Astros History: Jose Cruz Drives In Runs In Droves

The 1983 season was very good to Jose Cruz. Not only did he drive in 92 runs, Cruz also hit a career high .318 with a .385 on-base percentage. He also hit 14 home runs, eight triples and 28 doubles. He set a career-high with a 6.1 fWAR total and played in 160 of the 162 possible games.

But, since this is about RBIs, lets run through some of his RBI accomplishments that year:

• Cruz drove in Dickie Thon the most times that year, getting 28 RBIs off the shortstop.
• Next up? Phil Garner, who scored 21 runs thanks to Cheo's bat.
• The only other Astro, besides himself, that Cruz drove in over 10 times was Terry Puhl (11).
• Cruz had 17 go-ahead hits that season.
• He also had one grand slam in 15 loaded base opportunities.
• The longest Cruz went without an RBI? Eight games.
• The league average for RBI opportunities that year was 664, or the same as Cruz had. The leauge average RBI total? 70. He had 413 runners on base when he came up, when the MLB average was 403. Even if you give the league average 10 more RBIs for those extra base runners, Cruz still had 12 more RBIs. Evidence of clutchiness?
• Nahh.
• His final RBI came in the team's second-to-last game on Oct. 1 against Cincinnati. He batted cleanup, driving in leadoff man Scott Loucks with a bases-loaded groundout. Cruz went 0 for 4 and the Astros lost 6-4. It was one of two times all year he drove in Loucks.