St. Louis Cardinals right-handed starting pitcher Chris Carpenter has yet to allow a run this season and is so consistently dominating that it was not all that surprising when he carried a perfect game into the seventh inning against the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday.
After it was broken up by a lead-off single from Craig Counsell, Carp went on to complete his eighth shutout inning, during which time he struck out ten and did not walk a batter. Unfortunately, he took a no-decision in the Cardinals’ ten-inning 1-0 loss to the Brewers.
Over the last five seasons, only one other major league pitcher failed to earn a win despite throwing at least eight scoreless innings, recording ten-or-more strikeouts and not issuing a walk. That was the Giants’ Tim Lincecum, last month against Arizona. Prior to Carpenter, the last Cardinals pitcher who did not win a game under those conditions was Lee Meadows in 1917, according to Elias and Cardinals Media Relations.
Perhaps even more notable was that it was Carpenter’s fourth consecutive start without allowing an earned run, one short of the club record over at least the last 55 years. On Saturday night against San Francisco, Carp can tie the mark of five set by Bob Gibson during his signature 1968 season, known as the “Year of the Pitcher” across MLB.
Following are all 13 of the three-or-more Cardinals shutout start streaks in the last 55 years. Of course, all starts are not equal.
Among the oddities:
- John Tudor’s three shutout starts were interrupted by two seasons with the Dodgers.
- Jose DeLeon obviously pitched well, but had four no-decisions to show for it as he was injured twice.
- Ray Washburn‘s only relief appearance of the season occurred in the middle of his three starts without an earned run.
- Bob Forsch was spiked and left the game in the second of his four.
As one might suspect, Gibson’s run of five require no asterisks of any kind as they were all complete-game shutout wins earned during June of 1968. That has to be the one of the most dominant single months put together by any pitcher in the history of the game. Simply amazing.
Cardinals streaks of three or more consecutive shutout starts by a single pitcher (1954-2009)
| Bob Gibson | 1968 | |||||||||||||
| Start # | Car | TmG | Date | Opp | Rslt | Inngs | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | |
| 12 | 292 | 52 | Jun 6 | @ | HOU | W,4-0 | SHO | W(5-5) | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| 13 | 293 | 58 | Jun 11 | @ | ATL | W,6-0 | SHO | W(6-5) | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 14 | 294 | 62 | Jun 15 | CIN | W,2-0 | SHO | W(7-5) | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | |
| 15 | 295 | 66 | Jun 20 | CHC | W,1-0 | SHO | W(8-5) | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
| 16 | 296 | 72 | Jun 26(1) | PIT | W,3-0 | SHO | W(9-5) | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |
| Chris Carpenter | 2009 | |||||||||||||
| 1 | 251 | 4 | Apr 9 | PIT | W,2-1 | GS-7 | W(1-0) | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |
| 2 | 252 | 9 | Apr 14 | @ | ARI | L,6-7 | GS-3 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 3 | 253 | 40 | May 20 | CHC | W,2-1 | GS-5 | W(2-0) | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
| 4 | 254 | 45 | May 25 | @ | MIL | L,0-1 | GS-8 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | |
| Jose DeLeon | 1991 | |||||||||||||
| 25 | 258 | 120 | Aug 23 | LAD | W,2-1 | GS-6 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 26 | 259 | 125 | Aug 28 | SDP | L,1-2 | GS-2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 27 | 260 | 151 | Sep 23(2) | MON | L,1-5 | GS-5 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 28 | 261 | 157 | Sep 30 | MON | W,11-1 | GS-1 | 0.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
(First game left with stiffness in right shoulder; fourth game hit on the wrist with a line drive and taken out.)
| Bob Forsch | 1980 | |||||||||||||
| 4 | 192 | 15 | Apr 27 | @ | PHI | W,10-1 | CG | W(1-1) | 9 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 5 | 193 | 19 | May 2 | HOU | W,9-1 | GS-2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 6 | 194 | 24 | May 7 | SFG | W,12-2 | GS-7 | W(2-1) | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | |
| 7 | 195 | 27 | May 11 | LAD | L,2-4 | GS-7 | L(2-2) | 7 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
(Was removed from second game after being spiked by Jose Cruz on a play at first base.)
| Woody Williams | 2003 | |||||||||||||
| 1 | 274 | 2 | Apr 2 | MIL | W,7-0 | GS-7 | W(1-0) | 6.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |
| 2 | 275 | 10 | Apr 12 | @ | HOU | W,3-0 | GS-6 | W(2-0) | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | 276 | 15 | Apr 18 | ARI | W,6-3 | GS-7 | W(3-0) | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| John Tudor | 1988 | |||||||||||||
| 21 | 241 | 113 | Aug 10 | @ | PHI | W,1-0 | GS-8 | W(6-5) | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 1990 | ||||||||||||||
| 1 | 257 | 4 | Apr 13 | @ | PHI | W,11-0 | GS-6 | W(1-0) | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 2 | 258 | 9 | Apr 18 | @ | PIT | W,3-0 | GS-7 | W(2-0) | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
(Traded to Dodgers on 8/16/1988 for Pedro Guerrero; signed by Cardinals as a free agent in 1990 – two years between Cardinal starts.)
| John Tudor | 1985 | |||||||||||||
| 29 | 167 | 127 | Sep 1 | HOU | W,5-0 | SHO | W(16-8) | 9 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
| 30 | 168 | 132 | Sep 6 | ATL | W,8-0 | SHO | W(17-8) | 9 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | |
| 31 | 169 | 137 | Sep 11 | @ | NYM | W,1-0 | SHO | W(18-8) | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
| Joaquin Andujar | 1982 | |||||||||||||
| 33 | 223 | 136 | Sep 6 | MON | W,1-0 | SHO | W(11-10) | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| 34 | 224 | 140 | Sep 11 | NYM | W,6-3 | GS-5 | W(12-10) | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | |
| 35 | 225 | 144 | Sep 15 | @ | PHI | W,8-0 | SHO | W(13-10) | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| John Fulgham | 1980 | |||||||||||||
| 5 | 25 | 32 | May 17 | @ | SFG | L,2-4 | GS-4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
| 6 | 26 | 37 | May 23 | SDP | L,0-2 | GS-8 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 7 | 27 | 42 | May 28 | NYM | L,5-6 | GS-7 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
(First game coming back from a shoulder injury was limited to four innings.)
| Sonny Siebert | 1974 | |||||||||||||
| 8 | 356 | 40 | May 24 | @ | CHC | W,1-0 | SHO | W(4-3) | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 9 | 357 | 46 | May 31 | SDP | W,5-0 | SHO | W(5-3) | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | |
| 10 | 358 | 50 | Jun 5 | @ | SFG | W,4-1 | GS-9 | W(6-3) | 8.2 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Ray Washburn | 1966 | |||||||||||||
| 7 | 98 | 41 | May 31 | HOU | W,3-0 | GS-6 | W(2-3) | 5.2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| 8 | 99 | 46 | Jun 4(2) | @ | ATL | L,1-4 | 7-GF(8) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 9 | 100 | 55 | Jun 13(2) | @ | NYM | W,4-1 | GS-7 | W(3-3) | 6.2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 |
| 10 | 101 | 61 | Jun 19(1) | PHI | W,1-0 | SHO | W(4-3) | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
(Pitched in his only game of the year in relief in between the three starts – 26 starts on the year.)
| Curt Simmons | 1963 | |||||||||||||
| 28 | 437 | 140 | Sep 5 | NYM | W,9-0 | SHO | W(13-7) | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |
| 29 | 438 | 145 | Sep 9 | CHC | W,6-0 | SHO | W(14-7) | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | |
| 30 | 439 | 149 | Sep 13 | MLN | W,7-0 | SHO | W(15-7) | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | |
| Harvey Haddix | 1954 | |||||||||||||
| 14 | 57 | 51 | Jun 9 | BRO | W,3-0 | SHO | W(9-3) | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | |
| 15 | 58 | 55 | Jun 13(1) | PIT | W,5-0 | SHO | W(10-3) | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | |
| 16 | 59 | 59 | Jun 18 | @ | NYG | W,5-0 | SHO | W(11-3) | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
As always, a tip of the cap to Tom Orf, who pulled the data shown above.