Single Season Leaders for Runs Batted In

A sign of longevity and a sign of good solid hitting is what you can determine with a player's total number of runs batted in. Now, imagine helping your team by batting in one-hundred forty (140) runs all by yourself. Every player on this chart has done just that. Baseball Almanac is pleased to present the top one-hundred (100) all-time single season leaders in Major League runs batted in. Note: A bold faced entry denotes that the player was active during the previous Major League season.
"If you drink liquor you won't have worms." - Hall of Famer Hack Wilson (#1 Overall Single Season Leader for Runs Batted In)
Runs Batted In
Single Season Leaders

'Top 100'
Hack Wilson 191 1930 Chicago Cubs NL 1
Lou Gehrig 184 1931 New York Yankees AL 2
Hank Greenberg 183 1937 Detroit Tigers AL 3
Jimmie Foxx 175 1938 Boston Red Sox AL 4
Lou Gehrig 175 1927 New York Yankees AL  
Lou Gehrig 174 1930 New York Yankees AL 6
Babe Ruth 171 1921 New York Yankees AL 7
Hank Greenberg 170 1935 Detroit Tigers AL 8
Chuck Klein 170 1930 Philadelphia Phillies NL  
Jimmie Foxx 169 1932 Philadelphia Athletics AL 10
Joe DiMaggio 167 1937 New York Yankees AL 11
Sam Thompson 166 1887 Detroit Wolverines NL 12
Lou Gehrig 165 1934 New York Yankees AL 13
Manny Ramirez 165 1999 Cleveland Indians AL  
Al Simmons 165 1930 Philadelphia Athletics AL  
Sam Thompson 165 1895 Philadelphia Phillies NL  
Babe Ruth 164 1927 New York Yankees AL 17
Jimmie Foxx 163 1933 Philadelphia Athletics AL 18
Babe Ruth 163 1931 New York Yankees AL  
Hal Trosky 162 1936 Cleveland Indians AL 20
Sammy Sosa 160 2001 Chicago Cubs NL 21
Lou Gehrig 159 1937 New York Yankees AL 22
Vern Stephens 159 1949 Boston Red Sox AL  
Ted Williams 159 1949 Boston Red Sox AL  
Hack Wilson 159 1929 Chicago Cubs NL  
Sammy Sosa 158 1998 Chicago Cubs NL 26
Juan Gonzalez 157 1998 Texas Rangers AL 27
Al Simmons 157 1929 Philadelphia Athletics AL  
Jimmie Foxx 156 1930 Philadelphia Athletics AL 29
Alex Rodriguez 156 2007 New York Yankees AL  
Joe DiMaggio 155 1948 New York Yankees AL 31
Ken Williams 155 1922 St. Louis Browns AL  
Joe Medwick 154 1937 St. Louis Cardinals NL 33
Babe Ruth 154 1929 New York Yankees AL  
Tommy Davis 153 1962 Los Angeles Dodgers NL 35
Babe Ruth 153 1930 New York Yankees AL  
Albert Belle 152 1998 Chicago White Sox AL 37
Lou Gehrig 152 1936 New York Yankees AL  
Rogers Hornsby 152 1922 St. Louis Cardinals NL  
Lou Gehrig 151 1932 New York Yankees AL 40
Mel Ott 151 1929 New York Giants NL  
Al Simmons 151 1932 Philadelphia Athletics AL  
Andres Galarraga 150 1996 Colorado Rockies NL 43
Hank Greenberg 150 1940 Detroit Tigers AL  
Miguel Tejada 150 2004 Baltimore Orioles AL  
George Foster 149 1977 Cincinnati Reds NL 46
Rogers Hornsby 149 1929 Chicago Cubs NL  
Ryan Howard 149 2006 Philadelphia Phillies NL  
Albert Belle 148 1996 Cleveland Indians AL 49
Johnny Bench 148 1970 Cincinnati Reds NL  
David Ortiz 148 2005 Boston Red Sox AL  
Rafael Palmeiro 148 1999 Texas Rangers AL  
Cap Anson 147 1886 Chicago White Stockings NL 53
Ken Griffey, Jr. 147 1997 Seattle Mariners AL  
Todd Helton 147 2000 Colorado Rockies NL  
Mark McGwire 147 1998 St. Louis Cardinals NL  
Mark McGwire 147 1999 St. Louis Cardinals NL  
Ed Delahanty 146 1893 Philadelphia Phillies NL 58
Hank Greenberg 146 1938 Detroit Tigers AL  
Ken Griffey, Jr. 146 1998 Seattle Mariners AL  
Todd Helton 146 2001 Colorado Rockies NL  
Hardy Richardson 146 1890 Boston Red Stockings PL  
Babe Ruth 146 1926 New York Yankees AL  
Carlos Delgado 145 2003 Toronto Blue Jays AL 64
Hugh Duffy 145 1894 Boston Beaneaters NL  
Chuck Klein 145 1929 Philadelphia Phillies NL  
Edgar Martinez 145 2000 Seattle Mariners AL  
Don Mattingly 145 1985 New York Yankees AL  
Manny Ramirez 145 1998 Cleveland Indians AL  
Al Rosen 145 1953 Cleveland Indians AL  
Ted Williams 145 1939 Boston Red Sox AL  
Vinny Castilla 144 1998 Colorado Rockies NL 72
Walt Dropo 144 1950 Boston Red Sox AL  
Juan Gonzalez 144 1996 Texas Rangers AL  
Manny Ramirez 144 2005 Boston Red Sox AL  
Vern Stephens 144 1950 Boston Red Sox AL  
Mike Sweeney 144 2000 Kansas City Royals AL  
Mark Teixeira 144 2005 Texas Rangers AL  
Earl Averill 143 1931 Cleveland Indians AL 79
Ernie Banks 143 1959 Chicago Cubs NL  
Jimmie Foxx 143 1936 Boston Red Sox AL  
Rogers Hornsby 143 1925 St. Louis Cardinals NL  
Don Hurst 143 1932 Philadelphia Phillies NL  
Frank Thomas 143 2000 Chicago White Sox AL  
Mo Vaughn 143 1996 Boston Red Sox AL  
Roy Campanella 142 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers NL 86
Orlando Cepeda 142 1961 San Francisco Giants NL  
Lou Gehrig 142 1928 New York Yankees AL  
Luis Gonzalez 142 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks NL  
Roger Maris 142 1961 New York Yankees AL  
Rafael Palmeiro 142 1996 Baltimore Orioles AL  
Alex Rodriguez 142 2002 Texas Rangers AL  
Babe Ruth 142 1928 New York Yankees AL  
Hal Trosky 142 1934 Cleveland Indians AL  
Matt Williams 142 1999 Arizona Diamondbacks NL  
Dante Bichette 141 1996 Colorado Rockies NL 96
Bret Boone 141 2001 Seattle Mariners AL  
Jim Gentile 141 1961 Baltimore Orioles AL  
Ted Kluszewski 141 1954 Cincinnati Redlegs NL  
Tino Martinez 141 1997 New York Yankees AL 100
Willie Mays 141 1962 San Francisco Giants NL  
Sammy Sosa 141 1999 Chicago Cubs NL  
Sam Thompson 141 1894 Philadelphia Phillies NL  
Preston Wilson 141 2003 Colorado Rockies NL  
Current Through End of 2007 Regular Season


Hack Wilson's Major League record was adjusted plus one (+1) by the Office of the Commissioner of Major League Baseball on June 23, 1999, due to ongoing research by baseball historians.

Manny Ramirez was the closest active (played in at least one major league game during the most recently completed season) player to threaten Hack Wilson's record setting mark with one-hundred sixty-five (165) runs batted in during 1999, good for thirteenth overall. Can the Major League record ever be matched? Can it be beaten? Share your thoughts on our baseball message board today.

Did you know that runs batted in statistics have been kept accurately by Major League Baseball since the 1888 season? Too easy? Did you know that prior to Hack Wilson the single season RBI record was held by Lou Gehrig from 1927 through 1929, Babe Ruth from 1921 through 1926 and Sam Thompson from 1888 through 1920?
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