List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders
In baseball, a run batted in (RBI) is awarded to a batter for each runner who scores as a result of the batter's action, including a hit, fielder's choice, sacrifice fly, bases loaded walk, or hit by pitch.
[10][11] Several players are tied for the most consecutive seasons led with three: Anson (twice), Ty Cobb, Rogers Hornsby, Ruth, Joe Medwick, George Foster, and Cecil Fielder.
Sam Thompson was the first to set a single-season RBI record that stood for more than three seasons, hitting 166 in 1887.
[14] Thompson's title that season also represented the widest margin of victory for an RBI champion as he topped the next highest total by 62 RBIs.
[14] Finally, Hack Wilson set the current record mark of 191 RBI in 1930 with the Chicago Cubs.
Lou Gehrig briefly held the single-season RBI record with his 175 in 1927 before Hack Wilson topped this total with 191 in 1930. In total Gehrig was responsible for three of the nine seasons in which a player hit 170 or more RBI.
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Babe Ruth held the single-season RBI record from 1921 to 1927, holds the second-most RBI titles with five, and has the second-most career RBI.
Hank Greenberg, Hall of Famer and 4-time RBI leader
Mark Teixeira led the American League in RBI in 2009.
Cap Anson led the National League in a record eight seasons including two streaks of three consecutive titles.
Oyster Burns is the only National League RBI champion from 1880 to 1902 not elected to the Hall of Fame.
Hank Aaron holds the most career RBI
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and led the National League in four non-consecutive seasons.
Matt Holliday won the RBI title in 2007, breaking a potential record-breaking streak of four consecutive championships for Ryan Howard.
Hugh Duffy tied for the 1891 American Association RBI title and lost the 1894 National League title by two RBI.