-0

StL.

Sep.

22

1936

Det.

Auker

12-0;

Bridges

14-0

StL.

July

13

1940

Chi.

Lyons

5-0;

Knott

 7-0

Bos.

Aug.

19

1941

Chi.

T. Lee

4-0;

Humphries

 1-0

Phil.

Aug.

23

1942

Bos.

Hughson

2-0;

Dobson

 7-0

Phil.

Sep.

4

1944

N.Y.

Dubiel

10-0;

Queen

14-0

Phil.

May

6

1945

Det.

Newhouser

3-0;

Benton

 1-0

StL.

July

12

1945

Phil.

Newsoin

4-0;

Flores

11-0

StL.

Aug.

20

1945

Wash.

Pieretti

7-0;

Carrasquel

 6-0

Clev.

May

15

1946

Clev.

Harder

3-0;

Gromek

 5-0

Phil.

May

30

1947

Phil.

Fowler

1-0;

Coleman

 4-0

N.Y.

May

15

1949

Chi.

Wight

10-0;

Gettel

 2-0

Clev.

June

19

1949

Det.

Trucks

9-0;

Hutchinson

 7-0

Wash.

July

31

1949

Det.

Gray

3-0;

Hutchinson

 6-0

Phil.

Sep.

25

1950

Bos.

Parnell

8-0;

H. Taylor

 3-0

Phil.

May

25

1952

Chi.

Dobson

1-0;

Grissom

 1-0

Det.

Sep.

2

1952

N.Y.

Gorman

5-0;

Blackwell-

 4-0

Bos.

 

Sam

June

14

1953

Chi.

Pierce

6-0;

Consuegra

 1-0

Bos.

June

18

1953

N.Y.

Lopat

5-0;

McDonald-

 3-0

StL.

 

Gorman

July

24

1953

Bos.

Henry

8-0;

McDermott

 6-0

StL.

Aug.

8

1953

N.Y.

Ford

1-0;

Kuzava

 3-0

Chi.

May

6

1956

N.Y.

Ford

4-0;

Coleman-

 4-0

Chi.

 

Konstanty

July

29

1956

Clev.

Score

3-0;

Aguirre

 4-0

Balt.

Sep.

18

1956

Clev.

Score

1-0;

Garcia

 6-0

Wash.

July

17

1956

Bos.

Brewer

10-0;

Porterfield

11-0

K.C.

June

15

1958

Chj.

Wilson

3-0;

Donovan

 4-0

Bait.

June

15

1958

Det.

Lary

2-0;

Bunning

 3-0

N.Y.

July

9

1959

K.C.

Herbert

5-0;

Kucks

 4-0

Det.

July

9

1959

Balt.

Pappas

8-0;

Walker

 5-0

Wash.

Sep.

11

1959

Balt.

J. Fisher

3-0;

Walker

 1-0

Chi.

June

5

1960

Chi.

Keinmerer

2-0;

Bauinann

 2-0

K.C.

June

19

1960

Balt.

Wilhelm

2-0;

Pappas

 1-0

Det.

May

21

1961

Clev.

Hawkins

9-0;

Grant

 2-0

Minn.

Aug.

27

1963

N.Y.

Bouton

5-0;

Terry

 3-0

Bos.

July

24

1963

Minn.

Stigman

9-0;

Kaat

 5-0

Clev.

June

26

1964

L.A.

Belinsky-

1-0;

Meyer-

 6-0

K.C.

 

Duliba

R. Lee

July

5

1964

Chi.

Pizarro

2-0;

Horlen

 5-0

Clev.

Sep.

30

1964

Clev.

Tiant

5-0;

McDowell

 3-0

Bos.

May

30

1966

Chi.

Buzhardt

1-0;

Lamabe

11-0

Bos.

June

9

1967

K.C.

Dobson

2-0;

Hunter

 6-0

Clev.

Sep.

10

1967

Chi.

Horlen

6-0;

Carlos-Wil-

 4-0

Det.

 

helm-Locker

Apr.

13

1969

Balt.

Palmer

2-0;

Phoebus

 9-0

Wash.

May

23

1971

Det.

Lolich

5-0;

Cain-

11-0

Wash.

 

J. Niekro

June

4

1972

Oak.

Hunter

2-0;

Hamilton-

 2-0

Bait.

 

Fingers-

 

Knowles

July

21

1972

N.Y.

Peterson

6-0;

Stottlemyre

 3-0

Cal.

Sep.

2

1974

Balt.

Grimsley

1-0;

Cuellar

 1-0

Bos.

Sep.

6

1974

Balt.

McNally

2-0;

Cuellar

 1-0

Clev.

Sep.

9

1974

Oak.

V. Blue

3-0;

Hunter

 7-0

K.C.

NL DOUBLEHEADER SHUTOUT WINS BY ONE TEAM

Date of Games

Won

Hurlers and Scores

Lost

July

4

1902

Pitt.

Tannehill

3-0;

Chesbro

 4-0

Bkn.

Aug.

16

1904

Bkn.

Scanlan

6-0;

Cronin

 3-0

Cin.

Sep.

26

1904

Chi.

Weimer

4-0;

Briggs

1-0#

Bkn.

Oct.

9

1904

Cin.

Walker

3-0;

Hahn

1-0#

StL.

July

4

1906

Chi.

N. Brown

1-0;

Lundgren

 1-0

Pitt.

Aug.

3

1906

Chi.

N. Brown

1-0;

Reulbach

 7-0

Phil.

Sep.

3

1906

Bkn.

Scanlan

8-0;

McIntyre

10-0

Phil.

Sep.

8

1906

Bkn.

Eason

6-0;

Scanlan

 1-0

N.Y.

Sep.

26

1906

Pitt.

Willis

5-0;

Leifield

8-10#

Phil.

Oct.

1

1906

N.Y.

Ames

3-0;

Ferguson

2-0#

StL.

Aug.

11

1907

Chi.

Overall-

1-0;

Pfeister

 1-0#

Phil.

 

N. Brown

Sep.

2

1907

StL.

Fromme

6-0;

J. Lush

9-0#

Chi.

Aug.

23

1908

Chi.

Overall

2-0;

Reulbach

 2-0

Bkn.

Sep.

7

1908

Bos.

Chappelle

1-0;

Lindaman

 1-0

Bkn.

Sep.

26

1908

Chi.

Reulbach

5-0;

Reulbach

 3-0

Bkn.

July

24

1909

Bkn.

G. Bell

1-0;

Rucker

 1-0

StL.

Sep.

21

1909

Pitt.

Adams

2-0;

Camnitz

 5-0

Bos.

Sep.

17

1911

Chi.

C. Smith

4-0;

Cheney-

 5-0

Bkn.

 

Richie

Sep.

16

1912

Cin.

Fromme

6-0;

Benton

 1-0

Phil.

Sep.

26

1912

Phil.

Alexander

7-0;

Seaton

11-0

Bkn.

May

31

1915

Pitt.

Cooper

1-0;

Mamaux

 1-0

Chi.

Aug.

7

1915

Pitt.

Mamaux

9-0;

Harmon

 6-0

Phil.

Aug.

31

1915

Bos.

Nehf

2-0;

Hughes

 2-0

Cin.

Oct.

6

1915

Bos.

Hughes

1-0;

P. Ragan

 1-0

N.Y.

July

31

1916

N.Y.

Sallee

7-0;

Tesreau

 7-0

Pitt.

Aug.

7

1916

Bos.

J. Barnes

2-0;

Allen

 6-0

Cin.

Sep.

1

1916

Phil.

Alexander

3-0;

Rixey

 6-0

Bkn.

Sep.

4

1916

Pitt.

F. Miller

7-0;

Cooper

 2-0

StL.

Sep.

9

1916

Chi.

Vaughn

3-0;

Lavender

 2-0

Pitt.

Sep.

28

1916

N.Y.

Tesreau

2-0;

Schupp

 6-0

Bos.

May

30

1917

Bos.

Rudolph

4-0;

Tyler

 2-0

Bkn.

Aug.

25

1917

Bkn.

Pfeffer

12-0;

Marquard

 4-0

StL.

Sep.

1

1917

StL.

Hors tman

1-0;

Watson

 1-0

Pitt.

Sep.

26

1917

Bos.

J. Barnes

1-0;

Nehf

 3-0

Cin.

July

4

1918

Chi.

Tyler

*1-0;

Hendrix

 1-0

StL.

July

10

1918

Cin.

Ring

7-0;

H. Regan

 5-0

Bkn.

Aug.

17

1918

Chi.

Hendrix

3-0;

Tyler

 2-0

Phil.

July

23

1919

Chi.

Alexander

*3-0;

Douglas

 6-0

Bkn.

July

31

1919

Cin.

Fisher

5-0;

Luque

 2-0

Bos.

Aug.

20

1924

Bos.

Genewich

2-0;

J. Barnes

 5-0

Chi.

Sep.

1

1924

Cin.

C. Mays

5-0;

Benton

 9-0

StL.

Aug.

7

1926

Bos.

Wertz

2-0;

R. Smith

 2-0 #

Pitt.

May

26

1931

N.Y.

Hubbell

3-0;

Walker

 6-0

Bos.

July

4

1931

Bkn.

Vance

4-0;

Clark

 5-0

N.Y.

Sep.

6

1931

S tL.

Rhem

3-0;

S. Johnson

 7-0

Cin.

May

7

1933

N.Y.

Hubbell

1-0;

Schumacher

 5-0

Cin.

July

2

1933

N.Y.

Hubbell

*1-0;

Parmelee

 1-0

StL.

Sep.

12

1933

Pitt.

Meine

1-0;

Hoyt

 2-0

Bkn.

Sep.

9

1934

Bkn.

Benge

5-0;

Hungo

 3-0

Cin.

Sep.

21

1934

StL.

J. Dean

13-0;

P. Dean

 3-0

Bkn.

July

21

1935

Phil.

C. Davis

4-0;

Bowman

 2-0

Cin.

July

28

1935

N.Y.

Hubbell

6-0;

Castleman

 1-0

Bkn.

June

28

1936

Chi.

French

3-0;

W. Lee

 6-0

N.Y.

June

30

1937

Bos.

Gabler

1-0;

G. Bush

 7-0

Bkn.

July

11

1937

Cin.

R. Davis

6-0;

Hollingswth.

 7-0

StL.

May

30

1938

Bos.

Turner

6-0;

MacFayden

1-0

N.Y.

May

30

1939

Chi.

French

6-0;

V. Page

2-0

Cin.

Apr.

19

1941

Bkn.

Hamlin

8-0;

Wyatt

8-0

Bos.

Aug.

3

1941

Bos.

Tobin

5-0;

Hutchings

3-0

Cin.

Aug.

20

1941

Cin.

VanderMeer

2-0;

Riddle

3-0

Phil.

May

10

1942

Cin.

Starr

1-0;

Walters

3-0

StL.

Aug.

23

1942

Chi.

Passeau

3-0;

Warneke

3-0

Cin.

Sep.

6

1942

Pitt.

Gornicki

5-0;

Hamlin

5-0

Chi.

May

2

1943

Pitt.

Hebert

3-0;

Klinger

1-0

Chi.

May

20

1943

Phil.

Fuchs

3-0;

Gerheauser

2-0

Chi.

July

25

1943

Chi.

Bithorn

2-0;

Hanyzewski

2-0

N.Y.

 

 -Passeau

Sep.

26

1943

Cin.

Riddle

2-0;

VanderMeer

1-0

Bos.

June

11

1944

Chi.

Erickson

5-0;

Chipman

1-0

Pitt.

July

9

1944

StL.

Cooper

1-0;

Brecheen

9-0

Bos.

July

6

1946

Chi.

Erickson-

*2-0;

Wyse

1-0

Cin.

 

Schmitz

July

6

1947

StL.

Hearn

3-0;

Dickson

2-0

Cin.

July

31

1949

N.Y.

Jansen

10-0;

Zabala

9-0

Cin.

June

22

1950

N.Y.

Jansen

3-0;

Koslo

5-0

StL.

July

25

1950

Phil.

Church

7-0;

Roberts

1-0

Chi.

Aug.

6

1950

N.Y.

Jansen

5-0;

Maglie

3-0

Pitt.

Sep.

4

1950

N.Y.

Hearn

2-0;

Maglie

9-0

Phil.

Sep.

30

1950

StL.

Staley

2-0;

Nunger

4-0

Chi.

Aug.

27

1951

Phil.

Thompson

2-0;

K. Johnson

3-0

Cin.

Apr.

25

1954

N.Y.

Maglie

3-0;

Antonelli

5-0

Phil.

Aug.

2

1955

Ci

Klippstein

2-0;

Nuxhall

4-0

Phil.

Apr.

23

1961

Phil.

Sullivan

1-0;

Mahaffey

6-0

Chi.

Aug.

16

1961

Cin.

Purkey

6-0;

O'Toole

8-0

L.A.

Apr.

29

1962

S.F.

Sanford

7-0;

Pierce

6-0

Chi.

June

27

1962

StL.

Jackson

4-0;

Sadecki

8-0

Chi.

May

17

1964

S.F.

Hendley

6-0;

Herbel

1-0

N.Y.

July

11

1965

Chi.

Jackson

6-0;

Koonce

6-0

StL.

July

24

1966

L.A.

Drysdale

5-0;

Moeller-

6-0

N.Y.

 

 Regan

Sep.

11

1966

L.A.

Koufax

4-0;

Moeller-

1-0

Hous.

 

 R. Miller-

 

 Regan

June

4

1967

S.F.

Gibbon

7-0;

McCormick

5-0

N.Y.

Sep.

15

1967

L.A.

Singer

1-0;

Drys dale

1-0

Phil.

Sep.

12

1969

N.Y.

Koosman

1-0;

Cardwell-

1-0

Pitt.

 

 McGraw

Sep.

19

1971

L.A.

Downing

12-0;

Sutton

4-0

Atl.

July

21

1974

S.F.

Barr

4-0;

D'Acquisto

2-0

Mont.

 

 -Sosa

*Assisted by Alex Haas and Leonard Gettelson