What Does RBI Mean in Baseball?

In baseball, the abbreviation RBI refers to "runs batted in." This statistic measures how many runners score on a batter's hit, walk or out. For example, if a batter hits a double and a teammate on third base scores, the batter earns one RBI.

  1. Rules

    • Batters earn RBIs when teammates score off their hit, walk, sacrifice bunt, sacrifice fly or hit by pitch. They earn an RBI for their own run when they hit a home run. Batters do not earn RBIs when they hit into double plays or when fielders are charged with errors.

    Considerations

    • The order in which players bat affects their RBI statistics. For example, leadoff batters (the batters who hit first) are less likely to earn RBIs, since they are less likely to bat with other teammates on base.

    Leaders

    • Hank Aaron has the most career RBIs, at 2,297, according to Baseball-Reference. Hack Wilson holds the record for the most RBIs in a season at 191. Jim Bottomley and Mark Whiten are tied for the most RBIs in a game, with 12 each.