In team sports, in American English, a shutout (a clean sheet in association football) refers to a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring. While possible in all major American sports, they're highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usually seen as a result of effective defensive play even though a weak opposing offense may be as much to blame. Some sports credit individual players, particularly goalkeepers and starting pitchers, with shutouts a… (More on Shutout)