SEPTEMBER 28, 1930 | CINCINNATI, OHIO – On this date in 1930 the Chicago Cubs‘ Hack Wilson drove in his 189th and 190th runs of the season to set the single season RBI record that stands to this day – more than 80 years later. His RBI helped the Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 13-11 on the last day of the season.
Wilson was such a prolific run producer that he could deliver from the grave. In 1999, more than 50 years after his death, it was discovered that one run batted in back in 1930 had been incorrectly credited to another Cub player. It should have gone to Wilson, so the official record stands at 191.
Wilson didn’t look the part of a slugger, he was 5′ 6″, 190 lbs, but he was such a prolific run producer that he drove an extra run in long after he stopped playing, in fact long after he died.
The single season RBI record is seldom mentioned as one that will never be broken, but no one has come close in decades, in fact the closest anyone has come was the year after the record was set. The closest anyone has come in the last 50 years was Manny Ramirez‘ 165 RBI in 1999 – hardly a serious threat.
Here are the top ten, eight of which are from the 1930’s, none more recently than 1937:
1. Hack Wilson 1930 Cubs – 191
2. Lou Gehrig 1931 Yankees – 184
3. Hank Greenberg 1937 Tigers – 183
4. Jimmie Foxx 1938 Red Sox – 175
5. Lou Gehrig 1927 Yankees – 175
6. Lou Gehrig 1930 Yankees – 174
7. Babe Ruth 1921 Yankees – 171
8. Hank Greenberg 1935 Tiger – 170
9. Chuck Klein 1930 Phillies – 170
10. Jimmie Foxx 1932 Red Sox – 169
Contributing sources:
RBI Leaders, BASEBALL-REFERENCE
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