A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a
statistic
A statistic (singular) or sample statistic is any quantity computed from values in a sample which is considered for a statistical purpose. Statistical purposes include estimating a population parameter, describing a sample, or evaluating a hypo ...
in
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
and
softball
Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...
that credits a
batter for making a play that allows a
run
Run(s) or RUN may refer to:
Places
* Run (island), one of the Banda Islands in Indonesia
* Run (stream), a stream in the Dutch province of North Brabant
People
* Run (rapper), Joseph Simmons, now known as "Reverend Run", from the hip-hop group ...
to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an
error is made on the play). For example, if the batter bats a
base hit which allows a teammate on a higher base to reach
home and so score a run, then the batter gets credited with an RBI.
Before the
1920 Major League Baseball season, runs batted in were not an official
baseball statistic. Nevertheless, the RBI statistic was tabulated—unofficially—from 1907 through 1919 by baseball writer
Ernie Lanigan, according to the
Society for American Baseball Research
The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is a membership organization dedicated to fostering the research and dissemination of the history and record of baseball primarily through the use of statistics. Established in Cooperstown, New ...
.
Common nicknames for an RBI include "ribby" (or "ribbie"), "rib", and "ribeye". The plural of "RBI" is a matter of "(very) minor controversy" for baseball fans:
[; ] it is usually "RBIs", in accordance with the usual practice for pluralizing
initialism
An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...
s in English;
however, some sources use "RBI" as the plural, on the basis that it can stand for "runs batted in".
[; ]
Major League Baseball rules
The 2018 edition of the Official Baseball Rules of
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...
(MLB), Rule 9.04 Runs Batted In, reads:
From 1980 to 1988, the
game-winning RBI
A game-winning RBI (GWRBI) is a statistic that was used in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1980 to 1988. Building upon the run batted in (RBI) statistic, the ''game-winning'' RBI was defined in MLB rules as "the RBI that gives a club the lead i ...
was an additional statistic used in MLB.
Criticism
The perceived significance of the RBI is displayed by the fact that it is one of the three categories that compose the
triple crown. In addition, career RBIs are often cited in debates over who should be elected to the
Hall of Fame. However, critics, particularly within the field of
sabermetrics
Sabermetrics, or originally SABRmetrics, is the empirical analysis of baseball, especially baseball statistics that measure in-game activity. Sabermetricians collect and summarize the relevant data from this in-game activity to answer specific que ...
, argue that RBIs measure the quality of the lineup more than it does the player himself. This is because an RBI can only be credited to a player if one or more batters preceding him in the batting order have reached base (the exception to this being a
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
, in which the batter is credited with driving himself in, not just those already on base).
This implies that better offensive teams —and therefore, the teams in which the most players get on base— tend to produce hitters with higher RBI totals than equivalent hitters on lesser-hitting teams.
RBI leaders in Major League Baseball
Career
Totals are current as of October 4, 2022 (regular season). Active player is in bold.
#
Hank Aaron – 2,297
#
Albert Pujols
José Alberto Pujols Alcántara () (); born January 16, 1980) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball first baseman, designated hitter and third baseman who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed "The Machine ...
- 2,218
#
Babe Ruth
George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Su ...
– 2,214
#
Alex Rodríguez
Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez (born July 27, 1975), nicknamed "A-Rod", is an American former professional baseball shortstop and third baseman, businessman and philanthropist. Rodriguez played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for th ...
– 2,086
#
Cap Anson - 2,075
#
Barry Bonds – 1,996
#
Lou Gehrig
Henry Louis Gehrig (born Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig ; June 19, 1903June 2, 1941) was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (1923–1939). Gehrig was renowned f ...
– 1,995
#
Stan Musial
Stanley Frank Musial (; born Stanislaw Franciszek Musial; November 21, 1920 – January 19, 2013), nicknamed "Stan the Man", was an American baseball outfielder and first baseman. Widely considered to be one of the greatest and most consis ...
– 1,951
#
Ty Cobb
Tyrus Raymond Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), nicknamed "the Georgia Peach", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) center fielder. He was born in rural Narrows, Georgia. Cobb spent 22 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, the l ...
– 1,944
#
Jimmie Foxx – 1,922
#
Eddie Murray – 1,917
#
Willie Mays - 1,903
Season
#
Hack Wilson
Lewis Robert "Hack" Wilson (April 26, 1900 – November 23, 1948) was an American Major League Baseball player who played 12 seasons for the New York Giants, Chicago Cubs, Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies. Despite his diminutive statur ...
(1930) – 191
#
Lou Gehrig
Henry Louis Gehrig (born Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig ; June 19, 1903June 2, 1941) was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (1923–1939). Gehrig was renowned f ...
(1931) – 185
#
Hank Greenberg (1937) – 183
#
Jimmie Foxx (1938) – 175
#
Lou Gehrig
Henry Louis Gehrig (born Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig ; June 19, 1903June 2, 1941) was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (1923–1939). Gehrig was renowned f ...
(1927, 1930) – 173
Game
* 12 RBIs
**
Jim Bottomley (September 16, 1924)
**
Mark Whiten (September 7, 1993)
* 11 RBIs
[
** Wilbert Robinson (June 10, 1892)
** Tony Lazzeri (May 24, 1936)
** Phil Weintraub (April 30, 1944)
* 10 RBIs][
** By 11 MLB players, most recently Mark Reynolds on July 7, 2018
]
Inning
#Fernando Tatís
Fernando Gabriel Tatís Medina Sr. (born January 1, 1975) is a Dominican former professional baseball third baseman and Minor League Baseball (MiLB) manager. Over his 11-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, Tatís played for the Texas R ...
(April 23, 1999) – 8
# Ed Cartwright (September 23, 1890) – 7
# Alex Rodriguez (October 4, 2009) – 7
Postseason (single season)
# David Freese (2011) – 21
# Scott Spiezio (2002) – 19[
#]Sandy Alomar Jr.
Santos "Sandy" Alomar Velázquez Jr. (, ; born June 18, 1966) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball player, coach, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher between 1988 and 2007, most notably as a member of the Clev ...
(1997) – 19[
# David Ortiz (2004) – 19][
]
See also
*List of Major League Baseball runs batted in records
Major League Baseball has numerous records related to runs batted in
A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batting (baseball), batter for making a play that allows a run (baseball), run to be ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Run Batted In
Baseball statistics
Baseball terminology