“Say (Hey) Whhhaaat?”
BY MARK A. LARSON
Editor & Publisher
One would think that with more than 1,900 career Runs Batted In – including 10 seasons with 100-plus – a player would lead the league at least once in that category.
This would seem especially true for a guy who is sixth on the all-time home run list with 660 … and 12th on the all-time RBI list.
Not so for Hall of Fame slugger Willie Mays.
In fact, Mays has both the most lifetime home runs and most runs batted in without ever leading the league in RBIs.
Between 1954-66, the center fielder averaged 109 RBIs per season. In 1962, he had a career-high 141 Ribbies. But did he lead the National League? Nope. Mays finished second as the Dodgers Tommy Davis had his only 90-plus RBI year – in 18 seasons – with 153. (In fact, Mays only finished second one other time with 127 RBIs in 1955, trailing Duke Snider by nine.)
No matter. Mays was such a phenomenal multi-dimensional player (he led the N.L. in home runs and stolen bases four times each and earned 12 Gold Gloves) that missing out on at least one RBI crown doesn’t seem that important.
It’s just “a-Mays-ing” he never topped the league.
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