On the blog today, we move on to the American League and the top three Runs Batted In leaders of 1972 in my on-going "Expanded League Leaders" thread:
Of course we lead off with the
great Dick Allen, who paced the league with his 113 RBIs in a season
that saw him narrowly miss a Triple Crown.
His 113 RBIs were a
career best and the third and final time he'd drive in over 100, all
with different teams: Philadelphia Phillies (1966), St. Louis Cardinals
(1970), and White Sox in 1972.
Coming in second in the RBI
race is former Kansas City slugger John Mayberry, who enjoyed the first
of what would be three 100-RBI seasons during his career when he drove
in exactly 100 in 1972, along with 25 homers and a .298 batting average.
It was a breakthrough year for the 23-year-old after spending parts of the previous four seasons with the Houston Astros.
Right
behind Mayberry in the RBI chase was former New York Yankees star Bobby
Murcer, who was right in the middle of his prime when he drove in 96
runs, a career-best, while leading the league with 102 runs scored and
33 home runs, which was second best in the league behind Allen.
Well,
there you have it! The top-3 RBI men in the American League for 1972,
as we move on to the stolen base kings of the National League next week!