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
▪️ Wednesday’s sidelights sidebar
▪️ Upcoming pitching matchups
▪️ Subscribe to newsletter
▪️ Support Box-Toppers
Yankees pitcher Luis Gil is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, regaining the lead in season player rankings.
Also Wednesday, Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal rises to ninth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Player of the Day
Gil struck out nine over eight innings, allowing one run, two hits and two walks, in the 2-1 win over the Angels.
Gil earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 11.7 for the season, rising from second to first place overall, passing previous leader, Braves pitcher Chris Sale (9.7 points), who falls to second place. Gil extends his lead among American League pitchers, ahead of second-place Joe Ryan of the Twins (7.7 points).
Gil becomes the first player to reach 10 Box-Toppers points in 2024. It is his first season with 10 or more points. His previous high was 1.0 point in 2021 with the Yankees, his only previous point before 2024.
Gil previously led Box-Toppers season player rankings for three days, beginning May 23 and ending May 26, when Sale passed him.
National League Player of the Day
Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez struck out seven over six scoreless innings, allowing four hits and one walk, in the 6-1 win over the Giants.
Sanchez earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 3.4 for the season, 30th among NL pitchers.
National League Batter of the Day
Willy Adames of the Brewers homered and went 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 10-6 win over the Cubs.
American League Batter of the Day
Nelson Velazquez of the Royals hit two home runs and went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 6-1 win over the Twins.
Velazquez earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 3.0 for the season, eighth among AL batters.
Rankings
Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal rises to ninth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.
Skubal (7IP 3H 0R BB 8K W in the 8-0 win over the Pirates) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 7.4 for the season. He ranks fourth among AL pitchers.
Skubal had a +11.0 Box-Toppers game score Wednesday, same as Gil, but Gil edged Skubal for overall Player of the Day because he had more innings pitched—eight vs. Seven. As a result, Gil earned 2.0 Box-Toppers points Wednesday, while Skubal earned just 1.0.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2024 Box-Toppers points (BTP) through Wednesday, May 29:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luis Gil | pi sp | Yankees | 11.7 |
| 2 | Chris Sale | pi sp | Braves | 9.7 |
| 3 | Ranger Suárez | pi sp | Phillies | 9.4 |
| 4 | Shota Imanaga | pi sp | Cubs | 8.7 |
| 5 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 7.7 |
| 6 | Dylan Cease | pi sp | Padres | 7.7 |
| 7 | Joe Ryan | pi sp | Twins | 7.7 |
| 8 | Tanner Houck | pi sp | Red Sox | 7.7 |
| 9 | Tarik Skubal | pi sp | Tigers | 7.4 |
| 10 | Seth Lugo | pi sp | Royals | 7.4 |
Debut
Otto Lopez of the Marlins made his Box-Toppers debut Wednesday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Lopez (2-4 2R BI in the 9-1 win over the Padres) made his Major League debut Aug. 17, 2021, and was playing in his 39th career game.
Scoring
Wednesday’s sidelights sidebar
Top pitching matchup
▪️Justin Verlander, Astros14.4 Box-Toppers points over 2023-24, 17th among AL pitchers
▪️George Kirby, Mariners
19.4 Box-Toppers points over 2023-24, 5th among AL pitchers
Result—SEA 2, HOU 1 (F/10)
Kirby was Player of the Game with +6.0 B-T game score (6IP 6H R 0BB 8K ND)
Verlander had +10.0 B-T game score in loss (7IP 3H R BB 9K ND)
Kirby earns 1.0 B-T point, giving him 15.4 over 2023-24, rising to 4th 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:▪️+10.0—Justin Verlander, Astros (7IP 3H R BB 9K ND)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. SEA.
Player of the Game—George Kirby, Mariners (6IP 6H R 0BB 8K ND) with +6.0 game score.
▪️+5.0—Andrew McCutchen, Pirates (HR 2B 3-4 2R 4BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. DET
Player of the Game—Teammate Paul Skenes (6IP 3H 2R BB 9K W) with +7.0 game score.
▪️+5.0—Matt Vierling, Tigers (HR 3-4 2R 4BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. PIT.
Player of the Game—Teammate Tarik Skubal (7IP 3H 0R BB 8K W) with +11.0 game score.
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 461 total players Wednesday, 140 pitchers-19.8—Logan T. Allen, Guardians (1.2IP 6H 7R 2BB K L vs. COL)
-17.9—Shota Imanaga, Cubs
-12.9—Jared Jones, Pirates
-12.0—Bailey Ober, Twins
-11.0—Kyle Harrison, Giants
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 321 total batters Wednesday-5.0—CJ Abrams, Nationals 0-5 4K
-5.0—Bryan De La Cruz, Marlins 0-5 2K
-5.0—Edmundo Sosa, Phillies 0-5 2K
-5.0—Daulton Varsho, Blue Jays 0-5 2K
-5.0—Mark Vientos, Mets 0-5 2K
Box-Toppers uses Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and other sources to compile this information.
Gil earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Sanchez earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day.
Adames and Velazquez each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day.
All of Wednesday’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.
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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).| 5/29 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +11.0 | NYY 2, LAA 1 | Luis Gil (W, 7‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 8.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | |
| +11.0 | DET 8, PIT 0 | Tarik Skubal (W, 7‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | ||
| NL | +8.0 | PHI 6, SF 1 | Cristopher Sánchez (W, 3‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | |
| +7.0 | PIT 10, DET 2 | Paul Skenes (W, 2‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 | ||
| +6.1 | WSH 7, ATL 2 | MacKenzie Gore (W, 4‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.1 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10 | ||
| +6.0 | `SEA 2, HOU 1 (F/10) | George Kirby | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | ||
| +5.0 | BAL 6, BOS 1 | Corbin Burnes (W, 5‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | ||
| +4.2 | `TB 4, OAK 3 | Ryan Pepiot | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | ||
| BAT | +4.0 | MIL 10, CHC 6 | Willy Adames SS | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.0 | STL 5, CIN 3 | Andre Pallante (W, 1‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | ||
| +4.0 | TEX 6, ARI 1 | Dane Dunning (W, 4‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | ||
| +4.0 | `LAD 10, NYM 3 | James Paxton | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 3.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | +3.0 | KC 6, MIN 1 | Nelson Velázquez DH | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +1.1 | TOR 3, CHW 1 | Trevor Richards (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 3.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| +1.0 | MIA 9, SD 1 | Otto Lopez 2B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +1.0 | COL 7, CLE 4 | Brenton Doyle CF | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ |
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.
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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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gil, Luis 4498 | pi sp | nyy al | 11.7 | 11.7 | 12.7 | 12.7 | +11.7 |
| Skubal, Tarik 4414 | pi sp | det al | 7.4 | 18.1 | 37.5 | 37.5 | -3.3 |
| Kirby, George 4595 | pi sp | sea al | 6.7 | 20.4 | 31.8 | 31.8 | -7.0 |
| Burnes, Corbin 4029 | pi sp | bal al | 5.7 | 17.4 | 58.6 | 61.6 | -6.0 |
| Pepiot, Ryan 4714 | pi sp | tb al | 5.7 | 10.7 | 12.7 | 12.7 | +0.7 |
| Doyle, Brenton 4803 | cf | col nl | 5.2 | 9.2 | 9.2 | 9.2 | +1.2 |
| Sanchez, Cristopher 4850 | pi sp | phi nl | 3.4 | 7.4 | 7.4 | 7.4 | -0.6 |
| Gore, MacKenzie 4582 | pi sp | dc nl | 3.0 | 10.0 | 14.7 | 14.7 | -4.0 |
| Paxton, James 3280 | pi sp | lad nl | 3.0 | 8.0 | 22.1 | 63.9 | -2.0 |
| Velazquez, Nelson 4694 | dh rf | kc al | 3.0 | 5.5 | 7.0 | 7.0 | +0.5 |
| Skenes, Paul 5005 | pi sp | pit nl | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | +3.0 |
| Adames, Willy 4041 | ss | mil nl | 2.5 | 9.2 | 20.6 | 21.6 | -4.2 |
| Dunning, Dane 4317 | pi sp | tex al | 2.0 | 6.0 | 15.4 | 15.4 | -2.0 |
| Richards, Trevor 3945 | pi mr sp cp | tor al | 1.0 | 4.0 | 11.0 | 18.7 | -2.0 |
| Pallante, Andre 4656 | pi sp | stl nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | +1.0 |
| Lopez, Otto 5021 | 2b | fla nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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A Box-Toppers look at Thursday’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHC | Taillon, Jameson 3658 | 3.0 | 8.4 | 28.1 | 54.5 |
| MIL | Rea, Colin 3582 | 1.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 9.7 |
| KC | Singer, Brady 4337 | 5.0 | 10.0 | 28.7 | 28.7 |
| MIN | Paddack, Chris 4093 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 29.5 | 29.5 |
| OAK | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| TB | Armstrong, Shawn 4204 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| HOU | Arrighetti, Spencer* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| SEA | Gilbert, Logan 4439 | 6.0 | 19.4 | 40.5 | 40.5 |
| ARI | Gallen, Zac 4171 | 3.0 | 19.7 | 54.1 | 54.1 |
| NYM | Scott, Christian* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| DET | Flaherty, Jack 3971 | 3.0 | 7.0 | 35.2 | 48.3 |
| BOS | Pivetta, Nick 3825 | 3.0 | 12.0 | 27.7 | 47.4 |
| WSH | Williams, Trevor 3792 | 4.0 | 9.7 | 20.4 | 33.4 |
| ATL | Kerr, Ray 5002 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| NYY | Rodon, Carlos 3494 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 38.5 | 61.6 |
| LAA | Sandoval, Patrick 4357 | 1.7 | 4.7 | 15.7 | 15.7 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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