Tigers’ Hurter tops players Friday, Sept. 13; Padres’ Cease rises to 2nd in player rankings

Tigers pitcher Brant Hurter is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

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▪️ Players of the Game
▪️ B-T points of day’s top players
▪️ Top 10 players in 2024
▪️ Friday’s sidelights sidebar
▪️ Upcoming pitching matchups
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Tigers pitcher Brant Hurter is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Friday, Padres pitcher Dylan Cease rises to second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning National League Player of the Day honors.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in 2024 Box-Toppers points (BTP) through Friday, Sept. 13:
  Player Pos Team BTP
1 Zack Wheeler pi sp Phillies 20.4
2 Dylan Cease pi sp Padres 19.1
3 Shota Imanaga pi sp Cubs 18.7
4 Tarik Skubal pi sp Tigers 18.1
5 Chris Sale pi sp Braves 18.1
6 Luis Gil pi sp Yankees 17.4
7 Framber Valdez pi sp Astros 15.4
8 Nestor Cortes pi sp Yankees 14.4
9 Seth Lugo pi sp Royals 14.1
10 Bryce Miller pi sp Mariners 13.7
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Player of the Day

Hurter struck out eight over 5 2/3 scoreless and hitless innings of middle relief, walking one, in the 1-0 win over the Orioles.

Hurter came on in relief with one out in the second inning after Tigers opener Beau Brieske retired the first four batters he faced. Hurter then retired 17 straight batters, keeping a combined perfect game intact, until giving up a walk to Adley Rutschman of the Orioles to open the eighth inning. Hurter was then replaced after 71 pitches by Brenan Hanifee, who kept the combined no-hitter intact through the eighth inning, retiring all three he faced. But the no-hitter came to an end when Tigers closer Tyler Holton gave up a triple to Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles with two out in the ninth inning, the only hit allowed by the four Tigers pitchers.

Hurter earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 4.0 for the season, 234th among all players, 71st among American League pitchers and fourth among AL middle relievers.

National League Player of the Day

Padres pitcher Dylan Cease struck out 10 over six scoreless innings, allowing four hits and two walks, in the 5-0 win over the Giants.

Cease earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 19.1 for the season, rising from fifth to second place in season player rankings behind Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler (20.4). He also ranks second among NL pitchers behind Wheeler.

National League Player of the Day is Padres pitcher Dylan Cease.

National League Batter of the Day

Hunter Goodman of the Rockies hit two home runs, including a grand slam, in the 9-5 win over the Cubs. Goodman went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in seven runs.

National League Batter of the Day is Hunter Goodman of the Rockies.

American League Batter of the Day

Julio Rodriguez of the Mariners hit a three-run home run, doubled and went 4-for-5, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 5-4 win over the Rangers.

American League Batter of the Day is Julio Rodriguez of the Mariners

Debut

Athletics pitcher Michel Otanez made his Box-Toppers debut Friday with his first career Player of the Game honor.

Otanez (1.2IP 0H 0R 0BB 3K ND in the 2-0 win over the White Sox) made his Major League debut June 10 and was playing in his 31st career game.

Athletics pitcher Michel Otanez made his Box-Toppers debut Friday with his first career Player of the Game honor.

Friday’s sidelights sidebar

Top pitching matchup

▪️Dylan Cease, Padres
17.4 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 4th
▪️Logan Webb, Giants
10.0 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 22nd
Result—SD 5, SF 0
Cease was Player of the Game with +10.0 B-T game score (6IP 4H 0R 2BB 10K W).
Webb had -7.0 B-T game score in loss (4IP 7H 4R 3ER BB 4K L).
Cease earns 1.7 B-T points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 19.1 for 2024, rising to 2nd.

High scores, no points

Highest Box-Toppers game scores for the day among players who did not earn Player of the Game honors:
▪️+11.0—Edward Cabrera, Marlins (6IP H 2R 0ER BB 9K L)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. WSH.
Player of the Game—DJ Herz, Nationals (5IP 4H R BB 5K W) with +3.0 game score.
▪️+4.0—Aaron Judge, Yankees (GS 2-3 R 4BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. BOS.
Player of the Game—Teammate Luke Weaver (2IP H 0R 0BB 5K Sv) with +6.0 game score.
▪️+4.0—Brandon Marsh, Phillies (HR 1-1 R 3BI)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. NYM.
Player of the Game—Jose Quintana, Mets (7IP 3H 0R 0BB 4K W) with +8.0 game score.

Lowest Box-Toppers game scores

Out of 434 total players Friday, 127 pitchers
-17.0—Samuel Aldegheri, Angels (2IP 6H 4R 5BB 0K L vs. HOU)
-15.0—Landon Knack, Dodgers
-9.0—Victor Vodnik, Rockies
-9.0—Luis Ortiz, Pirates
-9.0—Zack Kelly, Red Sox

Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters

Out of 307 total batters Friday
-5.0—Jake Cronenworth, Padres 0-5 3K
-5.0—Michael Siani, Cardinals 0-5 2K
-4.0—Charles Leblanc, Angels 0-4 3K
-4.0—Connor Norby, Marlins 0-4 3K
-4.0—Tyler O'Neill, Red Sox 0-4 3K
-4.0—Eugenio Suárez, Diamondbacks 0-4 3K
Box-Toppers uses Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and other sources to compile this information.

Scoring

  • Hurter earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.

  • Cease earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day.

  • Goodman and Rodriguez 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.

Box-Toppers strives for accuracy. See a mistake in a post? A wrong name, wrong team, grammar error, spelling goof, etc.? Thanks for pointing it out! Contact Box-Toppers here. Let's fix it and make it right.

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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).
9/13 BTG Game Player AB R H BI   IP H R ER BB K
MLB +12.2 DET 1, BAL 0 Brant Hurter (W, 5‑1) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑   5.2 0 0 0 1 8
NL +10.0 SD 5, SF 0 Dylan Cease (W, 13‑11) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑   6.0 4 0 0 2 10
  +9.0 TB 3, CLE 1 Zack Littell (W, 7‑9) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑   6.0 2 0 0 0 5
BAT +8.0 COL 9, CHC 5 Hunter Goodman C 4 2 3 7   ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑
  +8.0 NYM 11, PHI 3 Jose Quintana (W, 9‑9) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑   7.0 3 0 0 0 4
  +7.1 KC 8, PIT 3 Alec Marsh (W, 8‑8) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑   5.1 5 1 1 2 11
  +6.0 NYY 5, BOS 4 Luke Weaver (S, 2) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑   2.0 1 0 0 0 5
  +4.2 `OAK 2, CHW 0 Michel Otañez (H, 3) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑   1.2 0 0 0 0 3
BAT +4.0 SEA 5, TEX 4 Julio Rodríguez CF 5 2 4 3   ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑
  +4.0 CIN 8, MIN 4 TJ Friedl CF 4 2 3 3   ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑
  +3.0 ATL 6, LAD 2 Jorge Soler RF 3 2 2 2   ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑
  +3.0 WSH 4, MIA 1 DJ Herz (W, 4‑7) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑   5.0 4 1 1 1 5
  +3.0 HOU 5, LAA 3 Josh Hader (S, 30) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑   1.0 0 0 0 0 2
  +3.0 `MIL 2, ARI 1 Joel Payamps (H, 18) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑   1.0 0 0 0 0 2
  +2.0 TOR 4, STL 3 (F/11) Erik Swanson (W, 2‑2) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑   1.0 0 0 0 0 1
MLB—Overall Box‑Toppers Player of the Day, worth 2.0 total Box‑Toppers points.
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 (+/-).
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Player of the Game Pos Team ’24 ’23‑24 ’19‑24 Career +/‑
Cease, Dylan 4231 pi sp sd nl 19.1 29.1 65.9 65.9 +9.1
Hader, Josh 3881 pi cp hou al 9.0 13.0 40.7 55.4 +5.0
Quintana, Jose 3040 pi sp nym nl 9.0 9.0 31.8 92.1 +9.0
Littell, Zack 4533 pi sp tb al 6.7 8.7 12.7 12.7 +4.7
Herz, DJ 5032 pi sp dc nl 6.7 6.7 6.7 6.7 +6.7
Marsh, Alec 4961 pi sp kc al 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.0 +6.0
Friedl, TJ 4720 cf cin nl 5.0 10.0 11.0 11.0 0.0
Hurter, Brant 5099 pi mr sp det al 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 +4.0
Rodriguez, Julio 4590 cf sea al 3.5 7.5 15.0 15.0 -0.5
Weaver, Luke 3719 pi cp mr nyy al 3.0 3.0 15.0 28.7 +3.0
Goodman, Hunter 5033 ca col nl 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 +3.0
Soler, Jorge 3403 dh rf atl nl 2.5 8.2 24.4 32.6 -3.2
Swanson, Erik 4131 pi mr cp sp tor al 2.0 5.0 7.7 7.7 -1.0
Payamps, Joel 4527 pi cp mr mil nl 2.0 4.0 6.0 6.0 0.0
Otanez, Michel 5109 pi mr oak al 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 +1.0
What are those numbers after players' names?
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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.
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Game Starter ’24 ’23‑24 ’19‑24 Career
BOS Bello, Brayan 4727 7.7 9.7 10.7 10.7
NYY Cole, Gerrit 3232 6.0 23.0 100.4 161.3
KC Wacha, Michael 3276 9.4 20.4 39.9 70.6
PIT Keller, Mitch 4230 11.7 24.7 31.7 31.7
STL Gibson, Kyle 3312 7.4 16.1 43.2 69.6
TOR Berrios, Jose 3791 8.7 19.1 51.2 78.0
MIA Bellozo, Valente 5082 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
WSH Corbin, Patrick 3027 4.0 11.1 38.2 96.4
NYM Severino, Luis 3567 6.7 11.4 21.1 64.9
PHI Allard, Kolby 4232 0.0 1.0 5.0 5.0
BAL Burnes, Corbin 4029 8.7 20.4 61.6 64.6
DET Undecided 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
TB Rasmussen, Drew 4547 0.0 6.7 19.8 19.8
CLE Cantillo, Joey 5106 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0
CIN Martinez, Nick 3430 6.7 14.1 19.1 25.8
MIN Woods Richardson, Simeon 4974 3.7 3.7 3.7 3.7
OAK Ginn, J.T.* 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
CHW Flexen, Chris 4368 1.7 1.7 15.4 15.4
LAD Flaherty, Jack 3971 12.0 16.0 44.2 57.3
ATL Sale, Chris 2806 18.1 26.8 39.8 171.4
CHC Taillon, Jameson 3658 6.0 11.4 31.1 57.5
COL Freeland, Kyle 3763 2.0 7.7 22.7 41.1
MIL Myers, Tobias 5026 9.0 9.0 9.0 9.0
ARI Pfaadt, Brandon 4812 9.4 13.1 13.1 13.1
SD Musgrove, Joe 3705 7.0 14.0 57.5 67.2
SF Black, Mason* 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
HOU Verlander, Justin 2112 2.0 14.4 68.9 247.0
LAA Anderson, Tyler 3656 8.0 10.0 32.4 45.4
TEX Scherzer, Max 2588 2.0 17.4 71.9 253.7
SEA Gilbert, Logan 4439 11.0 24.4 45.5 45.5
Starters subject to change.
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
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