Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, Thursday’s Player of the Day, added to his lead in Box-Toppers player rankings, while Athletics pitcher Scott Kazmir rose to fourth place overall.
Kershaw pitched a complete game three-hitter, allowing one run and striking out 11, in the 2-1 win over the Padres. Kershaw earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 18.1 for the season, to maintain his top spot in Box-Toppers player rankings. Kershaw, who led all players in Box-Toppers points in 2013, is only 3.6 points behind his overall total from last season, 21.7.
Kazmir, American League Player of the Day, rises from 10th to fourth place in player rankings. Kazmir pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out nine in the 6-1 win over the Giants. He earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 13.1 for the season. He ranks second among AL pitchers in Box-Toppers points, behind Max Scherzer of the Tigers (16.1).
Mike Trout of the Angels is AL Batter of the Day. Trout homered and went 4-for-5, scoring three times and driving in four runs, in the 15-6 win over the Rangers. Trout earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 3.5 for the season, matching his Box-Toppers points total for 2013. While he currently ranks second among all players in the Wins Above Replacement stat, he ranks 29th among AL batters in Box-Toppers points this season.
Arismendy Alcantara of the Cubs is National League Batter of the Day. Alcantara tripled, doubled, went 4-for-5, scored twice and drove in three runs, in the 6-4 win over the Reds. This was Alcantara’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors. He is the 3,378th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995. He made his Major League debut July 9 and was playing in his second game. His fifth inning double Thursday was his first Major League hit.
Kershaw receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Kazmir receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Trout and Alcantara each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.
All of Thursday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed Thursday, click here.
Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. Players earn Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 710 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 14.0 | Dodgers | Clayton Kershaw (W, 11-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 | |
| AL | 12.0 | Athletics | Scott Kazmir (W, 11-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | |
| 10.0 | `Red Sox | Jon Lester | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 12 | ||
| BAT | 6.0 | Angels | Mike Trout CF | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | Phillies | David Buchanan (W, 5-5) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | Cubs | Arismendy Alcantara 2B | 5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 4.0 | Tigers | J.D. Martinez LF, RF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | Pirates | Edinson Volquez (W, 8-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||
| 3.0 | Indians | Roberto Perez C | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.1 | Braves | Craig Kimbrel (S, 28) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.0 | Orioles | Steve Pearce LF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Twins | Kurt Suzuki C | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.