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
Brewers pitcher Tobias Myers is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2024 Box-Toppers points (BTP) through Saturday, Sept. 7:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 19.4 |
| 2 | Shota Imanaga | pi sp | Cubs | 18.7 |
| 3 | Tarik Skubal | pi sp | Tigers | 18.1 |
| 4 | Dylan Cease | pi sp | Padres | 17.4 |
| 5 | Luis Gil | pi sp | Yankees | 17.4 |
| 6 | Chris Sale | pi sp | Braves | 17.1 |
| 7 | Framber Valdez | pi sp | Astros | 14.4 |
| 8 | Bryce Miller | pi sp | Mariners | 13.7 |
| 9 | Aaron Nola | pi sp | Phillies | 13.4 |
| 10 | Bailey Ober | pi sp | Twins | 13.4 |
Myers struck out 11 over six innings, allowing one run, four hits and one walk, in the 5-2 win over the Rockies.
Myers earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 9.0 for the season, 57th among all players and 27th among National League pitchers.
American League Player of the Day
Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes struck out three over 4 1/3 scoreless and hitless innings, allowing one walk, in the 2-0 win over the Cubs.
Cortes, normally a starter, came on in relief in the fifth inning and closed the game. He picked up the win because starter Clarke Schmidt pitched 4 2/3 innings, short of the required five innings to earn the win.
Cortes earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 13.4 for the season, 11th among all players and sixth among AL pitchers.
Cortes is one of three players with 13.4 Box-Toppers points in 2024 but ranks third among them because he has the fewest 2023 Box-Toppers points. The other two players with 13.4 points:
Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola, who ranks ninth, earned 12.0 Box-Toppers points in 2023.
Twins pitcher Bailey Ober, who ranks 10th, earned 8.7 points in 2023.
Cortes, 11th, earned 2.0 points in 2023.
American League Batter of the Day
Spencer Horwitz of the Blue Jays hit two home runs, doubled and went 4-for-5, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 9-5 win over the Braves.
National League Batter of the Day
Grant McCray of the Giants hit two home runs, including a three-run shot, in the 6-3 win over the Padres. McCray went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in five runs.
This was McCray’s Box-Toppers debut, his first career Player of the Game honor. McCray made his Major League debut Aug. 14 and was playing in his 19th career game.
Saturday’s sidelights sidebar
Top pitching matchup
▪️Logan Webb, Giants10.0 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 20th among NL pitchers
▪️Dylan Cease, Padres
17.4 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 3rd among NL pitchers
Result—SF 6, SD 3
Neither starter was Player of the Game.
Webb had -9.0 B-T game score (6IP 10H 3R 2BB 3K W).
Cease had -6.0 B-T game score in loss (6IP 6H 4R 2BB 4K L).
Player of the Game—Grant McCray, Giants (2HR 2-4 2R 5BI) with +5.0 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:▪️+13.0—Bailey Ober, Twins (7IP H 0R 0BB 7K ND)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. KC, despite having the day’s highest B-T game score.
Player of the Game—Daniel Lynch, Royals (3IP H 0R 0BB 4K W) with +6.0 game score.
▪️+11.0—Logan Gilbert, Mariners (8IP 2H 2R BB 10K L)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. STL.
Player of the Game—Kyle Gibson, Cardinals (6.2IP 3H 0R 3BB 9K ND) with +9.2 game score.
▪️+8.0—Brady Basso, Athletics (6IP 3H 0R BB 6K ND)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. DET.
Player of the Game—Brant Hurter, Tigers (5.1IP 4H R BB 3K W) with +1.1 game score.
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 456 total players Saturday, 137 pitchers-14.8—Gavin Williams, Guardians (0.2IP 2H 5R 3BB 0K L vs. LAD)
-14.0—Eduardo Rodriguez, Diamondbacks
-12.9—Luis Frías, Blue Jays
-12.9—Dylan Floro, Diamondbacks
-11.8—Ty Blach, Rockies
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 319 total batters Saturday-5.0—Gunnar Henderson, Orioles 0-5 2K
-5.0—Kyle Stowers, Marlins 0-5 2K
-5.0—Luis Robert Jr., White Sox 0-5 K
-5.0—Junior Caminero, Rays 0-5 K
Box-Toppers uses Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and other sources to compile this information.
Scoring
Myers earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Cortes earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day.
Horwitz and McCray 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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2024 Box-Toppers points—AL pitchers
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) September 8, 2024
1—Tarik Skubal #Tigers 18.1
2—Luis Gil #Yankees 17.4
3—Framber Valdez #Astros 14.4
4—Bryce Miller #Mariners 13.7
5—Bailey Ober #Twins 13.4
6—Nestor Cortes #Yankees 13.4*
7—Tanner Bibee #Guardians 13.0
*Earns 1.7 B-T pts as SA’s AL Player of Day
Three pitchers among the top 10 in 2024 Box-Toppers points started Saturday. None won B-T Player of the Game honors:
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) September 8, 2024
Dylan Cease #Padres -6.0 B-T game score in loss vs. SF
Aaron Nola #Phillies -10.8 game score in loss vs. MIA.
Bailey Ober #Twins +13.0 game score in loss vs. KC
🧵 https://t.co/uPj6cesl5b
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).| 9/7 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +10.0 | MIL 5, COL 2 | Tobias Myers (W, 7‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 | |
| +9.2 | `STL 2, SEA 0 | Kyle Gibson | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | ||
| +7.0 | WSH 5, PIT 3 | DJ Herz (W, 3‑7) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | ||
| AL | +6.1 | NYY 2, CHC 0 | Nestor Cortes (W, 9‑10) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 4.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |
| +6.0 | KC 4, MIN 2 | Daniel Lynch IV (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| +5.2 | NYM 4, CIN 0 | Jose Quintana (W, 8‑9) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | ||
| BAT | +5.0 | TOR 9, ATL 5 | Spencer Horwitz 1B | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +5.0 | BOS 7, CHW 5 | Tyler O’Neill RF | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| BAT | +5.0 | SF 6, SD 3 | Grant McCray CF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +3.0 | TB 7, BAL 1 | Yandy Díaz DH | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | WSH 8, PIT 6 | Ildemaro Vargas PH‑2B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | HOU 11, ARI 5 | Jose Altuve 2B | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | TEX 6, LAA 4 | Kirby Yates (S, 28) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| +1.1 | DET 2, OAK 1 | Brant Hurter (W, 4‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||
| +1.0 | MIA 9, PHI 5 | Otto Lopez 2B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +1.0 | LAD 7, CLE 2 | Tommy Edman CF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cortes, Nestor 4160 | pi sp | nyy al | 13.4 | 15.4 | 37.8 | 37.8 | +11.4 |
| Myers, Tobias 5026 | pi sp | mil nl | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | +9.0 |
| Quintana, Jose 3040 | pi sp | nym nl | 8.0 | 8.0 | 30.8 | 91.1 | +8.0 |
| Gibson, Kyle 3312 | pi sp | stl nl | 7.4 | 16.1 | 43.2 | 69.6 | -1.3 |
| Yates, Kirby 3628 | pi cp | tex al | 6.0 | 7.0 | 14.0 | 23.0 | +5.0 |
| Herz, DJ 5032 | pi sp | dc nl | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | +5.7 |
| O’Neill, Tyler 4074 | rf dh | bos al | 4.2 | 4.2 | 22.7 | 24.7 | +4.2 |
| Altuve, Jose 3007 | 2b | hou al | 4.0 | 11.5 | 24.5 | 59.5 | -3.5 |
| Horwitz, Spencer 4922 | 2b 1b | tor al | 2.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | +1.5 |
| Hurter, Brant 5099 | pi sp mr | det al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| Lopez, Otto 5021 | 2b | fla nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| McCray, Grant 5104 | cf | sf nl | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | +1.5 |
| Diaz, Yandy 3896 | dh 1b | tb al | 1.0 | 8.0 | 17.0 | 19.7 | -6.0 |
| Edman, Tommy 4255 | ss rf cf | lad nl | 1.0 | 6.0 | 13.5 | 13.5 | -4.0 |
| Vargas, Ildemaro 3924 | 2b 3b ph | dc nl | 1.0 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 6.0 | -1.5 |
| Lynch, Daniel 4488 | pi mr sp | kc al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 10.4 | 10.4 | 0.0 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TB | Littell, Zack 4533 | 4.7 | 6.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 |
| BAL | Burnes, Corbin 4029 | 8.7 | 20.4 | 61.6 | 64.6 |
| CHW | Flexen, Chris 4368 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 15.4 | 15.4 |
| BOS | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| TOR | Rodriguez, Yariel 4979 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| ATL | Sale, Chris 2806 | 17.1 | 25.8 | 38.8 | 170.4 |
| WSH | Corbin, Patrick 3027 | 4.0 | 11.1 | 38.2 | 96.4 |
| PIT | Jones, Jared 4956 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| CIN | Aguiar, Julian* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| NYM | Severino, Luis 3567 | 6.7 | 11.4 | 21.1 | 64.9 |
| PHI | Johnson, Seth* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| MIA | Cabrera, Edward 4641 | 1.0 | 4.7 | 11.1 | 11.1 |
| COL | Freeland, Kyle 3763 | 1.0 | 6.7 | 21.7 | 40.1 |
| MIL | Peralta, Freddy 3965 | 12.4 | 30.1 | 60.2 | 68.9 |
| MIN | Woods Richardson, Simeon 4974 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
| KC | Wacha, Michael 3276 | 7.7 | 18.7 | 38.2 | 68.9 |
| SEA | Castillo, Luis Miguel 3840 | 10.7 | 26.8 | 65.2 | 81.6 |
| STL | Mikolas, Miles 3034 | 4.0 | 10.7 | 25.8 | 40.2 |
| NYY | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | 6.0 | 23.0 | 100.4 | 161.3 |
| CHC | Taillon, Jameson 3658 | 5.0 | 10.4 | 30.1 | 56.5 |
| LAA | Dana, Caden* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| TEX | Heaney, Andrew 3515 | 8.0 | 19.4 | 40.8 | 55.5 |
| DET | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| OAK | Ginn, J.T.* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| CLE | Bibee, Tanner 4792 | 13.0 | 21.7 | 21.7 | 21.7 |
| LAD | Flaherty, Jack 3971 | 11.0 | 15.0 | 43.2 | 56.3 |
| SF | Bivens, Spencer 5090 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| SD | Musgrove, Joe 3705 | 7.0 | 14.0 | 57.5 | 67.2 |
| ARI | Nelson, Ryne 4728 | 8.4 | 15.1 | 16.8 | 16.8 |
| HOU | Verlander, Justin 2112 | 2.0 | 14.4 | 68.9 | 247.0 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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