RBI stands for “Runs Batted In,” and it is a baseball statistic that measures how many runs a player has contributed to his team’s score. Specifically, an RBI is awarded to a batter when his hit (or a few other ways such as a walk, hit-by-pitch, sacrifice fly, etc.) results in one or more runs scoring.
For example, if a batter hits a double with two runners on base, and both runners score, the batter is credited with two RBIs. Similarly, if a batter hits a home run with no one on base, he is credited with one RBI for driving himself in.
RBI is a commonly used statistic in baseball, and is often used to evaluate a player’s performance over the course of a season. Players who accumulate a large number of RBIs are generally considered to be effective offensive contributors to their team’s success.
It is worth noting that RBI is somewhat dependent on a player’s position in the batting order, as players who hit higher in the order (i.e., closer to the top of the lineup) are more likely to have runners on base when they come to the plate, which can increase their opportunities to accumulate RBIs. Nevertheless, it is still a valuable statistic for evaluating a player’s offensive performance.
