by Dan Trammel

Created on: January 16, 2009

In a 17-3 victory over the Brooklyn Robins on September 16, 1924 at Ebbets Field, the St. Louis Cardinals' Jim Bottomley established a Major League record by tallying 12 Runs Batted In. The future Hall of Famer went 6 for 6, with a double, 2 home runs, and 3 runs scored.

Bottomley's RBI record still stands as the Major League record, though it was equaled by Mark Whiten on September 7, 1993. Whiten, also of the St. Louis Cardinals, collected 12 RBIs in the second game of a double header at Riverfront Stadium, a 15-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. Whiten went 4 for 5, with a Major League record-tying 4 home runs. Whiten drove in 1 run in the first game of the double header, also giving him a share of the Major League record for most RBIs in a double header, held with Nate Colbert of the San Diego Padres. Colbert's skein was less spectacular than that of Whiten. On August 1, 1972, Colbert went 4 for 5, with 2 home runs and 5 RBIs, in a 9-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves in the first game. In the second game, Colbert went 3 for 4, with 3 home runs and 8 RBIs in an 11-7 Padres win.

The American League record for most RBIs in a single game is held by Hall of Fame second baseman Tony Lazzeri. On May 24, 1936, Lazzeri of the New York Yankees tallied 11 RBIs in a 25-2 shellacking over the Philadelphia Athletics.

In addition to these 3 players, only 10 others have totaled 10 or more RBIs in a single game, making it a feat rarer than an unassisted triple play or a player hitting 4 home runs in one game. Of these 10 players, the only 2 to collect 11 RBIs were Wilbert Robinson and Phil Weintraub. On June 10, 1892, in a 25-4 Baltimore Orioles victory over the St. Louis Browns, Robinson went 7 for 7, setting another Major League record in the process. The 7 hits are the most in a 9-inning game, a record he shares with Rennie Stennett of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Weintraub of the New York Giants collected his 11 RBIs in a 26-8 pounding of the Brooklyn Dodgers in the first game of a double header on April 30, 1944.

The most recent entrant in the 10-RBI club is Garrett Anderson of the Anaheim Angels. In an 18-9 victory over the New York Yankees, Anderson went 4 for 6 with 2 doubles and 2 home runs. Oddly, another member of the club, Alex Rodriguez, also participated in that game. Rodriguez achieved his feat 2 years earlier on April 26, 2005, ironically against the Angels, with Anderson present. In the earlier contest, the Yankees prevailed 12-4 behind 3 home runs by Rodriguez.

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