Run batted in


A run batted in, plural runs batted in, is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored. For example, if the batter bats a base hit, then another player on a higher base can head home to score a run, and the batter gets credited with batting in that run.
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.
Common nicknames for an RBI include "ribby", "rib", and "ribeye". The plural of RBI is generally "RBIs", although some commentators use "RBI" as both singular and plural, as it can also stand for "runs batted in".

Major League Baseball Rules

The 2018 edition of the Official Baseball Rules of Major League Baseball, 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. 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. 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 through July 29, 2019. Active players are in bold.
  1. Hank Aaron – 2,297
  2. Babe Ruth – 2,214
  3. Alex Rodríguez – 2,086
  4. Albert Pujols – 2,075
  5. Cap Anson - 2,075
  6. Barry Bonds – 1,996
  7. Lou Gehrig – 1,995
  8. Stan Musial – 1,951
  9. Ty Cobb – 1,944
  10. Jimmie Foxx – 1,922
  11. Eddie Murray – 1,917
  12. Willie Mays - 1,903

    Season

  13. Hack Wilson – 191
  14. Lou Gehrig – 185
  15. Hank Greenberg – 183
  16. Jimmie Foxx – 175
  17. Lou Gehrig – 173

    Game

  1. Fernando Tatís – 8
  2. Ed Cartwright – 7
  3. Alex Rodriguez – 7

    Postseason (single season)

  4. David Freese – 21
  5. Scott Spiezio – 19
  6. Sandy Alomar – 19
  7. David Ortiz – 19