Runs batted in

Commonly referred to as RBI, a run batted in is credited to the batter for the number of runners who score due to any hit, fielder's choice, out, walk or HBP by the batter. Runs that score as the result of double plays (or the rare bases loaded triple play) or errors do not result in credit being given for an RBI. A batter can bat himself in on a home run.  Prolific home run hitters will sometimes drive themselves in more than any of their teammates.

Conversely, no RBI is granted on a wild pitch, passed ball, balk or steal of home.

Most players do not have similar amounts of runs scored and RBI. Lead-off batters may score over 100 runs in a season but drive in fewer than 50. Of the players who have batted in over 1700 runs in their career, all have scored at least 1500, but of the players who have batted in between 1500 and 1700 in a career, only a minority have scored at least 1500.

RBI have only been an official statistic since 1920. While RBI have been compiled for games played before that time, the statistics are approximate in the absence of detailed play-by-play accounts of many games. This has led to some confusion, as the Elias Sports Bureau, the official statisticians of Major League Baseball only recognize "official" totals, from 1920 onward. This has the effect of cutting off an important chunk of Babe Ruth's RBI and leaving out Cap Anson altogether, when compared to the comprehensive list recognized by all other baseball historians, for example those at Baseball-Reference.com. This anomaly was the reason why, in recent years, when Alex Rodriguez and then Albert Pujols approached 2000 RBI, there were a number of misleading articles written about their "catching" Ruth or their place on the all-time leaders list, when those articles relied on the truncated Elias numbers. The list of career leaders from Baseball-Reference, linked below, is the most reliable one.

All Time Leaders
Span	Player	Total
Career	Henry Aaron	2297
Season	Hack Wilson	191
Game	Jim Bottomley	12
Game	Mark Whiten	12
Minor League Career	Nelson Barrera	2045
Minor League Season	Bob Crues	254
NPB Career	Sadaharu Oh	2170
NPB Season	Makoto Kozuru	161
CPBL Season	Tilson Brito	107
Serie A1 Season	Roberto Bianchi	102
AAGPBL Career	Dorothy Schroeder	431
AAGPBL Season	Jean Geissinger	91
AAGPBL Game	Margaret Villa	9

See Also

• List of Major League Baseball RBI champions
• Game-winning RBI

Further Reading

• Thomas Harrigan: "This is every position's all-time RBI leader", mlb.com, May 16, 2020. [1]
• Cyril Morong: "RBI, Opportunities, and Power Hitting: Opportunities Significantly Affect RBI Totals", The Baseball Research Journal, SABR, Number 31, 2003, pp. 98-101. [2]

Related Sites

• Career leaders for RBIs, from Baseball-Reference