Run batted in

A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI^[1]) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the batter bats a base hit which allows a teammate on a higher base to reach home and so score a run, then the batter gets credited with an RBI.

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.^[2]

Common nicknames for an RBI include "ribby" (or "ribbie"), "rib", and "ribeye". The plural of "RBI" is a matter of "(very) minor controversy" for baseball fans:^[3] it is usually "RBIs", in accordance with the usual practice for pluralizing initialisms in English;^[4]^[5] however, some sources use "RBI" as the plural, on the basis that it can stand for "runs batted in".^[3]^[4]

^ "RBI". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Archived from the original on September 30, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
^ The Accurate RBI Record of Babe Ruth Archived September 27, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. SABR Website. Retrieved on September 14, 2016.
^ ^a ^b Martinez, David H. (1996). The Book of Baseball Literacy. Plume. p. 319. ISBN 978-0-452-27426-6.; McCallum, Jack (June 4, 1977). "Mighty Touchy Issue: RBI or RBIs?". The Sporting News: 40.
^ ^a ^b Bryan Garner (2009). "Plurals; I: Acronyms and Abbreviations". Garner's Modern American Usage (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 638. ISBN 9780195382754.; Pinker, Steven (1999). Words and Rules: The Ingredients of Language. Basic Books. p. 28. ISBN 0-465-07269-0 – via Internet Archive.
^ AP Stylebook [@apstylebook] (April 14, 2015). "Plural of RBI is RBIs, which can be used on all references for runs batted in" (Tweet). Retrieved October 30, 2020 – via Twitter.

[1] "RBI". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Archived from the original on September 30, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2020.

[2] The Accurate RBI Record of Babe Ruth Archived September 27, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. SABR Website. Retrieved on September 14, 2016.

[plural_controversy-3] Martinez, David H. (1996). The Book of Baseball Literacy. Plume. p. 319. ISBN 978-0-452-27426-6.; McCallum, Jack (June 4, 1977). "Mighty Touchy Issue: RBI or RBIs?". The Sporting News: 40.

[sometimes_rbi_plural-4] Bryan Garner (2009). "Plurals; I: Acronyms and Abbreviations". Garner's Modern American Usage (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 638. ISBN 9780195382754.; Pinker, Steven (1999). Words and Rules: The Ingredients of Language. Basic Books. p. 28. ISBN 0-465-07269-0 – via Internet Archive.

[5] AP Stylebook [@apstylebook] (April 14, 2015). "Plural of RBI is RBIs, which can be used on all references for runs batted in" (Tweet). Retrieved October 30, 2020 – via Twitter.

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