Nelson Cruz joins an elite RBI fraternity

In the fifth inning of the Mariners’ loss to the Padres on Wednesday evening, Nelson Cruz launched a Joey Lucchesi offering for his 35th home run of the 2018 season.

The solo shot gave Cruz 86 runs batted in this season, and marked the 1,000th RBI of his career, making Cruz only the 14th player born in the Dominican Republic to reach the 1,000 RBI plateau.

Here are the top 14 RBI men from the Dominican Republic (entering Thursday’s game):

(* indicates an active player)
(^ indicates a Hall of Famer)

1. Albert Pujols* – 1,982
2. Manny Ramírez – 1,832
3. David Ortiz – 1,768
4. Adrián Beltré* – 1,697
5. Sammy Sosa – 1,667
6. Vladimir Guerrero^ – 1,496
7. Aramis Ramírez – 1,417
8. Miguel Tejada – 1,302
9. Robinson Canó* – 1,217
10. Julio Franco – 1,194
11. Alfonso Soriano – 1,159
12. Edwin Encarnación* – 1,145
13. George Bell – 1,002
14. Nelson Cruz* – 1,000

José Bautista, currently with the Phillies, needs 29 RBI to join the club.

Featured Image: Lindsey Wasson / Getty Images Sport