Brewers pitcher Corbin Burnes is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to sixth place in season player rankings.
Also Saturday, Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler maintains his third-place spot in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 in Box-Toppers season player rankings for 2021. Players are ranked by Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned this season through Saturday, Sept. 11.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | nyy al | 22.4 |
| 2 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | lad nl | 21.1 |
| 3 | Wheeler, Zack 3204 | pi sp | phi nl | 19.1 |
| 4 | Marquez, German 3788 | pi sp | col nl | 17.4 |
| 5 | Urias, Julio 3652 | pi sp | lad nl | 17.4 |
| 6 | Burnes, Corbin 4029 | pi sp | mil nl | 17.1 |
| 7 | Woodruff, Brandon 3868 | pi sp | mil nl | 17.1 |
| 8 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 16.7 |
| 9 | Ohtani, Shohei 3933 | pi sp | ana al | 16.1 |
| 10 | Musgrove, Joe 3705 | pi sp | sd nl | 15.1 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
Player of the Day—Burnes struck out 14 over eight scoreless and hitless innings, allowing one walk, in the 3-0 win over the Indians.
Burnes and closer Josh Hader (1IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K Sv) pitched a combined no-hitter, the record ninth no-hitter of the season. Burnes threw 115 pitches, had a perfect game going into the seventh inning and allowed only one baserunner with a walk.
Burnes had a Box-Toppers game score of +21.0, the third-highest for any Player of the Game winner this season. Here are the two that were higher:
+22.0 on April 23 by Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom (CG 2H 0R 0BB 15K W in the 6-0 win over the Nationals).
+21.0 on May 5 by Orioles pitcher John Means (CG 0H 0R 0BB 12K W in the 6-0 win over the Mariners). (Though Means and Burnes both had +21.0 game scores, Means ranks higher because he had more innings pitched—nine vs. eight.)
Burnes also has the fifth-highest game score by a Player of the Game winner this season, recording a +19.0 score on Aug. 11, earning Player of the Day honors in the 10-0 win over the Cubs (8IP 4H 0R 0BB 15K W).
Burnes earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 17.1 for the season, rising from ninth to sixth place in season player rankings, fifth among National League pitchers. Burnes and teammate, pitcher Brandon Woodruff, both have 17.1 Box-Toppers points for the season, but Burnes ranks higher because he has more 2020 Box-Toppers points—7.7 vs. 7.0.
American League Player of the Day—Rays pitcher Dietrich Enns struck out six over four scoreless middle relief innings, allowing no hits and no walks, in the 7-2 win over the Tigers.
This was Enns’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Enns made his Major League debut Aug. 10, 2017, and was playing in his eighth career game.
National League Batter of the Day—Tommy La Stella of the Giants hit a three-run homer, doubled and went 3-for-6, scoring three times and driving in five runs, in the 15-4 win over the Cubs.
American League Batter of the Day—Jake Lamb of the Blue Jays doubled and went 2-for-2, scoring once and driving in three runs, in the 11-10, seven-inning win over the Orioles.
Rankings—Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler maintains third place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.
Wheeler (6.2IP 4H R 2BB 8K W in the 6-1 win over the Rockies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 19.1 for the season, trailing only Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole (22.4) and Dodgers pitcher Max Scherzer (21.1). Wheeler ranks second among NL pitchers behind Scherzer.
Scoring—Burnes earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Enns earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. La Stella and Lamb each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Saturday’s other Player of the Game winners (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.
Box-Toppers strives for accuracy. See a mistake in a post? A wrong name, wrong team, grammar error, spelling goof, etc.? Thanks for pointing it out! Contact Box-Toppers here. Let's fix it and make it right.
(Correction: Previous version of post indicated Jonah Heim was making his Box-Toppers debut. He made his Box-Toppers debut July 31.)
Box-Toppers Player of the Game winners
Here is the top player from each of the day’s games listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score (BTG).| 9/11 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +21.0 | MIL 3, CLE 0 | Corbin Burnes, (W 10‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 8.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14 | |
| AL | +10.0 | TB 7, DET 2 | Dietrich Enns, (W 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| +6.2 | PHI 6, COL 1 | Zack Wheeler, (W 13‑9) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||
| BAT | +5.0 | SF 15, CHC 4 | Tommy La Stella, 2B | 6 | 3 | 3 | 5 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.2 | LAA 4, HOU 2 | Jose Suarez, (W 7‑7) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | ||
| +4.0 | ARI 7, SEA 3 | Daulton Varsho, RF | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | LAD 5, SD 4 | Mookie Betts, RF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | PIT 10, WSH 7 | Bryan Reynolds, CF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| BAT | +4.0 | TOR 11, BAL 10 (F/7) | Jake Lamb, 3B | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +3.0 | MIN 9, KC 2 | Jorge Polanco, 2B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | STL 6, CIN 4 | Nolan Arenado, 3B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | NYY 8, NYM 7 | Aaron Judge, RF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | TOR 11, BAL 2 (F/7) | Teoscar Hernández, RF‑LF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | BOS 9, CHW 8 (F/10) | Travis Shaw, DH | 5 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | MIA 6, ATL 4 | Bryan De La Cruz, CF | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | TEX 8, OAK 6 | Jonah Heim, C | 3 | 1 | 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 Player of the Game winners
Here are Box-Toppers point totals of each of the Player of the Game winners. Players are ranked by their Box-Toppers point total for the current season (’21). Also shown are each players’ Box-Toppers point total for this season and last (’20-21), the period 2016-2021 (’16-21) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2021 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2020 total (+/-).| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’21 | ’20‑21 | ’16‑21 | Career | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheeler, Zack 3204 | pi sp | phi nl | 19.1 | 20.1 | 40.8 | 52.5 | +18.1 |
| Burnes, Corbin 4029 | pi sp | mil nl | 17.1 | 24.8 | 27.8 | 27.8 | +9.4 |
| Reynolds, Bryan 4169 | cf | pit nl | 8.0 | 11.0 | 14.0 | 14.0 | +5.0 |
| Arenado, Nolan 3306 | 3b | stl nl | 8.0 | 9.0 | 42.9 | 52.9 | +7.0 |
| Judge, Aaron 3767 | rf | nyy al | 5.5 | 9.5 | 26.7 | 26.7 | +1.5 |
| Suarez, Jose 4425 | pi mr | ana al | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 | +5.4 |
| Polanco, Jorge 3739 | 2b | min al | 4.7 | 4.7 | 13.7 | 13.7 | +4.7 |
| Hernandez, Teoscar 3713 | rf lf | tor al | 4.5 | 6.0 | 16.7 | 16.7 | +3.0 |
| Varsho, Daulton 4398 | lf | ari nl | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | +4.5 |
| De La Cruz, Bryan 4500 | rf cf | fla nl | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | +3.5 |
| Betts, Mookie 3404 | cf rf | lad nl | 3.0 | 5.5 | 37.3 | 42.3 | +0.5 |
| La Stella, Tommy 3367 | 2b dh | sf nl | 2.5 | 3.5 | 11.5 | 13.5 | +1.5 |
| Shaw, Travis 3544 | 3b dh | bos al | 2.5 | 3.5 | 25.0 | 29.2 | +1.5 |
| Heim, Jonah 4492 | ca | tex al | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | +2.5 |
| Enns, Dietrich 4544 | pi mr | tb al | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | +1.7 |
| Lamb, Jake 3517 | 3b ph | tor al | 1.5 | 1.5 | 13.4 | 14.4 | +1.5 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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