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
Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Skenes struck out nine over six scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk, in the 7-0 win over the Reds.
Skenes earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 10.0 for the season, 33rd among all players and 13th among National League pitchers.
Skenes becomes the 33rd player this season to reach 10 Box-Toppers points. It is his first season with 10 points in his rookie season.
He ranks second among rookies in 2024 Box-Toppers points, behind Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga, whose 15.7 Box-Toppers points is fourth overall and third among NL pitchers.
American League Player of the Day
Blue Jays pitcher Ryan Yarbrough struck out four over five scoreless innings of middle relief, allowing three hits and no walks, in the 5-3 win over the Angels.
Yarbrough earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 2.7 for the season, 86th among AL pitchers and eighth among AL middle relievers.
American League Batter of the Day
Giancarlo Stanton of the Yankees hit a three-run homer and went 1-for-3, scoring once and driving in three runs, in the 6-0 win over the Guardians.
National League Batter of the Day
Jeff McNeil of the Mets went 3-for-4, scoring once and driving in one run, in the 8-3 win over the Padres.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2024 Box-Toppers points (BTP) through Thursday, Aug. 22:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dylan Cease | pi sp | Padres | 17.4 |
| 2 | Tarik Skubal | pi sp | Tigers | 17.1 |
| 3 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 16.7 |
| 4 | Shota Imanaga | pi sp | Cubs | 15.7 |
| 5 | Luis Gil | pi sp | Yankees | 15.4 |
| 6 | Chris Sale | pi sp | Braves | 14.4 |
| 7 | Tanner Bibee | pi sp | Guardians | 13.0 |
| 8 | Bailey Ober | pi sp | Twins | 12.4 |
| 9 | Seth Lugo | pi sp | Royals | 12.1 |
| 10 | Aaron Judge | dh cf | Yankees | 12.0 |
Scoring
Skenes earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Yarbrough earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day.
Stanton and McNeil 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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Thursday’s sidelights sidebar
Top pitching matchup
▪️Nick Lodolo, Reds9.0 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 22nd among NL pitchers
▪️Paul Skenes, Pirates
8.0 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 27th among NL pitchers
Result—PIT 7, CIN 0
Skenes was Player of the Game (6IP 2H 0R BB 9K W) with +12.0 B-T game score.
Lodolo had -1.8 B-T game score in loss (4.2IP 2H 5R 3BB 9K L).
Skenes earns 2.0 B-T points as overall Player of the Day, giving him 10.0 for 2024, rising to 13th among NL 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—Griffin Canning, Angels (6IP 2H 0R 0BB 6K ND)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. TOR.
Player of the Game—Ryan Yarbrough, Blue Jays (5IP 3H 0R 0BB 4K W) with +6.0 B-T game score.
▪️+5.0—Miguel Amaya, Cubs (GS 3-4 R 5BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. DET.
Player of the Game—Teammate Justin Steele (7IP 4H 2R 0BB 10K W) with +9.0 game score.
▪️+4.0—Raisel Iglesias, Braves (1IP 0H 0R 0BB 3K Sv)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. PHI.
Player of the Game—Teammate Spencer Schwellenbach (6.2IP 3H 2R BB 9K W) with +7.2 game score.
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 269 total players Thursday, 75 pitchers-15.0—Logan Gillaspie, Padres (1IP 7H 5R 0BB K ND vs. NYM)
-13.8—Corbin Burnes, Orioles
-13.0—Kenta Maeda, Tigers
-11.0—Joey Wentz, Tigers
-10.0—Lucas Gilbreath, Rockies
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 194 total batters Thursday-5.0—Francisco Alvarez, Mets 0-5 4K
-5.0—Jake Cronenwrth, Padres 0-5 K
-4.0—Jake Rogers, Tigers 0-4 3K
-4.0—Ezequiel Tovar, Rockies 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).| 8/22 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +12.0 | PIT 7, CIN 0 | Paul Skenes (W, 8‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | |
| +9.0 | CHC 10, DET 2 | Justin Steele (W, 4‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10 | ||
| +8.0 | HOU 6, BAL 0 | Spencer Arrighetti (W, 6‑11) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| +7.2 | ATL 3, PHI 2 | Spencer Schwellenbach (W, 5‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 | ||
| +7.0 | WSH 8, COL 3 | Patrick Corbin (W, 3‑12) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| +6.0 | `STL 3, MIL 0 | Miles Mikolas | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| AL | +6.0 | TOR 5, LAA 3 | Ryan Yarbrough (W, 5‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| +4.0 | OAK 3, TB 1 | Osvaldo Bido (W, 5‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | ||
| BAT | +2.0 | NYY 6, CLE 0 | Giancarlo Stanton DH | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| BAT | +1.0 | NYM 8, SD 3 | Jeff McNeil RF‑2B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skenes, Paul 5005 | pi sp | pit nl | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | +10.0 |
| Steele, Justin 4415 | pi sp | chi nl | 8.0 | 19.1 | 27.1 | 27.1 | -3.1 |
| Arrighetti, Spencer 5022 | pi sp | hou al | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | +5.7 |
| Bido, Osvaldo 4882 | pi sp | oak al | 5.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | +4.0 |
| Schwellenbach, Spencer 5035 | pi sp | atl nl | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | +5.0 |
| Mikolas, Miles 3034 | pi sp | stl nl | 4.0 | 10.7 | 25.8 | 40.2 | -2.7 |
| McNeil, Jeff 4050 | 2b rf | nym nl | 4.0 | 4.0 | 11.5 | 12.5 | +4.0 |
| Corbin, Patrick 3027 | pi sp | dc nl | 3.0 | 10.1 | 37.2 | 95.4 | -4.1 |
| Stanton, Giancarlo 2737 | dh rf | nyy al | 3.0 | 5.5 | 19.0 | 78.9 | +0.5 |
| Yarbrough, Ryan 3962 | pi mr sp | tor al | 2.7 | 5.7 | 32.8 | 39.8 | -0.3 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIN | Abbott, Andrew 4839 | 5.0 | 16.0 | 16.0 | 16.0 |
| PIT | Falter, Bailey 4473 | 2.0 | 6.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 |
| COL | Freeland, Kyle 3763 | 1.0 | 6.7 | 21.7 | 40.1 |
| NYY | Rodon, Carlos 3494 | 10.0 | 11.0 | 44.5 | 67.6 |
| HOU | Brown, Hunter 4729 | 11.0 | 21.1 | 22.1 | 22.1 |
| BAL | Povich, Cade 5029 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| LAA | Kochanowicz, Jack | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| TOR | Bassitt, Chris 3413 | 6.7 | 26.8 | 64.6 | 70.6 |
| ARI | Nelson, Ryne 4728 | 7.4 | 14.1 | 15.8 | 15.8 |
| BOS | Bello, Brayan 4727 | 5.7 | 7.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 |
| CHC | Hendricks, Kyle 3386 | 3.0 | 8.0 | 36.1 | 76.6 |
| MIA | Meyer, Max 4965 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| TEX | Eovaldi, Nathan 2928 | 10.0 | 19.7 | 44.8 | 79.3 |
| CLE | Bibee, Tanner 4792 | 13.0 | 21.7 | 21.7 | 21.7 |
| WSH | Gore, MacKenzie 4582 | 4.0 | 11.0 | 15.7 | 15.7 |
| ATL | Sale, Chris 2806 | 14.4 | 23.1 | 36.1 | 167.7 |
| DET | Montero, Keider 5057 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
| CHW | Flexen, Chris 4368 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 15.4 | 15.4 |
| PHI | Walker, Taijuan 3453 | 1.0 | 8.7 | 31.8 | 58.2 |
| KC | Wacha, Michael 3276 | 7.7 | 18.7 | 38.2 | 68.9 |
| STL | Pallante, Andre 4656 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 |
| MIN | Festa, David 5067 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 |
| MIL | Civale, Aaron 4173 | 3.7 | 9.7 | 32.1 | 32.1 |
| OAK | Sears, JP 4627 | 7.7 | 11.7 | 16.7 | 16.7 |
| NYM | Blackburn, Paul 3869 | 4.0 | 8.7 | 12.7 | 15.7 |
| SD | Musgrove, Joe 3705 | 3.0 | 10.0 | 53.5 | 63.2 |
| SF | Birdsong, Hayden 5063 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| SEA | Castillo, Luis Miguel 3840 | 10.7 | 26.8 | 65.2 | 81.6 |
| TB | Alexander, Tyler 4196 | 4.7 | 7.4 | 17.4 | 17.4 |
| LAD | Miller, Bobby 4820 | 2.0 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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