Overview
An RBI is credited when a batter's action causes a runner to score, including hits, sacrifice flies, groundouts that allow a run, and walks with the bases loaded. On a home run the batter's own run is counted as well. No RBI is credited when the batter grounds into a force double play, and when a fielder's error allows a runner to score the official scorer decides whether the run resulted from the batted ball or from the misplay. NPB's career leaders as of September 2, 2026 are Sadaharu Oh in first place with 2,170 (1959-1980) and Katsuya Nomura in second with 1,988 (1954-1980), and the single-season leader is Makoto Kozuru of Shochiku with 161 in 1950 (as of the end of the 2025 season). Because the statistic depends on coming to bat with runners aboard, it rises and falls with a hitter's slot in the lineup and with how many times the batters ahead of him reach base. It is also one of the categories that make up the Triple Crown.