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
▪️ Thursday’s sidelights sidebar
▪️ Upcoming pitching matchups
▪️ Subscribe to newsletter
▪️ Support Box-Toppers
Nationals pitcher Jake Irvin is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Irvin struck out eight over eight scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk, in the 1-0 win over the Mets.
Irvin earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 8.0 for the season, 26th among all players and 12th among National League pitchers.
American League Player of the Day
Red Sox pitcher Nick Pivetta struck out 10 over seven scoreless innings, allowing one hit and two walks, in the 6-5, 12-inning win over the Marlins.
Pivetta had a no-hitter intact with two outs in the seventh inning until Jesus Sanchez of the Marlins hit a triple. Pivetta did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the Marlins tied the game after he exited.
Pivetta earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 6.7 for the season, 38th among all players and 19th among AL pitchers.
Pivetta had a +14.0 Box-Toppers game score Thursday, same as Irvin, but Irvin beat Pivetta for overall Player of the Day honors because he earned the win in his game while Pivetta picked up a no-decision.
National League Batter of the Day
Ian Happ of the Cubs hit a pair of three-run home runs and doubled in the 10-2 win over the Phillies. Happ went 4-for-4, scoring twice and driving in six runs.
Happ earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 5.0 for the season, sixth among NL batters.
American League Batter of the Day
Jose Miranda of the Twins hit three doubles and went 5-for-5, scoring four times and driving in three runs, in the 12-3, seven-inning win over the Tigers.
Miranda earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 4.5 for the season, sixth among AL batters.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2024 Box-Toppers points (BTP) through Thursday, July 4:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luis Gil | pi sp | Yankees | 13.4 |
| 2 | Chris Sale | pi sp | Braves | 12.4 |
| 3 | Tarik Skubal | pi sp | Tigers | 11.4 |
| 4 | Tanner Bibee | pi sp | Guardians | 11.0 |
| 5 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 10.7 |
| 6 | George Kirby | pi sp | Mariners | 10.7 |
| 7 | Tyler Glasnow | pi sp | Dodgers | 10.7 |
| 8 | Shota Imanaga | pi sp | Cubs | 10.7 |
| 9 | Dylan Cease | pi sp | Padres | 10.4 |
| 10 | Logan Gilbert | pi sp | Mariners | 10.0 |
Debut
Diamondbacks pitcher Justin Martinez made his Box-Toppers debut Thursday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Martinez (3IP 2H 0R 0BB 5K W in the 9-3 win over the Dodgers) made his Major League debut July 7, 2023, and was playing in his 37th career game.
Scoring
Irvin earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Pivetta earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day.
Happ and Miranda each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day.
All of Thursday’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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(Note: A previous version of this post incorrectly named Christian Walker of the Diamondbacks as Player of the Game in the win over the Dodgers. Player of the Game is Diamondbacks pitcher Justin Martinez. Martinez had a +6.0 Box-Toppers game score, while Walker had a +5.0 game score.)
Thursday’s sidelights sidebar
Top pitching matchup
▪️Corbin Burnes, Orioles7.7 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 13th among AL pitchers
▪️Bryce Miller, Mariners
8.7 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 9th among AL pitchersbt
Result—SEA 7, BAL 3
Neither starter was Player of the Game.
Burnes had +3.0 B-T game score (6IP 4H 2R BB 6K ND).
Miller had -1.8 B-T game score (5.2IP 8H 2R BB 6K ND).
Player of the Game—Ryne Stanek, Mariners (1IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K W) with +3.0 game score.
High scores, no points
Highest Box-Toppers game scores for the day among players who did not earn Player of the Game honors:▪️+6.0—Jameson Taillon, Cubs (7IP 4H 2R 0BB 7K W)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. PHI.
Player of the Game—Teammate Ian Happ (2HR 2B 4-4 2R 6BI) with +8.0 game score.
▪️+5.0—Ryan Jeffers, Twins (HR 2B 3-4 2R 4BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. DET.
Player of the Game—Teammate José Miranda (3-2B 5-5 4R 3BI) with +7.0 game score.
▪️+5.0—Christian Walker, Diamondbacks (2HR 2-3 3R 3BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. LAD.
Player of the Game—Teammate Justin Martinez (3IP 2H 0R 0BB 5K W) with +6.0 game score.
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 427 total players Thursday, 116 pitchers-23.8—Kenta Madea, Tigers (3.2IP 9H 9R 3BB 3K L vs. MIN)
-17.0—Cristopher Sánchez, Phillies
-15.0—Alec Marsh, Royals
-12.0—Nick Ramirez, Dodgers
-12.0—Chris Bassitt, Blue Jays
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 311 total batters Thursday-5.0—Jake Burger, Marlins 0-5 5K
-5.0—Jorge Soler, Giants 0-5 3K
-5.0—Willi Castro, Twins 0-5 K
-4.0—David Dahl, Phillies 0-4 3K
-4.0—Freddie Freeman, Dodgers 0-4 3K
-4.0—Korey Lee, White Sox 0-4 3K
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).| 7/4 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +14.0 | WSH 1, NYM 0 | Jake Irvin (W, 7‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 8.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | |
| AL | +14.0 | `BOS 6, MIA 5 (F/12) | Nick Pivetta | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | |
| BAT | +8.0 | CHC 10, PHI 2 | Ian Happ LF | 4 | 2 | 4 | 6 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +8.0 | OAK 5, LAA 0 | JP Sears (W, 5‑7) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| BAT | +7.0 | MIN 12, DET 3 (F/7) | Jose Miranda 1B | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +6.0 | ARI 9, LAD 3 | Justin Martinez (W, 3‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 3.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | ||
| +5.0 | `STL 3, PIT 2 (F/10) | Andre Pallante | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| +3.0 | SEA 7, BAL 3 | Ryne Stanek (W, 6‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +2.1 | SD 3, TEX 1 | Michael King (W, 7‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||
| +2.1 | COL 4, MIL 3 | Jalen Beeks (S, 7) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| +2.0 | CIN 8, NYY 4 | Jonathan India 2B | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | TB 10, KC 8 | Brandon Lowe DH | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | CLE 8, CHW 4 | Steven Kwan LF | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | SF 4, ATL 2 | Camilo Doval (S, 16) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +1.0 | HOU 5, TOR 3 | Jeremy Peña SS | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ |
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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irvin, Jake 4805 | pi sp | dc nl | 8.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 | +5.0 |
| King, Michael 4549 | pi sp | sd nl | 7.0 | 16.0 | 21.7 | 21.7 | -2.0 |
| Pivetta, Nick 3825 | pi sp | bos al | 6.7 | 15.7 | 31.4 | 51.1 | -2.3 |
| Doval, Camilo 4658 | pi cp | sf nl | 5.0 | 10.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 | 0.0 |
| Happ, Ian 3798 | lf | chi nl | 5.0 | 9.0 | 12.5 | 18.5 | +1.0 |
| Pallante, Andre 4656 | pi sp | stl nl | 4.7 | 4.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 | +4.7 |
| Miranda, Jose 4653 | 3b 1b | min al | 4.5 | 4.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | +4.5 |
| Sears, JP 4627 | pi sp | oak al | 4.0 | 8.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 0.0 |
| India, Jonathan 4469 | 2b | cin nl | 4.0 | 8.0 | 11.7 | 11.7 | 0.0 |
| Beeks, Jalen 4047 | pi mr cp | col nl | 4.0 | 5.0 | 9.7 | 11.7 | +3.0 |
| Stanek, Ryne 4014 | pi cp mr | sea al | 4.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | +3.0 |
| Kwan, Steven 4573 | lf | cle al | 3.5 | 6.2 | 11.2 | 11.2 | +0.8 |
| Lowe, Brandon 4108 | 2b dh | tb al | 2.5 | 8.0 | 24.0 | 24.0 | -3.0 |
| Pena, Jeremy 5025 | ss | hou al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| Martinez, Justin 5053 | pi mr | ari 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 Friday’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAA | Canning, Griffin 4134 | 1.0 | 7.0 | 18.7 | 18.7 |
| CHC | Steele, Justin 4415 | 1.0 | 12.1 | 20.1 | 20.1 |
| NYM | Severino, Luis 3567 | 3.7 | 8.4 | 18.1 | 61.9 |
| PIT | Skenes, Paul 5005 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| STL | Gray, Sonny 3259 | 8.4 | 18.8 | 56.4 | 106.3 |
| WSH | Corbin, Patrick 3027 | 1.0 | 8.1 | 35.2 | 93.4 |
| BOS | Houck, Tanner 4342 | 9.7 | 11.7 | 23.4 | 23.4 |
| NYY | Cortes, Nestor 4160 | 6.7 | 8.7 | 31.1 | 31.1 |
| CHW | Thorpe, Drew 5041 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| MIA | Hoenig, Bryan* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| DET | Olson, Reese 4861 | 2.0 | 9.4 | 9.4 | 9.4 |
| CIN | Spiers, Carson 5048 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| SF | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| CLE | Bibee, Tanner 4792 | 11.0 | 19.7 | 19.7 | 19.7 |
| PHI | Nola, Aaron 3569 | 8.7 | 20.7 | 64.8 | 110.4 |
| ATL | Fried, Max 4011 | 8.7 | 17.7 | 61.2 | 62.2 |
| TB | Baz, Shane 4560 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| TEX | Lorenzen, Michael 3479 | 2.0 | 10.7 | 17.7 | 25.2 |
| HOU | Dubin, Shawn* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| MIN | Lopez, Pablo 4028 | 8.7 | 22.1 | 54.2 | 55.9 |
| KC | Ragans, Cole 4889 | 7.0 | 11.4 | 11.4 | 11.4 |
| COL | Freeland, Kyle 3763 | 0.0 | 5.7 | 20.7 | 39.1 |
| ARI | Cecconi, Slade 4913 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| SD | Vasquez, Randy 4841 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| BAL | Suarez, Albert 3870 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 |
| OAK | Harris, Hogan 4846 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| TOR | Gausman, Kevin 3191 | 5.0 | 23.7 | 54.1 | 93.1 |
| SEA | Castillo, Luis Miguel 3840 | 7.0 | 23.1 | 61.5 | 77.9 |
| MIL | Civale, Aaron 4173 | 2.0 | 8.0 | 30.4 | 30.4 |
| LAD | Glasnow, Tyler 3948 | 10.7 | 23.1 | 53.5 | 59.5 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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