Orioles pitcher Grayson Rodriguez is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Rodriguez struck out nine over six innings, allowing one run, four hits and one walk, in the 13-4 win over the Angels.
Read MorePadres’ Darvish tops players for Friday, Sept. 2; Blue Jays’ Manoah tops AL players
Padres pitcher Yu Darvish is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Darvish struck out nine over seven scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks, in the 7-1 win over the Dodgers.
Read MoreRays’ Kluber tops players for Wednesday, May 4, rising to 4th in player rankings
Rays pitcher Corey Kluber is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to fourth place in season player rankings.
Kluber struck out seven over six scoreless innings, allowing three hits and one walk, in the 3-0 win over the Athletics. Kluber did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the game was in a scoreless tie when he exited.
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Robbie Ray of the Blue Jays and Corbin Burnes of the Brewers were voted winners of the 2021 Cy Young Awards. They beat Box-Toppers top-ranked pitchers, Gerrit Cole of the Yankees in the American League and Max Scherzer of the Dodgers in the National League.
Ray, Burnes win 2021 Cy Young Awards over Box-Toppers leaders Cole, Scherzer
Robbie Ray of the Blue Jays and Corbin Burnes of the Brewers won 2021 Cy Young Awards over Box-Toppers’ two top-ranked pitchers for 2021.
Ray won the American League Cy Young Award after ranking second in 2021 Box-Toppers points among AL pitchers, behind Gerrit Cole of the Yankees. Burnes won the National League Cy Young Award after ranking fourth in 2021 Box-Toppers points among NL pitchers, behind Max Scherzer of the Dodgers.
Read MoreIndians’ McKenzie tops players for Saturday, Aug. 21; Yankees’ Cole extends player rankings lead
Indians pitcher Triston McKenzie is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Saturday, Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole extends his lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors. Plus, two other players rise in Box-Toppers season player rankings top 10—Dodgers pitcher Max Scherzer rises to fifth place and Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove rises to 10th place.
Read MoreYankees’ Cole tops players for Monday, Aug. 16, regaining Box-Toppers player rankings lead
Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to first in season player rankings, passing previous leader Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler.
Cole struck out nine over 5 2/3 innings, allowing one run, two hits and one walk, in the 2-1 win over the Angels.
Read MoreAstros’ Odorizzi tops players for Monday, June 21; Mets’ deGrom rises to lead player rankings
Astros pitcher Jake Odorizzi is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Meanwhile, Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom is the new Box-Toppers season player rankings leader after earning Player of the Game honors Monday. Also, two other players rose in Box-Toppers season player rankings top 10 list after earning Player of the Game honors Monday—Indians pitcher Aaron Civale rises to sixth place and Padres pitcher Yu Darvish rises to ninth.
Read MoreHow 2020 Hall of Fame candidates fared in Box-Toppers
Derek Jeter and Larry Walker were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame Tuesday.
Both received the necessary 75 percent of the vote from members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and will be inducted in the Hall in Cooperstown, N.Y., in July.
Read MoreComparing Box-Toppers All-Decade All-Star teams—2010s vs. 2000s
Comparing Box-Toppers’ All-Decade All-Star teams from the 2000s and the 2010s, a couple of interesting things stand out:
Albert Pujols was the leading batter in Box-Toppers points in both decades.
Batters overall earned precipitously fewer Box-Toppers points in the 2010s compared to the 2000s.
Box-Toppers selects six players for Hall of Fame in internet writers’ ballot
Box-Toppers votes Todd Helton, Derek Jeter, Jeff Kent,, Curt Schilling, Billy Wagner and Larry Walker into the Hall of Fame on Internet Baseball Writers of America ballot.
Read MoreRed Sox’ Sale tops players for Thursday, July 18; Nationals’ Strasburg rises to 7th in player rankings
Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Thursday, Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg rises to seventh place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after becoming the sixth pitcher this season to earn Player of the Game honors for batting. Strasburg is Thursday’s National League Player of the Day.
Plus, Alex Bregman of the Astros rises to lead American League batters in 2019 Box-Toppers points after earning AL Batter of the Day honors Thursday.
Read MoreTwins’ Devin Smeltzer tops players for Tuesday, May 28; Reds’ Dietrich tops NL players
Twins pitcher Devin Smeltzer is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, making his Major League debut.
Smeltzer struck out seven over six scoreless innings, allowing three hits and no walks, in the 5-3 win over the Brewers. Smeltzer did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the game was in a scoreless tie when he exited.
Read MoreAstros’ Verlander tops players for Sunday, Sept. 16, rises to 5th; Red Sox’ Sale rises to 3rd in Box-Toppers rankings
Astros pitcher Justin Verlander is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to fifth place in season player rankings.
Verlander also rises into the top 10 in Box-Toppers career points list (tracked since 1995) and becomes the fourth player with 20 or more points this season, reaching that milestone for the first time in six years.
Also Sunday, Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale rises to third place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors, becoming the fifth player with 20 or more points this season.
Read MoreMariners’ James Paxton tops players for Monday, July 30, rises to 5th in player rankings
Mariners pitcher James Paxton is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to fifth place in season player rankings.
Paxton struck out eight over seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits and no walks, in the 2-0 win over the Astros.
Read MoreCardinals’ Matt Carpenter tops players for Friday, July 20; Mariners’ LeBlanc tops AL players
Matt Carpenter of the Cardinals is Box-Toppers Player of the Day for games played Friday, July 20.
Carpenter hit three homers, two doubles and went 5-for-5, scoring four time and driving in seven runs, in the 18-5 win over the Cubs. Carpenter’s Box-Toppers of +11.0 Friday is the second highest of the season, behind only the +13.0 game score recorded July 7 by Mark Reynolds of the Nationals.
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In 2017, Clayton Kershaw has become new leader among active players in career Box-Toppers points, rising to 3rd on the ‘all-time’ top 100 list
During the 2017 season, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw has taken the lead among active players in career Box-Toppers points, rising to third place on Box-Toppers’ “all-time” top 100 players list.
Kershaw has 205.8 career Box-Toppers points, third-most among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. Kershaw leads all players with 22.1 points in 2017.
Read MoreCubs' John Lackey rises to 9th in player rankings Tuesday; Astros' Altuve retakes Box-Toppers points lead among AL batters
Cubs pitcher John Lackey is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to ninth in season player rankings.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of Aug. 9:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 20.0 |
| 2 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 18.7 |
| 3 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 16.4 |
| 4 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 16.2 |
| 5 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 14.4 |
| 6 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 14.1 |
| 7 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 14.1 |
| 8 | Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 13.4 |
| 9 | Lackey, John 1640 | pi sp | chi nl | 12.4 |
| 10 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 11.7 |
Also Tuesday, Jose Altuve of the Astros retakes the Box-Toppers points lead among American League batters after earning AL Batter of the Day honors.
Player of the Day—Lackey allowed one run over eight innings, giving up three hits and one walk, striking out six, in the 5-1 win over the Angels.
Lackey earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 12.4 for the season. Cubs pitchers now occupy the eighth, ninth and 10th place spots in Box-Toppers season player rankings:
- 8. Jon Lester, 13.4 Box-Toppers points
- 9. Lackey, 12.4
- 10. Jake Arrieta, 11.7
Lackey rises to seventh place among National League pitchers in Box-Toppers points.
Lackey also rises to 40th place in career Box-Toppers points since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Tuesday, Lackey now has 120.2 Box-Toppers points, passing Cliff Lee (119.1) on the “all-time” list and now trails 39th-ranked player Gary Sheffield (124.1).
Lackey had a Box-Toppers game score Tuesday of +8.0, the same as Marlins pitcher Tom Koehler, Player of the Game in the 2-0 win over the Giants (7IP 2H 0R 3BB 6K W). But Lackey held the tiebreaker, winning overall Player of the Day, because he pitched more innings—eight vs. seven.
American League Player of the Day—Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing four hits, walking two and striking out four, in the 3-1 win over the Nationals.
Nationals’ starting pitcher in the game, Max Scherzer (18.7 Box-Toppers points), had a chance to pass season player rankings leader, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (20.0). While Scherzer’s Box-Toppers game score of +10 (7IP 3H 2R ER BB 10K) was high enough to earn him Player of the Day honors Tuesday, he did not earn Player of the Game honors because the Nationals did not win and Scherzer himself picked up the loss, his seventh of the season (12-7).
American League Batter of the Day—Jose Altuve of the Astros went 4-for-4, scoring twice and driving in a run, in the 7-5 win over the Twins.
Altuve earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 11.5 for the season, rising to 11th place in season player rankings and first among AL batters, passing previous leader Manny Machado of the Orioles (10.2). Machado had just retaken the AL batting lead from Altuve on Sunday.
National League Batter of the Day—Howie Kendrick of the Dodgers homered, doubled and went 2-for-4, driving in three runs, in the 9-3 win over the Phillies.
Notable—Adrian Beltre of the Rangers rises to 56th place in career Box-Toppers points since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began, after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday.
Beltre (2B 2-4 R 2BI in the 7-5 win over the Rockies) now has 108.3 career Box-Toppers points and passes two players on the “all-time” list—Lance Berkman (108.1) and Kevin Millwood (108.3). He trails 55th-ranked player Billy Wagner (108.7).
Beltre has 6.5 Box-Toppers points for the season, 14th among AL batters.
Debut—Athletics pitcher Zach Neal made his Box-Toppers debut Tuesday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Neal (5.1IP 2H R 0BB K W in the 2-1 win over the Orioles) made his Major League debut May 11 and was playing in his 12th career game. He is the 3,700th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Lackey earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Bauer earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Altuve and Kendrick each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Tuesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) 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.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 8/9 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 8.0 | CHC 5, LAA 1 | John Lackey (W, 9-7) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| 8.0 | MIA 2, SF 0 | Tom Koehler (W, 9-8) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | ||
| AL | 4.1 | CLE 3, WSH 1 | Trevor Bauer (W, 8-5) | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
| 4.0 | TB 9, TOR 2 | Erasmo Ramirez (S, 1) | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | HOU 7, MIN 5 | Jose Altuve (2B) | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.1 | OAK 2, BAL 1 | Zach Neal (W, 2-1) | - | - | - | - | 5.1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2.0 | BOS 5, NYY 3 | Dustin Pedroia (2B) | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 2.0 | LAD 9, PHI 3 | Howie Kendrick (LF) | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | CIN 7, STL 4 | Billy Hamilton (CF) | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | ATL 2, MIL 1 | Mauricio Cabrera (S, 3) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.1 | CHW 7, KC 5 (10) | Dan Jennings (S, 1) | - | - | - | - | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.0 | SEA 6, DET 5 (15) | Kyle Seager (3B) | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | PIT 6, SD 4 | David Freese (3B) | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | TEX 7, COL 5 | Adrian Beltre (3B) | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | ARI 5, NYM 3 | Paul Goldschmidt (1B) | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Box-Toppers point totals of the day’s top players
Here are Box-Toppers point totals of each of the Players of the Game. Players are ranked by their Box-Toppers point total for the current season (16). Also shown are each players’ Box-Toppers point total for this season and last (15-16), the period 2011-2016 (11-16) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2016 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2015 total (+/-).| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Lackey, John 1640 | pi sp | chi nl | 12.4 | 22.1 | 41.8 | 120.2 | 2.7 |
| Altuve, Jose 3007 | 2b | hou al | 11.5 | 18.5 | 28.0 | 28.0 | 4.5 |
| Bauer, Trevor 3065 | pi sp | cle al | 9.4 | 18.8 | 27.5 | 27.5 | 0.0 |
| Beltre, Adrian 1141 | 3b | tex al | 6.5 | 19.0 | 44.9 | 108.3 | -6.0 |
| Seager, Kyle 3031 | 3b | sea al | 6.0 | 11.0 | 25.0 | 25.0 | 1.0 |
| Koehler, Tom 3159 | pi sp | fla nl | 5.0 | 9.0 | 17.0 | 17.0 | 1.0 |
| Ramirez, Erasmo 1786 | pi sp mr cp | tb al | 3.7 | 10.7 | 12.7 | 14.7 | -3.3 |
| Kendrick, Howie 2191 | 2b lf | lad nl | 3.0 | 7.0 | 19.0 | 33.0 | -1.0 |
| Cabrera, Mauricio 3689 | pi cp mr | atl nl | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Goldschmidt, Paul 2935 | 1b | ari nl | 2.5 | 12.7 | 37.9 | 37.9 | -7.7 |
| Hamilton, Billy 3287 | cf | cin nl | 2.0 | 4.0 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 0.0 |
| Pedroia, Dustin 2320 | 2b | bos al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 22.4 | 34.5 | 2.0 |
| Freese, David 2710 | 1b 3b | pit nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 22.2 | 24.2 | 2.0 |
| Jennings, Dan 3591 | pi cp | chi al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| Neal, Zach 3700 | pi sp | oak al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Mariners' Iwakuma tops players for Wednesday, Aug. 3; Nationals' Scherzer edges closer to Kershaw's lead
Mariners pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of Aug. 3:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 20.0 |
| 2 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 18.7 |
| 3 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 16.4 |
| 4 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 14.5 |
| 5 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 14.4 |
| 6 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 14.1 |
| 7 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 14.1 |
| 8 | Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 12.4 |
| 9 | Bumgarner, Madison 2753 | pi sp | sf nl | 11.0 |
| 10 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym nl | 11.0 |
Also Wednesday, Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer, ranked second among players in Box-Toppers points this season, got within striking distance of overall leader, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, after earning National League Player of the Day honors.
Player of the Day—Iwakuma pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings, striking out seven and allowing five hits and no walks, in the 3-1 win over the Red Sox.
National League Player of the Day—Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer struck out 11 over eight innings, allowing three runs, four hits and one walk, in the 8-3 win over the Diamondbacks.
Scherzer earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 18.7 for the season, maintaining second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings. With his points Wednesday, he now has the chance to pass overall leader, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (20.0 Box-Toppers points) on his next start.
Scherzer’s 1.3-point gap behind Kershaw is the closest any player has been to the leader since May 22, when Kershaw had 10.0 Box-Toppers points and Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta trailed him in second place with 8.7 (Arrieta now has 10.7 points, 11th among all players). Kershaw has led all players since May 7, but last earned Box-Toppers points on June 20 before going on the disabled list June 27. On Wednesday, he was retroactively placed on the 60-day disabled list, eligible to return Aug. 27.
Scherzer also now has 124.7 career Box-Toppers points, ranked 37th among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Wednesday, he passes Gary Sheffield (124.1) on the “all-time” list and now trails 36th-ranked player, Angels pitcher Jered Weaver (125.1).
American League Batter of the Day—Joe Mauer of the Twins hit two doubles and tripled, going 4-for-5, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 13-5 win over the Indians.
This was Mauer’s first Player of the Game honor in 2016 and he has now earned Box-Toppers points in 13 straight seasons, all with the Twins. He earned his first points in 2004 and has 70.6 career points, 11th among active AL batters. His best season was 2008 when he had 9.5 Box-Toppers points, eighth among AL batters. In 2015, he had 2.5 points.
National League Batter of the Day—Yangervis Solarte of the Padres homered, doubled and went 3-for-5, scoring four times and driving in three runs, in the 12-3 win over the Brewers.
Notable—Besides Scherzer, two other players with more than 100 career Box-Toppers points earned Player of the Game honors Wednesday:
- Albert Pujols of the Angels (HR 2B 3-5 2R 3BI in the 8-6 win over the Athletics) now has 181.3 career Box-Toppers points, ranked sixth among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began (see updated list of the overall top 20 players in career points). He now trails fifth-place player, Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia (182.0), by only 0.7 points. Pujols has 7.0 Box-Toppers points for the season, 10th among AL batters.
- Cubs pitcher John Lackey (7IP 7H 3R 0BB 8K ND in the 5-4 win over the Marlins) rises to 40th place in career Box-Toppers points (118.2) among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He passes two players on the “all-time” list, Barry Zito (117.4) and Carlos Delgado (117.7) and now trails 39th-ranked player Cliff Lee (119.1). Lackey also becomes the 19th player this season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points—he has 10.4 and ranks 14th among all players, 10th among NL pitchers.
Streak—Ryan Howard has now earned Box-Toppers points in 12 straight seasons—all with the Phillies—after earning his first Player of the Game honor of the season Wednesday.
Howard (HR 3-4 R BI in the 5-4, 12-inning win over the Giants) earned his first points in 2005 and has 97.7 career points, second among active NL batters, trailing Matt Holliday of the Cardinals (97.8) by 0.1 point. Howard’s best season was 2009 when he had 15.4 points, third among NL batters. In 2015, he had 5.5 points.
Scoring—Iwakuma earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Scherzer earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Mauer and Solarte each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) 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.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 8/3 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 9.1 | SEA 3, BOS 1 | Hisashi Iwakuma (W,12-7) | - | - | - | - | 7.1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |
| NL | 8.0 | WSH 8, ARI 3 | Max Scherzer (W,12-6) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 11 | |
| 8.0 | TOR 3, HOU 1 | Marco Estrada (W,7-4) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | ||
| 8.0 | TB 12, KC 0 | Jake Odorizzi (W,6-5) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 6.1 | NYY 9, NYM 5 | Luis Severino (W,1-6) | - | - | - | - | 4.1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | MIN 13, CLE 5 | Joe Mauer, 1B | 5 | 2 | 4 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 5.0 | SD 12, MIL 3 | Yangervis Solarte, 3B | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | COL 12, LAD 2 | Nolan Arenado, 3B | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.1 | DET 2, CHW 1 | Shane Greene (W,2-2) | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | LAA 8, OAK 6 | Albert Pujols, DH | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | ATL 8, PIT 4 | Ender Inciarte, CF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | BAL 3, TEX 2 | Kevin Gausman (W,3-8) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | ||
| 2.0 | `CHC 5, MIA 4 | John Lackey | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 1.0 | PHI 5, SF 4 (12) | Ryan Howard, 1B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | STL 5, CIN 4 | Brandon Moss, 1B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||
Box-Toppers point totals of the day’s top players
Here are Box-Toppers point totals of each of the Players of the Game. Players are ranked by their Box-Toppers point total for the current season (16). Also shown are each players’ Box-Toppers point total for this season and last (15-16), the period 2011-2016 (11-16) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2016 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2015 total (+/-).| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 18.7 | 39.7 | 104.3 | 124.7 | -2.3 |
| Lackey, John 1640 | pi sp | chi nl | 10.4 | 20.1 | 39.8 | 118.2 | 0.7 |
| Estrada, Marco 2847 | pi sp | tor al | 7.0 | 15.0 | 39.1 | 39.1 | -1.0 |
| Pujols, Albert 1438 | dh 1b | ana al | 7.0 | 14.0 | 44.0 | 181.3 | 0.0 |
| Arenado, Nolan 3306 | 3b | col nl | 6.5 | 15.0 | 16.5 | 16.5 | -2.0 |
| Gausman, Kevin 3191 | pi sp | bal al | 5.4 | 11.1 | 18.8 | 18.8 | -0.3 |
| Odorizzi, Jake 3291 | pi sp | tb al | 4.7 | 13.4 | 24.4 | 24.4 | -4.0 |
| Iwakuma, Hisashi 3048 | pi sp | sea al | 4.0 | 17.1 | 52.2 | 52.2 | -9.1 |
| Solarte, Yangervis 3304 | 3b | sd nl | 3.0 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | -2.0 |
| Greene, Shane 3381 | pi sp | det al | 3.0 | 6.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 0.0 |
| Moss, Brandon 2520 | rf lf 1b | stl nl | 2.5 | 7.5 | 23.5 | 25.5 | -2.5 |
| Mauer, Joe 1869 | 1b | min al | 1.5 | 4.0 | 26.0 | 70.6 | -1.0 |
| Howard, Ryan 2040 | 1b | phi nl | 1.0 | 6.5 | 31.4 | 97.7 | -4.5 |
| Inciarte, Ender 3360 | cf | atl nl | 1.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | -2.0 |
| Severino, Luis 3567 | pi mr sp | nyy al | 1.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | -2.0 |
Clayton Kershaw rockets up ‘All-Time' Top 100 list, earning 36.7 Box-Toppers points since last year's All-Star break
Dodgers pitcher Kershaw has earned more Box-Toppers points in past year (36.7) than the 33.7 Randy Johnson earned in his record breaking single seasons (2000 and 2002).
Read MoreNationals' Max Scherzer tops players for Saturday, July 9, rises to 3rd in Box-Toppers rankings
Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to third in season player rankings.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of July 9:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 20.0 |
| 2 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 14.4 |
| 3 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 14.0 |
| 4 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 13.4 |
| 5 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 12.5 |
| 6 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 10.7 |
| 7 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 10.7 |
| 8 | Salazar, Danny 3223 | pi sp | cle al | 10.5 |
| 9 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 10.4 |
| 10 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 10.4 |
Scherzer struck out nine over seven innings, allowing one run, three hits and two walks, in the 6-1 win over the Mets.
Scherzer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 14.0 for the season, rising from fifth to third in player rankings, behind two other National League pitchers, Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers (20.0) and Jose Fernandez of the Marlins (14.4).
Scherzer also now has 120.0 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 38th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He passes Cliff Lee (119.1) on the “all-time” list and now trails 37th-ranked player Gary Sheffield (124.1).
In addition, Scherzer ranks third among all players in Box-Toppers points since the start of 2015 with 35.0, trailing Kershaw (45.7) and Jake Arrieta of the Cubs (39.8). He ranks second among all players in Box-Toppers points since the start of 2011 with 99.6, behind only Kershaw (145.8).
American League Player of the Day—Yankees closing pitcher Aroldis Chapman pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing no runs or hits and striking out four, in the 7-6, 11-inning win over the Indians.
National League Batter of the Day—Josh E. Bell of the Pirates hit a pinch-hit grand slam in the 12-6 win over the Cubs.
This was Bell’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Bell made his Major League debut July 8 and was playing in his second career game. He is the 3,682nd player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
American League Batter of the Day—Stephen Vogt of the Athletics homered, doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 3-2 win over the Astros.
Debut—Cheslor Cuthbert of the Royals made his Box-Toppers debut Saturday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Cuthbert (2B 2-4 R 2BI in the 5-3 win over the Mariners) made his Major League debut July 7, 2015, and was playing in his 74th career game. He is the 3,683rd player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Scherzer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Chapman earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Bell and Vogt each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Saturday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) 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.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 7/9 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 10.0 | DC 6/NYM 1 | Max Scherzer (W,10-6) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9 | |
| 6.0 | STL 8/MIL 1 | Carlos Martinez (W,8-6) | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 11 | ||
| AL | 5.1 | NYY 7/CLE 6 | Aroldis Chapman (W,3-0) | - | - | - | - | 2.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| BAT | 5.0 | PIT 12/CHC 6 | Josh Bell, PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | MIN 8/TEX 6 | Eddie Rosario, LF | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | BOS 4/TB 1 | Rick Porcello (W,11-2) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 3.2 | MIA 4/CIN 2 | Adam Conley (W,6-5) | - | - | - | - | 5.2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | OAK 3/HOU 2 | Stephen Vogt, C | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | COL 8/PHI 3 | Tony Wolters, C | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | `DET 3/TOR 2 | Matt Boyd | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 3.0 | LAD 4/SD 3 | Kenley Jansen (S,26) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.1 | SF 4/ARI 2 | George Kontos (W,2-1) | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2.0 | CHW 5/ATL 4 | Todd Frazier, 3B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | KC 5/SEA 3 | Cheslor Cuthbert, 3B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | BAL 3/LAA 2 | Brad Brach (W,6-1) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||
Box-Toppers point totals of the day’s top players
Here are Box-Toppers point totals of each of the Players of the Game. Players are ranked by their Box-Toppers point total for the current season (16). Also shown are each players’ Box-Toppers point total for this season and last (15-16), the period 2011-2016 (11-16) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2016 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2015 total (+/-).| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 14.0 | 35.0 | 99.6 | 120.0 | -7.0 |
| Conley, Adam 3594 | pi sp | fla nl | 6.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 3.7 |
| Martinez, Carlos 3371 | pi sp | stl nl | 4.7 | 18.4 | 19.4 | 19.4 | -9.0 |
| Chapman, Aroldis 2826 | pi cp | nyy al | 4.7 | 12.7 | 42.7 | 43.7 | -3.3 |
| Frazier, Todd 2929 | 3b | chi al | 4.2 | 13.1 | 27.1 | 27.1 | -4.7 |
| Porcello, Rick 2573 | pi sp | bos al | 4.0 | 8.0 | 29.7 | 38.7 | 0.0 |
| Jansen, Kenley 2871 | pi cp | lad nl | 4.0 | 8.0 | 34.4 | 34.4 | 0.0 |
| Vogt, Stephen 3503 | ca 1b | oak al | 2.5 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 0.0 |
| Wolters, Tony 3668 | ca | col nl | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Brach, Brad 3374 | pi mr | bal al | 2.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | -1.0 |
| Kontos, George 3106 | pi cp mr | sf nl | 2.0 | 4.0 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 0.0 |
| Bell, Josh E. 2789 | ph | pit nl | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Rosario, Eddie 3542 | lf | min al | 1.0 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | -0.5 |
| Boyd, Matt 3550 | pi sp | det al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| Cuthbert, Cheslor 3683 | 3b | kc al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |