Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, Wednesday’s Player of the Day, extended his overall lead in Box-Toppers player rankings, while Jose Abreu of the White Sox extended his Box-Toppers points lead among American League batters.
Kershaw struck out 10 over eight innings, allowing one run, in the 3-1 win over the Diamondbacks. Kershaw earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 25.8 for the season. He maintains his top spot in Box-Toppers player rankings. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) With about a month to go in the season, Kershaw is only 0.3 Box-Toppers points away from having his best season ever—in 2011, he had 26.1 Box-Toppers points.
Abreu rose to ninth place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday. Abreu (3-4 R 2BI in the 3-2 win over the Indians) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 15.5 for the season. He becomes the only batter currently among Box-Toppers’ top 10 players for the season. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) He also extends his wide lead among AL batters—second-place Adam Jones of the Orioles is 6.0 points behind with 9.5 Box-Toppers points.
Rays pitcher Drew Smyly is American League Player of the Day. Smyly allowed one run and two hits over seven innings in the 3-1 win over the Orioles. Smyly earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 11.4 for the season. He is in 24th place among all players and 13th among AL pitchers. He is the 34th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points.
Leonys Martin of the Rangers is AL Batter of the Day. Martin homered and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 12-4 win over the Mariners.
Grady Sizemore of the Phillies is National League Batter of the Day. Sizemore hit a pinch-hit, two-run home run, in the 8-4 win over the Nationals.
Notables: Braves pitcher Julio Teheran rose to 15th place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors. Teheran (6.1IP R W in the 3-2 win over the Mets) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 13.4 for the season. He ranks sixth among NL pitchers.
Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman becomes the 35th player with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points this season after earning Player of the Game honors. Stroman (7.2IP 8K W in the 5-2 win over the Red Sox) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.7 for the season. He ranks 34th among all players and 17th among AL pitchers.
Kershaw receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Smyly receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Martin and Sizemore each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.
All of Wednesday’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, 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
| 827 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 9.0 | Dodgers | Clayton Kershaw (W, 16-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 10 | |
| 9.0 | `Giants | Tim Hudson | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| AL | 8.0 | Rays | Drew Smyly (W, 9-10) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| 7.1 | `Athletics | Drew Pomeranz | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | ||
| 6.0 | `Padres | Odrisamer Despaigne | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | ||
| 6.0 | `Royals | Liam Hendriks | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 5.0 | Yankees | Shane Greene (W, 4-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 4.2 | Blue Jays | Marcus Stroman (W, 8-5) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 4.2 | Angels | Hector Santiago (W, 4-7) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 3.1 | Braves | Julio Teheran (W, 13-9) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Rangers | Leonys Martin CF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 3.0 | Phillies | Grady Sizemore PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | White Sox | Jose Abreu 1B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Reds | Devin Mesoraco C | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Pirates | Ike Davis 1B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.