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 and softball that credits a

batter Batter or batters may refer to: Common meanings * Batter (cooking), thin dough that can be easily poured into a pan * Batter (baseball), person whose turn it is to face the pitcher * Batter (cricket), a player who is currently batting * 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 A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. H ...

and so score a run, then the batter gets credited with an RBI. Before the

1920 Major League Baseball season The 1920 Major League Baseball season was contested from April 14 to October 12, 1920. The Brooklyn Robins and Cleveland Indians were the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. The Indians then defeate ...

, 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 Ernest John Lanigan (January 4, 1873 in Chicago, Illinois – February 6, 1962 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) was an American sportswriter and historian on the subject of baseball. He was considered the premier baseball statistician and histori ...

, according to the Society for American Baseball Research. 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 (MLB), Rule 9.04 Runs Batted In, reads: From 1980 to 1988, the game-winning RBI 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 A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

. However, critics, particularly within the field of sabermetrics, 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 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 – 2,214 # Alex Rodríguez – 2,086 # Cap Anson - 2,075 #

Barry Bonds Barry Lamar Bonds (born July 24, 1964) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Bonds was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1986 to 1992 and the San Francisco Giants f ...

– 1,996 # Lou Gehrig – 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 – 1,944 # Jimmie Foxx – 1,922 # Eddie Murray – 1,917 # Willie Mays - 1,903

Season

# Hack Wilson (1930) – 191 # Lou Gehrig (1931) – 185 # Hank Greenberg (1937) – 183 # Jimmie Foxx (1938) – 175 # Lou Gehrig (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 (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. (1997) – 19 #

David Ortiz David Américo Ortiz Arias (born November 18, 1975), nicknamed "Big Papi", is a Dominican-American former designated hitter (DH) and first baseman in Major League Baseball who played in the American League (AL) from 1997 to 2016, primarily wit ...

(2004) – 19

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Run Batted In Baseball statistics Baseball terminology