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
▪️ Saturday’s sidelights sidebar
▪️ Upcoming pitching matchups
▪️ Subscribe to newsletter
▪️ Support Box-Toppers
Blue Jays pitcher Bowden Francis is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Francis struck out 12 over eight innings, allowing one run, one hit and three walks, in the 3-1 win over the Angels.
Francis was pitching a no-hitter until giving up a home run to Taylor Ward to open the ninth inning. Francis threw 117 pitches.
Francis earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 5.7 for the season, 114th among all players and 46th among American League pitchers.
National League Player of the Day
Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen struck out nine over six scoreless innings, allowing two hits and four walks, in the 4-1 win over the Red Sox.
Gallen earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 7.7 for the season, 62nd among all players and 29th among NL pitchers.
National League Batter of the Day
J.T. Realmuto of the Phillies hit two three-run home runs and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in seven runs, in the 11-2 win over the Royals.
Realmuto earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 5.5 for the season, 14th among NL batters.
American League Batter of the Day
Jhonkensy Noel of the Guardians hit a three-run home run, doubled and went 3-for-5, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 13-5 win over the Rangers.
Noel earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 5.0 for the season, 16th among AL batters.
Notable
Twins pitcher Pablo Lopez has the most 2024 Box-Toppers points among the 15 who earned Player of the Game honors Saturday.
Lopez (7IP 4H 0R BB 9K W in the 6-0 win over the Cardinals) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.7 for the season, 23rd among all players and 13th among AL pitchers.
Lopez becomes the 34th player this season to reach 10 Box-Toppers points. It is his third and third straight season with 10 or more points. His best season was 2023 with the Twins, when he had 13.4 points, 10th among AL pitchers.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2024 Box-Toppers points (BTP) through Saturday, Aug. 24:| 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 |
Also notable
Reds pitcher Casey Kelly earns his first Box-Toppers Player of the Game honor in nearly 12 years Saturday.
Kelly (3IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K Sv in the 10-2 win over the Pirates) last earned Player of the Game honors Aug. 27, 2012, when he was with the Padres. That game was not only his Box-Toppers debut, it was his regular season Major League debut, his first career game. Saturday was his 27th career game and his first Major League game in nearly six years. He last appeared Sept. 26, 2018, when he was with the Giants.
After earning his only previous Player of the Game honor, Kelly, now 34, was out of baseball in 2013 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. From 2014 to 2018, he was with the Padres, Cubs, Braves and Giants before playing in Korea from 2019 to 2023.
While Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995, the Box-Toppers.com website only goes back to 2013, so we can’t link back to the narrative of Kelly’s last Player of the Game honor. I don’t have a way of quickly verifying it, but the gap of nearly 12 years between Player of the Game honors certainly feels like a record.
Saturday’s sidelights sidebar
Top pitching matchup
▪️Blake Snell, Giants9.0 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 45th
▪️George Kirby, Mariners
11.7 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 11th
Result—SF 4, SEA 3
Neither starter was Player of the Game.
Snell had -2.0 B-T game score (3IP 0H 2R 6BB 5K ND).
Kirby had -8.8 B-T game score in loss (4.2IP 9H 3R BB 3K L).
Player of the Game—Spencer Bivens, Giants (3IP 2H 0R 0BB 2K W) with +3.0 B-T 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:▪️+5.0—Trevor Larnach, Twins (2HR 3-4 2R 4BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. STL.
Player of the Game—Teammate Pablo López (7IP 4H 0R BB 9K W) with +11.0 game score.
▪️+4.0—Elly De La Cruz, Reds (2B 3-4 3R 2BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. PIT.
Player of the Game—Teammate Casey Kelly (3IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K Sv) with +5.0 game score.
▪️+4.0—Michael Toglia, Rockies (HR 2-3 4R BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. NYY.
Player of the Game—Teammate Jake Cave (HR 2B 4-5 2R 3BI) with +4.0 game score. (Though Cave and Toglia both had +4.0 game scores, Cave won Player of the Game honors because he had more at bats—five vs. three.)
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 443 total players Saturday, 124 pitchers-18.9—Jake Woodford, Pirates (3.1IP 7H 8R 7ER 3BB 3K L vs. CIN)
-18.0—Jon Gray, Rangers
-17.8—Valente Bellozo, Marlins
-15.0—Ky Bush, White Sox
-13.9—Emmanuel Ramirez, Marlins
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 319 total batters Saturday-5.0—Freddie Freeman, Dodgers 0-5 K
-5.0—Alec Bohm, Phillies 0-5
-5.0—Charlie Blackmon, Rockies 0-5 K BB
-5.0—Isaac Paredes, Cubs 1-6 K
-4.0—Triston Casas, Red Sox 0-4 4K
-4.0—Kevin Pillar, Angels 0-4 4K
Box-Toppers uses Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and other sources to compile this information.
Debut
Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Saturday, each with their first career Player of the Game honor:
Junior Caminero of the Rays (HR 3-5 3R 2BI in the 9-8, 10-inning win over the Dodgers) made his Major League debut Sept. 23, 2023, and was playing in his 18th career game.
Giants pitcher Spencer Bivens (3IP 2H 0R 0BB 2K W in the 4-3 win over the Mariners) made his Major League debut June 16 and was playing in his 16th career game.
Scoring
Francis earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Gallen earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day.
Realmuto and Noel each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day.
All of Saturday’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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Two players in top 10 in Box-Toppers points for 2024 started Saturday, but neither won Player of the Game honors:
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) August 25, 2024
• Tarik Skubal #Tigers -1.0 B-T game score in win vs. CHW
• Shota Imanaga #Cubs 0.0 B-T game score in win vs. MIA.
🧵 https://t.co/9jW8eIbso0
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).| 8/24 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +14.0 | TOR 3, LAA 1 | Bowden Francis (W, 7‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 8.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 12 | |
| +11.0 | MIN 6, STL 0 | Pablo López (W, 12‑8) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | ||
| NL | +9.0 | ARI 4, BOS 1 | Zac Gallen (W, 10‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 | |
| BAT | +7.0 | PHI 11, KC 2 | J.T. Realmuto C | 5 | 2 | 3 | 7 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +5.0 | CHC 14, MIA 2 | Seiya Suzuki RF | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +5.0 | CIN 10, PIT 2 | Casey Kelly (S, 1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +4.0 | COL 9, NYY 2 | Jake Cave RF | 5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| BAT | +4.0 | CLE 13, TEX 5 | Jhonkensy Noel RF | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.0 | NYM 7, SD 1 | Francisco Lindor SS | 5 | 2 | 2 | 5 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | DET 13, CHW 4 | Jake Rogers C | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | TB 9, LAD 8 (F/10) | Junior Caminero 3B | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | MIL 9, OAK 5 | Jake Bauers 1B | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | BAL 3, HOU 2 | Jackson Holliday PH‑2B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | SF 4, SEA 3 | Spencer Bivens (W, 3‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 3.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +1.1 | ATL 4, WSH 2 | Aaron Bummer (W, 4‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lopez, Pablo 4028 | pi sp | min al | 10.7 | 24.1 | 56.2 | 57.9 | -2.7 |
| Lindor, Francisco 3586 | ss | nym nl | 9.4 | 13.4 | 28.1 | 49.2 | +5.4 |
| Gallen, Zac 4171 | pi sp | ari nl | 7.7 | 24.4 | 58.8 | 58.8 | -9.0 |
| Francis, Bowden 5034 | pi sp | tor al | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | +5.7 |
| Realmuto, J.T. 3491 | ca | phi nl | 5.5 | 8.0 | 31.2 | 51.2 | +3.0 |
| Suzuki, Seiya 4924 | rf | chi nl | 5.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | +4.0 |
| Noel, Jhonkensy 5061 | rf | cle al | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | +5.0 |
| Bauers, Jake 3993 | 1b lf | mil nl | 3.5 | 6.0 | 12.5 | 18.0 | +1.0 |
| Cave, Jake 3992 | rf ph | col nl | 2.5 | 2.5 | 7.0 | 9.0 | +2.5 |
| Holliday, Jackson 5074 | 2b ph | bal al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| Bummer, Aaron 3880 | pi mr | atl nl | 1.0 | 2.7 | 4.7 | 5.7 | -0.7 |
| Rogers, Jake 4435 | ca | det al | 1.0 | 2.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | -0.5 |
| Kelly, Casey 3104 | pi cp sp | cin nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | +1.0 |
| Bivens, Spencer 5090 | pi mr | sf nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
| Caminero, Junior 5089 | 3b | tb 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 Sunday’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WSH | Herz, DJ 5032 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| ATL | Lopez, Reynaldo 3712 | 9.8 | 10.8 | 31.3 | 39.0 |
| ARI | Kelly, Merrill 4143 | 1.0 | 14.0 | 40.0 | 40.0 |
| BOS | Houck, Tanner 4342 | 11.4 | 13.4 | 25.1 | 25.1 |
| CIN | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| PIT | Ortiz, Luis 4738 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| COL | Gomber, Austin 3985 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 18.0 | 22.7 |
| NYY | Stroman, Marcus 3327 | 3.0 | 10.7 | 34.4 | 65.2 |
| LAA | Anderson, Tyler 3656 | 8.0 | 10.0 | 32.4 | 45.4 |
| TOR | Gausman, Kevin 3191 | 7.0 | 25.7 | 56.1 | 95.1 |
| CHC | Assad, Javier 4899 | 6.0 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 |
| MIA | Oller, Adam 4719 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| TEX | Bradford, Cody 4938 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| CLE | Boyd, Matthew 3550 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 10.0 | 29.8 |
| DET | Brieske, Beau 4680 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
| CHW | Cannon, Jonathan 5036 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| PHI | Allard, Kolby 4232 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| KC | Lugo, Seth 3729 | 12.1 | 18.5 | 27.5 | 36.5 |
| STL | Fedde, Erick 4065 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 23.5 | 25.2 |
| MIN | Matthews, Zebby* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| MIL | Montas, Frankie 3803 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 36.5 | 39.5 |
| OAK | Estes, Joey 5000 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| NYM | Quintana, Jose 3040 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 29.8 | 90.1 |
| SD | Perez, Martin 3213 | 4.7 | 9.4 | 22.2 | 39.2 |
| SF | Ray, Robbie 3502 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 45.5 | 79.9 |
| SEA | Woo, Bryan 4842 | 8.7 | 17.4 | 17.4 | 17.4 |
| TB | Lopez, Jacob | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| LAD | Stone, Gavin 4942 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 |
| HOU | Kikuchi, Yusei 4136 | 7.7 | 17.7 | 35.1 | 35.1 |
| BAL | Kremer, Dean 4330 | 7.7 | 17.4 | 28.8 | 28.8 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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