On Tuesday night at the notoriously pitcher-friendly U.S. Steel Yard in Gary, Indiana, Milwaukee Milkmen first baseman Griffin Doersching had a night for the ages, going 4-for-5 with three home runs and an American Association-record 10 RBI.
In a 13-1 thumping of the Gary SouthShore RailCats, Doersching launched three run home runs in both the first and second inning, before tacking on an RBI single in the third, then capping off his night with yet another three-run shot in the top of the eighth.
Doersching’s historic night made him the first player in American Association history to reach double-digit RBI in one game (for reference, the MLB record is 12 RBI, done twice). Prior to him, four separate players had come close, driving in nine runs. Let’s take a look at those historic efforts before him:
Jordan Barth, May 16, 2025 — 9 RBI
Less than a week into the season, both Barth and his Sioux Falls Canaries had a banner night at the Birdcage against the Chicago Dogs, providing a preview for a special season for both of them.
In a 22-0 shellacking (that also saw Josh Rehwaldt score a record-tying six runs), Barth went 3-for-5 with two homers and nine RBI, doing so out of the seventh spot in the lineup.
Barth swatted a grand slam in the third, an RBI single in the fourth, then another grand slam in the fifth, racking up his nine ribbies in just three innings. Barth joined Thomas Walraven (more on him in a minute) as the only AA players with two grand slams in one game.
Barth could’ve had the first ten-RBI game in league history: a wild pitch allowed a run to score before his fourth-inning single, taking a potential RBI off the bases. He also came up with runners on first and second in the seventh, but rolled into a fielder’s choice.
The historic night kick-started a season in which Barth a season that saw Barth hit .303 with 19 home runs and 66 RBI to earn Postseason All-Star honors, while the Canaries reached the Miles Wolff Cup Finals.
Tom Walraven, September 4, 2022 — 9 RBI
On the penultimate day of the 2022 season, Walraven and the Gary SouthShore RailCats gave their fans a show to highlight an otherwise disappointing 42-58 season.
Batting sixth, Walraven went 4-for-6 with his nine RBI, leading a 22-hit attack in a 21-1 win over the Milwaukee Milkmen in front of 4,251 fans at the U.S. Steel Yard. Impressively, he was one of four RailCats with a four-hit day.
Walraven singled in a run in the first, then blasted grand slams in both the second and third innings as Gary built a 14-0 lead after three frames. He had three more chances to reach double digits, striking out with a runner at first in the fifth, then singling in the seventh and grounding out in the eighth, both with nobody on.
Walraven became the first player in league history to belt two grand slams in one game, which capped off a solid season in which he hit .272 with 16 home runs and 55 RBI.
Christian Correa, August 26, 2021 — 9 RBI
A strong defensive catcher for three different American Association clubs, Christian Correa was not known for his bat, but near the end of a 2021 season where everybody was hitting, CC flexed his muscles for the Milwaukee Milkmen in a 19-1 shellacking of Winnipeg at Franklin Field.
Batting seventh, Correa went 3-for-6 with a double and two home runs. He swatted a grand slam in the second, added a two-run double in the fourth, then capped off his night with a three-run home run in the sixth. He left some meat on the bone as well, popping out with two men on in the first, then grounding out with a runner at second in the third. He also lined out with the bases empty in the eighth.
Correa finished the year hitting .282 with 13 home runs and 51 RBIs, all career bests. He then scored the winning run in Fargo-Moorhead’s walk-off victory to win the 2022 Miles Wolff Cup Finals (ironically against Milwaukee) and is back in Milwaukee today, this time as the Brewers’ bullpen catcher.
Brian Buchanan, July 20, 2006 — 9 RBI
Interestingly, four of the five games with at least nine RBI occurred since 2021. The other one occurred all the way back midway through the American Association’s first season.
St. Paul’s Brian Buchanan keyed a 12-5 win over the St. Joe Blacksnakes by wowing the Midway Stadium crowd of 6,506 by going 5-for-5 with three doubles and a home run to drive in nine runs, setting a still-standing Saints record as well.
Buchanan connected for a two-run home run in the second, then added a two-run double in the fourth. He added an RBI double in the fifth, a three-run, bases-clearing double in the sixth, and an RBI single in the eighth.
A veteran of five MLB seasons, Buchanan hit .292 with 11 home runs and 48 RBI in just 48 games for the Saints, helping him earn a contract in Japan for 2007 before playing two more years of Triple-A baseball back in the U.S. He served as minor league manager and hitting coach for 13 seasons in the Kansas City Royals system after retirement.
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