Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to lead season player rankings, passing Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer, who only took the lead Tuesday.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2017 season as of Sept. 20:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 25.1 |
| 2 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 24.0 |
| 3 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 23.1 |
| 4 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 21.0 |
| 5 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 20.8 |
| 6 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | ari nl | 20.1 |
| 7 | Severino, Luis 3567 | pi sp | nyy al | 20.1 |
| 8 | Carrasco, Carlos 2885 | pi sp | cle al | 19.8 |
| 9 | Santana, Ervin 2005 | pi sp | min al | 16.1 |
| 10 | Ray, Robbie 3502 | pi sp | ari nl | 16.0 |
Sale struck out 13 over eight scoreless innings, allowing four hits and no walks, in the 9-0 win over the Orioles.
He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 25.1 for the season, rising from third to first place, passing Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (23.1) and Scherzer (24.0). Sale is the third different Box-Toppers points leader in three days. Kershaw spent the last of his 18 days atop the rankings most recently on Monday, Scherzer led for one day on Tuesday and Sale takes the lead on Wednesday.
Sale previously led Box-Toppers player rankings on two separate occasions so far this season for a total of eight days:
- On May 2, he took the lead from Kershaw with 6.7 Box-Toppers points, holding the lead four days, until Kershaw passed him on May 6 with 7.0 points.
- On May 13, he took the lead from Twins pitcher Ervin Santana with 8.4 Box-Toppers points, holding the lead four days, until Kershaw passed him May 17 with 8.7 points. Kershaw subsequently held that lead for more than three months, until Aug. 28.
2017 lead changes
Here are the season’s lead changes among players in Box-Toppers points. Chart shows the date and the player’s Box-Toppers point (BTP) total when they took the lead.| Date | Player | Team | BTP |
| 4/2 | Carlos Martinez | stl nl | 2.0 |
| 4/3 | Clayton Kershaw | lad nl | 2.0 |
| 4/9 | Noah Syndergaard | nym nl | 3.0 |
| 4/14 | Clayton Kershaw | lad nl | 4.0 |
| 4/15 | Ervin Santana | min al | 4.7 |
| 4/19 | Clayton Kershaw | lad nl | 5.0 |
| 5/2 | Chris Sale | bos al | 6.7 |
| 5/6 | Clayton Kershaw | lad nl | 7.0 |
| 5/12 | Ervin Santana | min al | 7.7 |
| 5/13 | Chris Sale | bos al | 8.4 |
| 5/17 | Clayton Kershaw | lad nl | 8.7 |
| 8/28 | Max Scherzer | dc nl | 23.0 |
| 9/1 | Clayton Kershaw | lad nl | 23.1 |
| 9/19 | Max Scherzer | dc nl | 24.0 |
| 9/20 | Chris Sale | bos al | 25.1 |
Kershaw falls to third place in Box-Toppers season player rankings Wednesday. It is the first time he has not been in first or second place in 2017 season player rankings since May 16, when he ranked third with 7.0 Box-Toppers points, behind Sale (8.4) and Santana (7.7).
Sale’s 25.1 Box-Toppers points on the season marks the 24th time a player has reached 25 points in a season since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. It is the first time Sale has reached 25 points. Sale’s current 2017 point total now ranks as the 24th-most in a single season. (See Best seasons chart on this page to see all 24 times players have earned 25 points in a season.)
With Sale’s Player of the Day honor Wednesday, he essentially wraps up Box-Toppers American League Player of the Year honors. He’s now 4.1 Box-Toppers points ahead of second-place AL player, Indians pitcher Corey Kluber (21.0 points). Kluber would need at least three starts to pass Sale and he probably only has one or two starts remaining this regular season, which ends Oct. 1.
Best seasons
Here are all players who have earned 25 or more Box-Toppers points in a single season since 1995, ranked by their single-season Box-Toppers point total. When Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale reached 25.1 points Wednesday, it marked the 24th time a player reached 25 points in a season. Sale's 25.1 points for 2017 now ranks 24th-best for a single season.| Rank | Player | Team | Pos | Year | BTP |
| 1 | Randy Johnson | Dbacks | pi sp | 2000 | 33.7 |
| 1 | Randy Johnson | Dbacks | pi sp | 2002 | 33.7 |
| 3 | Pedro Martinez | Red Sox | pi sp | 2000 | 33.5 |
| 4 | Randy Johnson | Dbacks | pi sp | 1999 | 31.5 |
| 4 | Clayton Kershaw | Dodgers | pi sp | 2014 | 31.5 |
| 6 | Pedro Martinez | Red Sox | pi sp | 1999 | 31.4 |
| 7 | Randy Johnson | Dbacks | pi sp | 2001 | 29.4 |
| 8 | Jake Arrieta | Cubs | pi sp | 2015 | 29.1 |
| 9 | Pedro Martinez | Red Sox | pi sp | 2002 | 28.8 |
| 10 | Curt Schilling | Dbacks | pi sp | 2002 | 28.4 |
| 11 | Roger Clemens | Blue Jays | pi sp | 1997 | 27.4 |
| 12 | Johan Santana | Twins | pi sp | 2004 | 26.8 |
| 13 | Pedro Martinez | Expos | pi sp | 1997 | 26.7 |
| 13 | CC Sabathia | Indians/Brewers | pi sp | 2008 | 26.7 |
| 15 | Randy Johnson | Mariners/Astros | pi sp | 1998 | 26.4 |
| 16 | John Smoltz | Braves | pi sp | 1996 | 26.1 |
| 16 | Clayton Kershaw | Dodgers | pi sp | 2011 | 26.1 |
| 18 | Roger Clemens | Blue Jays | pi sp | 1998 | 25.8 |
| 18 | Corey Kluber | Indians | pi sp | 2014 | 25.8 |
| 20 | Johan Santana | Twins | pi sp | 2006 | 25.7 |
| 20 | Clayton Kershaw | Dodgers | pi sp | 2015 | 25.7 |
| 20 | Max Scherzer | Nationals | pi sp | 2016 | 25.7 |
| 23 | Cliff Lee | Phillies | pi sp | 2011 | 25.4 |
| 24 | * Chris Sale | Red Sox | pi sp | 2017 | 25.1 |
| * Current season | |||||
Sale now has 111.5 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 55th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Wednesday, he passes three players on the “all-time” list—Jeff Kent (109.7), Red Sox pitcher David Price (109.9) and Tom Glavine (110.6). (It should be noted that Glavine began his career before Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. If his entire career from 1987 were tracked, projections put Glavine’s career Box-Toppers point total at about 170.) Sale now trails 54th-ranked player Kevin Brown (112.8).
National League Player of the Day—Nationals pitcher Gio Gonzalez struck out eight over seven innings, allowing two runs, three hits and one walk, in the 7-3 win over the Braves.
National League Batter of the Day—Aaron Altherr of the Phillies homered and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 7-5 win over the Dodgers.
American League Batter of the Day—Whit Merrifield of the Royals homered and went 3-for-5, scoring three times and driving in two runs, in the 15-5 win over the Blue Jays.
Team rankings—The Cleveland Indians remain in first place in Box-Toppers team rankings after a win Wednesday and the Washington Nationals now hold second place alone after they win and the Los Angeles Dodgers lose.
Here are updated accumulated Box-Toppers point totals of the top three teams after Wednesday’s games:
- Indians 131.7 points (adding 1.0 point from Player of the Game, closing pitcher Bryan Shaw, in the 6-5 win over the Angels).
- Nationals 129.6 points (adding 1.7 points from NL Player of the Day, starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez, in the 7-3 win over the Braves).
- Dodgers 127.9 points (adding no points in the 7-5 loss to the Phillies).
Top 10 watch—Diamondbacks pitcher Robbie Ray (16.0 Box-Toppers points in 2017, ranked 10th) did not earn Player of the Game honors in his start Wednesday.
Ray (4.1IP 5H 5R 5BB 6K ND in the 13-7 win over the Padres) had a Box-Toppers game score Wednesday of -9.9. Player of the Game was teammate David Peralta (HR 2B 2-4 2R 2BI), with a Box-Toppers game score of +2.0.
Scoring—Sale earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Gonzalez earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Altherr and Merrifield each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—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. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point 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.
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Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score| 9/20 | Score | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 17.0 | BOS 9, BAL 0 | Chris Sale W (17-7) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | |
| NL | 7.0 | WSH 7, ATL 3 | Gio González W (15-7) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | |
| 7.0 | TB 8, CHC 1 | Blake Snell W (4-6) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | PHI 7, LAD 5 | Aaron Altherr RF-LF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | HOU 4, CHW 3 | Brad Peacock W (12-2) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 5.0 | NYY 11, MIN 3 | Chasen Shreve W (4-1) | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 5.0 | CLE 6, LAA 5 | Bryan Shaw S (3) | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 4.0 | OAK 3, DET 2 | Daniel Mengden W (2-1) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 4.0 | SF 4, COL 0 | Matt Moore W (6-14) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | KC 15, TOR 5 | Whit Merrifield 2B | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | PIT 6, MIL 4 | Adam Frazier 2B | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | TEX 8, SEA 6 | Rougned Odor 2B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | STL 9, CIN 2 | Luke Weaver W (7-1) | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | ||
| 2.0 | MIA 9, NYM 2 | Marcell Ozuna LF | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | ARI 13, SD 7 | David Peralta LF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
AL—Overall American League Player of the Day, worth 1.7 total Box-Toppers points.
NL—Overall National League Player of the Day, worth 1.7 total Box-Toppers points.
BAT—Top AL or NL Batter of the Day, worth 1.5 total Box-Toppers points.
All other players listed here earn Player of the Game honors, worth 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
` Pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
Box-Toppers point totals of the day’s top players
Here are Box-Toppers point totals of each of the Players of the Game. Players are ranked by their Box-Toppers point total for the current season (’17). Also shown are each players’ Box-Toppers point total for this season and last (’16-17), the period 2012-2017 (’12-17) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2017 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2016 total (+/-).| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’17 | ’16-17 | ’12-17 | Career | +/- |
| Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 25.1 | 38.5 | 106.5 | 111.5 | 11.7 |
| Gonzalez, Gio 2626 | pi sp | dc nl | 9.7 | 15.7 | 66.8 | 96.2 | 3.7 |
| Odor, Rougned 3336 | 2b | tex al | 8.7 | 15.2 | 19.7 | 19.7 | 2.2 |
| Ozuna, Marcell 3190 | lf | fla nl | 8.2 | 13.2 | 26.7 | 26.7 | 3.2 |
| Weaver, Luke 3719 | pi sp | stl nl | 8.0 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 6.3 |
| Altherr, Aaron 3563 | lf rf cf | phi nl | 7.5 | 10.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 | 5.0 |
| Peacock, Brad 2968 | pi sp | hou al | 7.4 | 7.4 | 14.1 | 16.8 | 7.4 |
| Moore, Matt 2975 | pi sp | sf nl | 4.7 | 17.1 | 40.6 | 42.6 | -7.7 |
| Frazier, Adam 3771 | lf cf | pit nl | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Merrifield, Whit 3855 | 2b | kc al | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Snell, Blake 3688 | pi sp | tb al | 3.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | -1.0 |
| Mengden, Daniel 3741 | pi sp | oak al | 3.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 1.0 |
| Peralta, David 3370 | rf | ari nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 13.9 | 13.9 | 2.0 |
| Shaw, Bryan 2995 | pi cp | cle al | 1.0 | 4.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | -2.0 |
| Shreve, Chasen 3482 | pi mr | nyy al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 0.0 |