Box-Toppers Toppers Box
Today’s key Box-Toppers numbers. Click links to jump to charts elsewhere on this page.▪️ Players of the Game
▪️ B-T points of day’s top players
▪️ Top 10 players in 2024
▪️ Sunday’s sidelights sidebar
▪️ Upcoming pitching matchups
▪️ Subscribe to newsletter
▪️ Support Box-Toppers
Padres pitcher Yu Darvish is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to eighth place in season player rankings.
Darvish struck out nine over seven scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk, in the 9-1 win over the Braves.
Darvish earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 6.7 for the season, eighth among all players and sixth among National League pitchers.
Darvish now has 137.7 career Box-Toppers points, 36th-most among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He trails 35th-ranked player Andy Pettitte (138.5). Darvish ranks seventh among active players in career points, third among active NL pitchers, behind Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers (270.4) and Chris Sale of the Braves (160.0).
American League Player of the Day
Blue Jays pitcher Alek Manoah struck out seven over seven scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk, in the 5-2 win over the Rays.
Manoah earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, his first points of the season, and ranks 69th among AL pitchers.
National League Batter of the Day
Alec Bohm of the Phillies homered, hit a pair of sacrifice flies and went 1-for-3, scoring once and driving in five runs, in the 11-5 win over the Nationals.
American League Batter of the Day
Kyle Tucker of the Astros hit two home runs, including a three-run shot, and went 2-for-5, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 9-4 win over the Brewers.
Tucker earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 3.0 for the season, third among AL batters, behind Juan Soto of the Yankees (4.5) and Aaron Judge of the Yankees (4.0).
Debut
Dodgers pitcher Landon Knack made his Box-Toppers debut Saturday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Knack (4.2IP 3H R BB 5K ND in the 3-2, 10-inning win over the Reds) made his Major League debut April 17 and was playing in his fourth career game.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2024 Box-Toppers points (BTP) through Sunday, May 19:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shota Imanaga | pi sp | Cubs | 8.7 |
| 2 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 7.7 |
| 3 | Dylan Cease | pi sp | Padres | 7.7 |
| 4 | Ranger Suárez | pi sp | Phillies | 7.7 |
| 5 | Luis Gil | pi sp | Yankees | 7.7 |
| 6 | Seth Lugo | pi sp | Royals | 7.4 |
| 7 | Chris Sale | pi sp | Braves | 6.7 |
| 8 | Yu Darvish | pi sp | Padres | 6.7 |
| 9 | Tarik Skubal | pi sp | Tigers | 6.4 |
| 10 | Freddy Peralta | pi sp | Brewers | 6.0 |
Scoring
Darvish earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Manoah earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day.
Bohm and Tucker earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day.
All of Sunday’s other Player of the Game winners (listed in the chart) 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.
For additional updates, follow Box-Toppers on Twitter (X).
Your support via Buy Me a Coffee keeps Box-Toppers percolating. Thanks for your contributions!
2024 Box-Toppers points—NL pitchers
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) May 20, 2024
1—Shota Imanaga @Cubs 8.7
2—Zack Wheeler @Phillies 7.7
3—Dylan Cease @Padres 7.7
4—Ranger Suárez @Phillies 7.7
5—Chris Sale @Braves 6.7
6—Yu Darvish @Padres 6.7*
*Earns 2.0 B-T points as Player of the Day Sunday
Details—https://t.co/ztY1NkW7iz pic.twitter.com/EsR9QTGe5M
2024 Box-Toppers points—AL batters
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) May 20, 2024
1—Juan Soto @Yankees 4.5
2—Aaron Judge @Yankees 4.0
3—Kyle Tucker @Astros 3.0*
4—Josh Naylor @CleGuardians 3.0
5—Andrés Giménez @CleGuardians 3.0
6—Shea Langeliers @Athletics 3.0
*Earns 1.5 B-T pts as SU AL Batter of Dayhttps://t.co/ztY1NkVzt1 pic.twitter.com/Vhi8NEu2Rh
Sunday’s sidelights sidebar
Top pitching matchup
▪️George Kirby, Mariners19.4 Box-Toppers points over 2023-24, 5th among AL pitchers
▪️Corbin Burnes, Orioles
15.4 Box-Toppers points over 2023-24, 10th among AL pitchers
Result—BAL 6, SEA 3
Burnes was Player of the Game with +7.0 B-T game score (6IP 7H R BB 11K W).
Kirby had -10.0 B-T game score in loss (6IP 9H 5R 0BB 3K L).
Burnes earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 16.4 over 2023-24, remaining in 10th among AL pitchers.
High scores, no points
Highest Box-Toppers game scores for the day among players who did not earn Player of the Game honors:▪️+7.0—Chris Paddack, Twins (8IP 3H 2R 0BB 6K ND)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. SEA.
Player of the Game—Tanner Bibee, Guardians (7IP 4H R BB 8K ND) with +8.0 game score.
▪️+4.1—Hunter Greene, Reds (6.1IP 4H 2R 2BB 8K ND)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. LAD.
Player of the Game—Landon Knack, Dodgers (4.2IP 3H R BB 5K ND) with +3.2 game score.
▪️+3.0—Daniel Vogelbach, Blue Jays (HR 2B 3-4 2R BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. TB.
Player of the Game—Teammate Alek Manoah (7IP H 0R BB 7K W) with +12.0 game score.
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 420 total players Sunday, 113 pitchers-19.0—Bryce Elder, Braves (3IP 9H 7R 6ER 3BB 3K L vs. SD)
-15.0—Chris Flexen, White Sox
-15.0—Matt Manning, Tigers
-12.9—Colin Rea, Brewers
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 307 total batters Sunday-5.0—Elly De La Cruz, Reds 0-4 4K
-5.0—William Contreras, Brewers 0-5 2K
-5.0—Jorge Soler, Giants 0-5 2K
-5.0—Mike Ford, Reds 0-5 K
-5.0—Jake Fraley, Reds 0-5 K
Box-Toppers uses Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and other sources to compile this information.
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).| 5/19 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +13.0 | SD 9, ATL 1 | Yu Darvish (W, 4‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | |
| AL | +12.0 | TOR 5, TB 2 | Alek Manoah (W, 1‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | |
| +11.0 | BOS 11, STL 3 | Nick Pivetta (W, 2‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | ||
| +8.0 | `CLE 5, MIN 2 | Tanner Bibee | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| +7.0 | BAL 6, SEA 3 | Corbin Burnes (W, 4‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 | ||
| +6.0 | KC 8, OAK 4 | Brady Singer (W, 4‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | ||
| +5.0 | NYM 7, MIA 3 | Reed Garrett (S, 2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| BAT | +4.0 | PHI 11, WSH 5 | Alec Bohm 3B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.0 | `SF 4, COL 1 | Luke Jackson (H, 2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| +3.2 | LAA 4, TEX 1 | José Soriano (W, 2‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||
| +3.2 | `LAD 3, CIN 2 (F/10) | Landon Knack | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 4.2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| BAT | +3.0 | HOU 9, MIL 4 | Kyle Tucker RF | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +3.0 | NYY 7, CHW 2 | Jon Berti 3B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | ARI 6, DET 4 | Joc Pederson DH | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 0.0 | PIT 3, CHC 2 | Nick Gonzales 2B | 4 | 0 | 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.
Back to top
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 in 2024 (’24). Also shown is their point total for this season and last (’23-24), the period 2019-2024 (’19-24) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2024 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2023 total (+/-).Back to top
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’24 | ’23‑24 | ’19‑24 | Career | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darvish, Yu 3003 | pi sp | sd nl | 6.7 | 13.7 | 63.7 | 137.7 | -0.3 |
| Bibee, Tanner 4792 | pi sp | cle al | 6.0 | 14.7 | 14.7 | 14.7 | -2.7 |
| Singer, Brady 4337 | pi sp | kc al | 5.0 | 10.0 | 28.7 | 28.7 | 0.0 |
| Burnes, Corbin 4029 | pi sp | bal al | 4.7 | 16.4 | 57.6 | 60.6 | -7.0 |
| Garrett, Reed 4963 | pi cp | nym nl | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | +4.7 |
| Tucker, Kyle 4277 | rf | hou al | 3.0 | 15.5 | 32.2 | 32.2 | -9.5 |
| Pivetta, Nick 3825 | pi sp | bos al | 3.0 | 12.0 | 27.7 | 47.4 | -6.0 |
| Pederson, Joc 3621 | dh | ari nl | 2.0 | 5.0 | 23.4 | 33.4 | -1.0 |
| Jackson, Luke 4139 | pi cp mr | sf nl | 2.0 | 4.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 0.0 |
| Soriano, Jose 4884 | pi sp mr | ana al | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | +1.0 |
| Manoah, Alek 4424 | pi sp | tor al | 1.7 | 3.7 | 27.5 | 27.5 | -0.3 |
| Bohm, Alec 4309 | 3b 1b dh | phi nl | 1.5 | 7.9 | 11.9 | 11.9 | -4.9 |
| Berti, Jon 4132 | 3b ss | nyy al | 1.0 | 4.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | -2.0 |
| Gonzales, Nick 4870 | 2b ss | pit nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| Knack, Landon 5009 | pi sp | lad nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
Chart is sortable. Click a column header to re-sort the chart by the values in that column. Refresh page to restore chart to default view.
Back to top
A Box-Toppers look at Monday’s pitching matchups
A Box-Toppers look at the upcoming day’s probable pitching matchups. Teams are paired below with visiting teams on top and home teams on the bottom. Each team’s starting pitcher is shown with their Box-Toppers point total from 2024 (’24), this year and last year (’23-24), over a six-year period (’19-24) and their career point total.Back to top
| Game | Starter | ’24 | ’23-24 | ’19‑24 | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SD | Cease, Dylan 4231 | 7.7 | 17.7 | 54.5 | 54.5 |
| ATL | Lopez, Reynaldo 3712 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 25.2 | 32.9 |
| CHW | Fedde, Erick 4065 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 21.5 | 23.2 |
| TOR | Berrios, Jose 3791 | 4.7 | 15.1 | 47.2 | 74.0 |
| NYM | Megill, Tylor 4464 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 15.7 | 15.7 |
| CLE | Lively, Ben 3903 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 |
| SD | Vasquez, Randy 4841 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| ATL | Sale, Chris 2806 | 6.7 | 15.4 | 28.4 | 160.0 |
| MIL | Ross, Joe 3499 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 12.0 | 25.7 |
| MIA | Weathers, Ryan 4388 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| MIN | Lopez, Pablo 4028 | 4.0 | 17.4 | 49.5 | 51.2 |
| WSH | Parker, Mitchell 4982 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| BOS | Houck, Tanner 4342 | 6.0 | 8.0 | 19.7 | 19.7 |
| TB | Bradley, Taj 4780 | 0.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| SEA | Gilbert, Logan 4439 | 6.0 | 19.4 | 40.5 | 40.5 |
| NYY | Stroman, Marcus 3327 | 1.0 | 8.7 | 32.4 | 63.2 |
| DET | Olson, Reese 4861 | 1.0 | 8.4 | 8.4 | 8.4 |
| KC | Wacha, Michael 3276 | 3.0 | 14.0 | 33.5 | 64.2 |
| BAL | Kremer, Dean 4330 | 4.0 | 13.7 | 25.1 | 25.1 |
| STL | Gray, Sonny 3259 | 4.0 | 14.4 | 52.0 | 101.9 |
| LAA | Detmers, Reid 4513 | 3.7 | 10.4 | 18.4 | 18.4 |
| HOU | Valdez, Framber 4048 | 2.0 | 12.0 | 41.4 | 43.4 |
| ARI | Mantiply, Joe 4585 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| LAD | Yamamoto, Yoshinobu 4964 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
Chart is sortable. Click a column header to re-sort the chart by the values in that column. Refresh page to restore chart to default, game-by-game view.
Back to top