In baseball, a “goose egg” is slang for a zero score or being shut out in a game. A pitcher who doesn’t allow the opposing team to score any runs is said to have thrown a “goose egg”. Likewise, a team that doesn’t score any runs is said to have been “goose egged”.
Where does the term “goose egg” come from?
The origins of the term “goose egg” in baseball are not entirely clear, but there are a few theories:
- A goose egg resembles the shape of a zero on a scoreboard when a team doesn’t score.
- There is an old joke that says a goose can’t lay anything but a zero.
- “Goose eggs” was old-time slang meaning the number zero.
The term seems to have come into popular use in the late 19th century during baseball’s early professional era. By the early 1900s, “goose egg” was commonly used in newspaper reports of games when one team failed to score. It has endured as baseball slang for a shutout ever since.
What constitutes a goose egg?
For a pitcher to be credited with throwing a goose egg, they must hold the opposing team scoreless for the entire game. That means no runs, no hits, no errors – absolute zeroes across the board. Even if it’s a combined no-hitter or shutout with multiple pitchers, a zero scoreline means it’s considered a goose egg.
Likewise, for a team’s offense to be “goose egged”, they must fail to score any runs for the entire game. It doesn’t matter how many hits or base runners they get – if they don’t touch home plate, it’s a goose egg.
Notable goose eggs in MLB history
There have been many memorable goose eggs thrown by pitchers and laid by offenses in MLB history. Here are some notable examples:
- On October 8, 1956, Yankees pitcher Don Larsen threw a perfect game in Game 5 of the World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers. It remains the only perfect game in postseason history and one of the greatest goose eggs ever pitched.
- Dodgers ace Sandy Koufax threw four no-hitters over his career, including a perfect game in 1965. All four no-no’s were goose eggs.
- In 1988, Dodgers pitcher Orel Hershiser set a new MLB record with 59 consecutive scoreless innings pitched.
- Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks threw a perfect game against the Atlanta Braves in 2004 at the age of 40 – the oldest pitcher to ever accomplish the feat.
- The Chicago Cubs were “no-hit” four times during the 2016 regular season on their way to their first World Series title in 108 years.
There have also been some remarkably bad offensive goose eggs by teams:
- In 1908, the Cincinnati Reds were no-hit three times in just over a month. For the season, they were shut out 37 times.
- On September 28, 1975, the San Francisco Giants were no-hit by four Dodgers pitchers in a combined effort. It remains the only time in MLB history a team has been no-hit by that many pitchers in one game.
- During the 1981 players’ strike-shortened season, the Chicago Cubs were shut out 21 times and scored zero runs in 29% of their games.
- In 2015, the Philadelphia Phillies scored just 2 runs over a three-game stretch and were shut out five straight times that season.
The prevalence of goose eggs over time
Over baseball’s modern era, goose eggs have become less common as run-scoring has increased. Here’s a look at how frequently shutouts and zero run games have occurred in recent decades:
| Decade | MLB Shutouts | MLB Goose Eggs (zero runs) | Goose Egg % of games |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1,592 | 1,114 | 3.8% |
| 1970s | 1,393 | 915 | 3.1% |
| 1980s | 1,104 | 686 | 2.3% |
| 1990s | 845 | 487 | 1.6% |
| 2000s | 860 | 433 | 1.4% |
| 2010s | 728 | 345 | 1.1% |
As run-scoring increased during the steroid era of the 1990s and early 2000s, goose eggs became much rarer. Shutouts and zero run games have slightly rebounded in the 2010s as offense has declined again. But goose eggs are still far less common today compared to the higher mound era of the 1960s and 1970s.
Notables goose eggs and near misses in recent years
While less frequent than in earlier eras, there are still noteworthy goose egg performances in today’s game:
- In 2012, San Francisco Giants pitcher Matt Cain threw a perfect game against the Houston Astros.
- Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw has thrown 15 shutouts in his career so far, including a no-hitter in 2014.
- In Game 7 of the 2016 World Series, the Chicago Cubs were shut out by Cleveland’s Corey Kluber and Andrew Miller until the 10th inning when they broke through to score 8 runs.
- In 2018, Los Angeles Angels rookie Shohei Ohtani took a perfect game into the 7th inning of one of his first MLB starts as a two-way player.
- During the 2021 season, Chicago White Sox starter Carlos Rodon tossed a no-hitter while coming within one batter of a perfect game.
There are also some very rare instances of “almost” goose eggs in recent seasons when teams managed to barely scrape a run across:
- In 2017, the Milwaukee Brewers scored their only run on a walk, stolen base, and two groundouts against Chicago Cubs ace Jake Arrieta.
- In 2020, the Pittsburgh Pirates scored their lone run on a double error by Cincinnati Reds infielders.
- During a 2021 game, the Texas Rangers scored their only run when a pop out was dropped for an error that allowed the run to score.
Even with historically high strikeout rates for pitchers, the goose egg is an achievement that still captures baseball fan’s attention in the modern game.
Notable individual goose eggs
Beyond team accomplishments, there have been some remarkable individual goose eggs in MLB history:
- In 1906, Philadelphia Athletics pitcher Rube Waddell threw a 20-inning shutout against the Red Sox.
- In 1983, Toronto Blue Jays Cliff Johnson went 0-for-8 with five strikeouts in an extra inning game.
- Rennie Stennett of the 1975 Pittsburgh Pirates went hitless in nine at-bats during a 22-inning game.
- During the famous “Pine Tar Game” in 1983, George Brett went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts before his home run was infamously nullified.
- Chris Davis of the Baltimore Orioles set a record with his 0-for-54 streak in 2019, the longest hitless slump by a position player in MLB history.
For individual batters and fielders, a goose egg represents the ultimate oh-fer – a futile, fruitless day at the plate or in the field.
Significance of goose eggs
While not as common as they once were, goose eggs still hold significance in baseball:
- For pitchers, a goose egg represents the height of dominance and control. A shutout or no-hitter is a major accomplishment.
- For hitters, a zero run game often means collectively coming up small in crucial situations.
- For managers, being shut out or held scoreless reflects on their ability to direct offense and manufacture runs.
- For teams, goose eggs can be symptomatic of slumps or droughts, but also the sign of a great pitching performance.
- For fans, low-scoring nail-biters ending in a goose egg have their own unique tension and excitement.
Avoiding that zero on the scoreboard continues to be one of baseball’s greatest challenges. The goose egg retains its place as an iconic element of baseball history and lore.
Conclusion
The goose egg remains a metaphorical symbol of futility and frustration in baseball. While a rarer sight in today’s high-scoring game, shutouts and zero run performances still represent the ultimate accomplishment for pitchers and embarrassment for offenses. A solitary, rotund 0 on the scoreboard is a visual reminder of absolute dominance or complete offensive impotence in baseball’s ongoing battle between fireballers and sluggers. For over a century, the goose egg has been one of the most vivid images ingrained in the minds of players, managers, and fans when a team just can’t manage to push a run across.