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
▪️ Friday’s sidelights sidebar
▪️ Upcoming pitching matchups
▪️ Subscribe to newsletter
▪️ Support Box-Toppers
Cubs pitcher Justin Steele is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Friday, Brenton Doyle of the Rockies extended his lead among National League batters in 2024 Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors.
Player of the Day
Steele pitched a complete game, striking out seven and allowing one run, two hits and two walks, in the 5-1 win over the Angels.
Steele earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 3.0 for the season, 151st among all players and 52nd among NL pitchers.
American League Player of the Day
Mariners pitcher Luis Castillo struck out eight over 6 2/3 innings, allowing one run, two hits and two walks, in the 2-1 win over the Blue Jays.
Castillo earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 8.7 for the season, 15th among all players and eighth among AL pitchers.
National League Batter of the Day
Bryan Reynolds of the Pirates hit two home runs, including a grand slam, in the 14-2 win over the Mets. Reynolds went 4-for-5, scoring three times and driving in six runs.
American League Batter of the Day
Jeremy Pena of the Astros hit a sacrifice fly and went 3-for-5, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 13-12 win over the Twins.
This is the second straight day Pena won Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors. He was also Player of the Game Thursday in the 5-3 win over the Blue Jays (HR 2-4 2R BI).
He earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points Friday and 1.0 on Thursday, giving him 3.5 for the season, 17th among AL batters.
Notable
Brenton Doyle of the Rockies extended his lead among National League batters in 2024 Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.
Doyle (2B 3-4 0R 2BI in the 4-2 win over the Royals) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 7.7 for the season, 31st among all players. He leads NL batters ahead of second-place Bryce Harper of the Phillies (6.7 points).
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2024 Box-Toppers points (BTP) through Friday, July 5:| 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
Red Sox pitcher Bailey Horn made his Box-Toppers debut Friday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Horn (2.2IP 2H 0R 0BB 3K ND in the 5-3, 10-inning win over the Yankees) made his Major League debut June 29 and was playing in his third career game.
Scoring
Steele earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Castillo earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day.
Reynolds and Pena each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day.
All of Friday’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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Friday’s sidelights sidebar
Top pitching matchup
▪️Aaron Nola, Phillies8.7 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 8th among NL pitchers
▪️Max Fried, Braves
8.7 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 9th among NL pitchers
Result—PHI 8, ATL 6
Neither starter was Player of the Game.
Nola had +3.0 B-T game score (6IP 5H 3R 0BB 8K W).
Fried had -12.0 B-T game score in loss (6IP 11H 5R BB 4K L).
Player of the Game—Trea Turner, Phillies (2HR 2-5 2R 4BI) with +3.0 game score. (In cases of game score ties, batters rank ahead of pitchers, so Turner’s +3.0 score beats Nola’s +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:▪️+8.0—Nestor Cortes, Yankees (6IP 3H R BB 8K ND)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. BOS.
Player of the Game—Bailey Horn, Red Sox (2.2IP 2H 0R 0BB 3K ND) with +3.2 game score.
▪️+5.0—José Miranda, Twins (HR 2B 4-4 3R 2BI)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. HOU.
Player of the Game—Jeremy Peña, Astros (SF 3-5 3R 3BI) with +4.0 game score.
▪️+5.0—Rowdy Tellez, Pirates (2HR 2-4 2R 5BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. NYM.
Player of the Game—Teammate Bryan Reynolds (2HR 4-5 3R 6BI) with +8.0 game score.
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 435 total players Friday, 127 pitchers-16.8—Ty Adcock, Mets (1.2IP 5H 6R 2BB K 3K ND vs. PIT)
-16.0—Luis Severino, Mets
-15.8—Luis Contreras, Astros
-12.8—Slade Cecconi, Diamondbacks
-12.0—Max Fried, Braves
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 308 total batters Friday-5.0—Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers 0-5 3K
-5.0—Josh Bell, Marlins 0-5 2K
-5.0—Mitch Garver, Mariners 0-5 2K
-5.0—Alex Verdugo, Yankees 0-5 2K
-5.0—Christian Walker, Diamondbacks 0-5 2K
-5.0—Ryan Mountcastle, Orioles 0-5 2K
Box-Toppers uses Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and other sources to compile this information.
2024 Box-Toppers points—NL batters
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) July 6, 2024
1—Brenton Doyle @Rockies 7.7*
2—Bryce Harper @Phillies 6.7
3—Matt Chapman @SFGiants 6.5
4—Francisco Lindor @Mets 6.4
5—Luis Garcia Jr. @Nationals 5.2
6—Ian Happ @Cubs 5.0
7—Marcell Ozuna @Braves 4.5
*Earns 1.0 point Friday as Player of the Game
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).| 7/5 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +10.0 | CHC 5, LAA 1 | Justin Steele (W, 1‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 9.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | |
| AL | +8.2 | SEA 2, TOR 1 | Luis Castillo (W, 7‑9) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | |
| BAT | +8.0 | PIT 14, NYM 2 | Bryan Reynolds DH | 5 | 3 | 4 | 6 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +7.0 | LAD 8, MIL 5 | Will D. Smith C | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +5.2 | DET 5, CIN 4 | Reese Olson (W, 3‑8) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||
| +4.1 | CHW 3, MIA 2 | Drew Thorpe (W, 3‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||
| +4.0 | SD 10, ARI 8 | Manny Machado 3B | 5 | 3 | 4 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| BAT | +4.0 | HOU 13, MIN 12 | Jeremy Peña SS | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +3.2 | `BOS 5, NYY 3 (F/10) | Bailey Horn | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| +3.0 | PHI 8, ATL 6 | Trea Turner SS | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | BAL 3, OAK 2 | Albert Suárez (W, 5‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | ||
| +3.0 | TEX 3, TB 0 | Michael Lorenzen (W, 5‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | ||
| +2.2 | SF 4, CLE 2 | Ryan Walker (W, 5‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| +2.0 | STL 7, WSH 6 (F/11) | Nolan Gorman PH‑2B | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +1.0 | COL 4, KC 2 | Brenton Doyle CF | 4 | 0 | 3 | 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.
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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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castillo, Luis Miguel 3840 | pi sp | sea al | 8.7 | 24.8 | 63.2 | 79.6 | -7.4 |
| Doyle, Brenton 4803 | cf | col nl | 7.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 | +3.7 |
| Suarez, Albert 3870 | pi sp | bal al | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | +5.0 |
| Machado, Manny 3087 | 3b | sd nl | 4.5 | 7.5 | 21.9 | 58.3 | +1.5 |
| Smith, Will 4175 | ca | lad nl | 4.0 | 5.0 | 16.0 | 16.0 | +3.0 |
| Gorman, Nolan 4633 | 2b ph | stl nl | 3.5 | 13.5 | 18.5 | 18.5 | -6.5 |
| Reynolds, Bryan 4169 | lf dh | pit nl | 3.5 | 11.2 | 29.2 | 29.2 | -4.2 |
| Pena, Jeremy 5025 | ss | hou al | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | +3.5 |
| Steele, Justin 4415 | pi sp | chi nl | 3.0 | 14.1 | 22.1 | 22.1 | -8.1 |
| Lorenzen, Michael 3479 | pi sp | tex al | 3.0 | 11.7 | 18.7 | 26.2 | -5.7 |
| Olson, Reese 4861 | pi sp | det al | 3.0 | 10.4 | 10.4 | 10.4 | -4.4 |
| Thorpe, Drew 5041 | pi sp | chi al | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | +3.0 |
| Turner, Trea 3730 | ss | phi nl | 2.7 | 7.7 | 16.2 | 24.4 | -2.3 |
| Walker, Ryan 4955 | pi mr | sf nl | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | +1.0 |
| Horn, Bailey 5054 | pi mr | bos al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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A Box-Toppers look at Saturday’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOS | Winckowski, Josh 4784 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| NYY | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | 1.0 | 18.0 | 95.4 | 156.3 |
| HOU | Brown, Hunter 4729 | 7.0 | 17.1 | 18.1 | 18.1 |
| MIN | Ryan, Joe 4539 | 8.7 | 17.4 | 34.8 | 34.8 |
| LAA | Anderson, Tyler 3656 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 27.4 | 40.4 |
| CHC | Hendricks, Kyle 3386 | 2.0 | 7.0 | 35.1 | 75.6 |
| NYM | Peterson, David 4347 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| PIT | Falter, Bailey 4473 | 2.0 | 6.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 |
| STL | Lynn, Lance 2992 | 4.0 | 8.7 | 54.9 | 122.5 |
| WSH | Gore, MacKenzie 4582 | 4.0 | 11.0 | 15.7 | 15.7 |
| TB | Bradley, Taj 4780 | 5.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 |
| TEX | Heaney, Andrew 3515 | 3.0 | 14.4 | 35.8 | 50.5 |
| BAL | Povich, Cade 5029 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| OAK | Medina, Luis 4876 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| CHW | Crochet, Garrett 4434 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 |
| MIA | Chirinos, Yonny 4039 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 8.0 | 10.0 |
| DET | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| CIN | Greene, Hunter 4651 | 3.0 | 8.7 | 14.7 | 14.7 |
| SF | Harrison, Kyle 4914 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| CLE | Allen, Logan T. 4789 | 2.0 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 |
| TOR | Rodriguez, Yariel 4979 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| SEA | Hancock, Emerson 4985 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| MIL | Peralta, Freddy 3965 | 8.7 | 26.4 | 56.5 | 65.2 |
| LAD | Paxton, James 3280 | 6.0 | 11.0 | 25.1 | 66.9 |
| PHI | Suarez, Ranger 4228 | 9.4 | 13.1 | 28.1 | 28.1 |
| ATL | Schwellenbach, Spencer 5035 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| KC | Lugo, Seth 3729 | 8.4 | 14.8 | 23.8 | 32.8 |
| COL | Gomber, Austin 3985 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 16.0 | 20.7 |
| ARI | Pfaadt, Brandon 4812 | 6.4 | 10.1 | 10.1 | 10.1 |
| SD | Waldron, Matt 4946 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
* 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.
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