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The Los Angeles Dodgers are the top-ranked team in Box-Toppers’ 2022 preseason rankings. They also ended 2021 as Box-Toppers’ top-ranked team.
Meanwhile, the New York Mets made the biggest offseason improvement in players’ accumulated Box-Toppers points, while the Oakland Athletics saw the biggest decline.
Read MoreIn three league division series playoff games Monday, these are Box-Toppers Player of the Game winners: Braves pitcher Ian Anderson, Giants pitcher Alex Wood and Red Sox pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez.
Read MoreRed Sox pitcher Nick Pivetta and Leury Garcia of the White Sox are Box-Toppers Player of the Game winners in Sunday’s pair of American League Division Series games.
Read More
The New York Yankees are the top-ranked team in Box-Toppers’ 2020 preseason rankings, rising from fifth place at the end of the 2019 season.
The 2019 World Series-champion Washington Nationals, ranked second at the end of 2019, maintain second place in the 2020 preseason rankings.
Meanwhile, the Toronto Blue Jays made the biggest offseason improvement in players’ accumulated Box-Toppers points, while the Houston Astros—2019’s top-ranked team and American League champion—had the biggest decline.
Read MoreThe Boston Red Sox hold nearly all the advantages over the Houston Astros in the coming American League Championship Series.
But the Astros are the defending World Series champions and return in 2018 with a largely unchanged roster and even more wins than they had last season (103 vs. 101).
Read MoreBrock Holt of the Red Sox was one of three Box-Toppers Player of the Game honorees in Monday’s three league Division Series games.
Holt hit for the cycle, going 4-for-5, scoring three times and driving in five runs, as the Red Sox beat the Yankees in Game 3 of the American League Division Series.
Read MoreMets pitcher Jacob deGrom is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to sixth place in season player rankings.
deGrom struck out 10 over 7 2/3 innings, allowing one run, five hits and one walk, in the 4-2 win over the Nationals.
Read More3 of 4 major postseason award winners are among Box-Toppers top-ranked pitchers or batters on their teams. The exception: AL Cy Young Rick Porcello, who ranks 6th among Red Sox players.
Read More
Giants pitcher Ty Blach is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 25.7 |
| 2 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 24.4 |
| 3 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | died* | 22.4 |
| 4 | Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 22.1 |
| 5 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 21.2 |
| 6 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 17.8 |
| 7 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym nl | 16.7 |
| 8 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 16.4 |
| 9 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 15.7 |
| 10 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 15.1 |
Also Saturday, Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer secured Box-Toppers Player of the Year honors for 2016 after Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw failed to earn Box-Toppers points in his team’s loss Saturday against the Giants. Scherzer, who starts Sunday, has 25.7 Box-Toppers points. Kershaw finishes second with 24.4.
In addition Saturday, Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon rises to 20th place in career Box-Toppers points (since 1995) after earning Player of the Game honors.
Player of the Day—Blach pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing three hits, one walk and striking out six, in the 3-0 win over the Dodgers.
This was Blach’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Blach made his Major League debut Sept. 5 and was playing in his fourth career game. He is the 3,754th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
American League Player of the Day—Rays pitcher Jake Odorizzi struck out eight over six innings, allowing one run, three hits and no walks, in the 4-1 win over the Rangers.
American League Batter of the Day—Joey Wendle of the Athletics doubled and went 4-for-5, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 9-8, 10-inning win over the Mariners.
This was Wendle’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Wendle made his Major League debut Aug. 31 and was playing in his 27th career game. He is the 3,756th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
National League Batter of the Day—Eugenio Suarez of the Reds hit a two-run homer and went 1-for-2, driving in three runs, in the 7-4 win over the Cubs.
Rankings—Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw had a chance to take the Box-Toppers season points lead on the next-to-last day of the season Saturday if he earned NL Player of the Day or overall Player of the Day. But Kershaw did not earn points as the Dodgers lost to the Giants, 3-0.
Kershaw (7IP 6H 3R BB 4K L) had a Box-Toppers game score of −1.0. Player of the Game was overall Player of the Day, Giants pitcher Ty Blach.
Kershaw finishes the season with 24.4 Box-Toppers points, the second year in a row he finishes second. In 2015, he had 25.7 points, behind leader Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta (29.1). Previously, Kershaw led NL pitchers for four straight seasons (2011-2014) and led all players in three seasons (2011, 2013 and 2014).
Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer, who took the season lead from Kershaw on Aug. 25, will end the season atop Box-Toppers season player rankings for the first time in his career. He has 25.7 Box-Toppers points and has a chance to earn up to 2.0 more Sunday in his start against the Marlins.
This will be the second time Scherzer has ended the season as a Box-Toppers category leader. In 2013, Scherzer, then with the Tigers, led AL pitchers in points with 18.1. (He finished fifth in 2013 in overall points when Kershaw led with 21.7.)
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Randy Johnson | pi sp | retired | 278.8 |
| 2 | Pedro Martinez | pi sp | retired | 244.8 |
| 3 | Curt Schilling | pi sp | retired | 194.1 |
| 4 | Alex Rodriguez | dh | released | 187.0 |
| 5 | CC Sabathia | pi sp | nyy al | 185.0 |
| 6 | Clayton Kershaw | pi sp | lad nl | 183.7 |
| 7 | Albert Pujols | 1b dh | ana al | 182.3 |
| 8 | Roy Halladay | pi sp | retired | 170.7 |
| 9 | Felix Hernandez | pi sp | sea al | 168.7 |
| 10 | Manny Ramirez | lf dh | retired | 167.2 |
| 11 | Johan Santana | pi sp | free agent | 166.6 |
| 12 | Roger Clemens | pi sp | retired | 164.8 |
| 13 | John Smoltz | pi sp | retired | 160.9 |
| 14 | Tim Hudson | pi sp | retired | 157.0 |
| 15 | Zack Greinke | pi sp | ari nl | 156.1 |
| 16 | Mike Mussina | pi sp | retired | 155.6 |
| 17 | Barry Bonds | lf | retired | 153.2 |
| 18 | Greg Maddux | pi sp | retired | 151.7 |
| 19 | Chipper Jones | 3b | retired | 149.0 |
| 20 | Bartolo Colon | pi sp | nym nl | 148.5 |
Notable—Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon rises to 20th place in career Box-Toppers points (since tracking began in 1995) after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.
Colon (5IP 5H 2R 0BB 6K W in the 5-3 win over the Phillies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 148.5 for his career. He passes Javier Vazquez (148.3) on the “all-time” list and now trails Chipper Jones (149.0).
Colon now has 8.4 Box-Toppers points on the season, 27th among NL pitchers.
Also notable—Two players with 10 or more Box-Toppers points on the season earned Player of the Game honors Saturday:
Debut—Braves pitcher Aaron Blair also made his Box-Toppers debut Saturday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors.
Blair (6IP 4H 2R BB 10K W in the 5-3 win over the Tigers) made his Major League debut April 24 and was playing in his 15th career game. He is the 3,755th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Blach earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Odorizzi earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Wendle and Suarez 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.
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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 10/1 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 10.0 | SF 3, LAD 0 | Ty Blach (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
| AL | 9.0 | TB 4, TEX 1 | Jake Odorizzi (W,10-6) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | |
| 8.2 | HOU 3, LAA 0 | Collin McHugh (W,13-10) | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 7.0 | ARI 9, SD 5 | Archie Bradley (W,8-9) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 11 | ||
| 7.0 | ATL 5, DET 3 | Aaron Blair (W,2-7) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 6.1 | MIN 6, CHW 0 | Hector Santiago (W,13-10) | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 4.0 | `MIL 4, COL 3 (10) | Wily Peralta | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 4.0 | `STL 4, PIT 3 | Trevor Rosenthal | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | OAK 9, SEA 8 (10) | Joey Wendle, 2B | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 3.0 | CIN 7, CHC 4 | Eugenio Suarez, 3B | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | `CLE 6, KC 3 | Andrew Miller (H,25) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.1 | WSH 2, MIA 1 | Mark Melancon (S,46) | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2.0 | TOR 4, BOS 3 | Kevin Pillar, CF | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | NYY 7, BAL 3 | Chase Headley, 3B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | NYM 5, PHI 3 | Bartolo Colon (W,15-8) | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||
| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Santiago, Hector 3109 | pi sp | min al | 11.4 | 19.4 | 31.8 | 31.8 | 3.4 |
| McHugh, Collin 3316 | pi sp | hou al | 10.7 | 20.4 | 32.2 | 32.2 | 1.0 |
| Suarez, Eugenio 3355 | 3b | cin nl | 8.5 | 11.5 | 14.0 | 14.0 | 5.5 |
| Colon, Bartolo | pi sp | nym nl | 8.4 | 15.1 | 57.0 | 148.5 | 1.7 |
| Miller, Andrew 2436 | pi cp mr | cle al | 8.0 | 12.0 | 16.0 | 23.0 | 4.0 |
| Odorizzi, Jake 3291 | pi sp | tb al | 6.4 | 15.1 | 26.1 | 26.1 | -2.3 |
| Headley, Chase 2552 | 3b | nyy al | 4.5 | 6.5 | 18.0 | 28.5 | 2.5 |
| Rosenthal, Trevor 3124 | pi cp | stl nl | 4.0 | 10.0 | 22.0 | 22.0 | -2.0 |
| Melancon, Mark 2792 | pi cp | dc nl | 3.0 | 10.0 | 23.0 | 24.0 | -4.0 |
| Bradley, Archie 3438 | pi sp | ari nl | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 2.0 |
| Pillar, Kevin 3486 | cf | tor al | 2.0 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | -1.5 |
| Blach, Ty 3754 | pi sp | sf nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Wendle, Joey 3756 | 2b | oak al | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Peralta, Wily 3123 | pi sp | mil nl | 1.0 | 3.0 | 19.0 | 19.0 | -1.0 |
| Blair, Aaron 3755 | pi sp | atl nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Astros pitcher Collin McHugh is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 23.7 |
| 2 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 21.0 |
| 3 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 20.4 |
| 4 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 20.2 |
| 5 | Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 20.1 |
| 6 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 16.8 |
| 7 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym al | 15.7 |
| 8 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 15.4 |
| 9 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 15.1 |
| 10 | Hill, Rich 2215 | pi sp | lad nl | 14.4 |
Also Friday, two pitchers with more than 20.0 Box-Toppers points this season started and both earned the win, but neither earned Player of the Game honors—Max Scherzer of the Nationals (23.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked first) and Corey Kluber of the Indians (20.2 points, ranked fourth).
Player of the Day—McHugh pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing two hits, two walks and striking out six, in the 6-0 win over the Mariners.
National League Player of the Day—Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits, two walks and striking out six, in the 3-0 win over the Twins.
Colon earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 147.5 for his career. He rises to 21st place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began, passing Jim Thome (146.7) on the “all-time” list and now trails 20th-ranked player Javier Vazquez (148.3).
Colon now has 7.4 Box-Toppers points on the season, 31st among NL pitchers.
National League Batter of the Day—Trea Turner of the Nationals homered, doubled and went 4-for-5, scoring four times and driving in two runs, in the 7-2 win over the Braves.
American League Batter of the Day—Mike Napoli of the Indians homered, doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 11-4 win over the Tigers.
Notable—The overall Box-Toppers points leader, Max Scherzer, and the overall AL Box-Toppers points leader, Corey Kluber, both started games Friday and both earned the win, but neither earned Player of the Game honors and did not increase their season Box-Toppers point totals:
Also notable—White Sox pitcher Chris Sale has the most season Box-Toppers points among the 15 who earned Player of the Game honors Friday.
Sale (CG 8H 4R BB 10K W in the 7-4 win over the Royals) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 13.4 for the season. He ranks 14th among all players and fifth among AL pitchers.
And finally—Phillies pitcher Frank Herrmann earned his first Player of the Game honor in nearly five years Friday.
Herrmann (2IP 0H 0R 0BB 0K W in the 4-3, 13-inning win over the Marlins) last earned Player of the Game honors on Sept. 24, 2011, with the Indians. He had 3.0 Box-Toppers points in 2011 and now has 4.0 career points.
Scoring—McHugh earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Colon earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Turner and Napoli each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Friday’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.
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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 9/16 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 9.0 | HOU 6, SEA 0 | Collin McHugh (W,11-10) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | |
| NL | 8.0 | NYM 3, MIN 0 | Bartolo Colon (W,14-7) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | |
| BAT | 5.0 | WSH 7, ATL 2 | Trea Turner, CF | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 5.0 | CLE 11, DET 4 | Mike Napoli, 1B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | SF 8, STL 2 | Buster Posey, C | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | PIT 9, CIN 7 (10) | Jung Ho Kang, 3B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | CHC 5, MIL 4 (10) | Aroldis Chapman (W,4-1) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 3.0 | CHW 7, KC 4 | Chris Sale (W,16-8) | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 3.0 | LAD 3, ARI 2 | Kenta Maeda (W,15-9) | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 2.2 | BOS 7, NYY 4 | Craig Kimbrel (S,26) | - | - | - | - | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | COL 8, SD 7 | DJ LeMahieu, 2B | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | TOR 5, LAA 0 | R.A. Dickey (W,10-14) | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 2.0 | PHI 4, MIA 3 (13) | Frank Herrmann (W,1-2) | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1.0 | BAL 5, TB 4 | J.J. Hardy, SS | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | TEX 7, OAK 6 | Nomar Mazara, RF | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 13.4 | 32.2 | 84.4 | 86.4 | -5.4 |
| McHugh, Collin 3316 | pi sp | hou al | 9.7 | 19.4 | 31.2 | 31.2 | 0.0 |
| Maeda, Kenta 3609 | pi sp | lad nl | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 |
| LeMahieu, DJ 3091 | 2b | col nl | 8.0 | 15.0 | 21.0 | 21.0 | 1.0 |
| Chapman, Aroldis 2826 | pi cp | chi nl | 7.4 | 15.4 | 45.4 | 46.4 | -0.6 |
| Colon, Bartolo | pi sp | nym nl | 7.4 | 14.1 | 56.0 | 147.5 | 0.7 |
| Dickey, R.A. 1734 | pi sp | tor al | 7.0 | 12.0 | 56.2 | 77.9 | 2.0 |
| Napoli, Mike 2161 | 1b | cle al | 6.5 | 11.0 | 38.7 | 57.7 | 2.0 |
| Hardy, J.J. 2071 | ss | bal al | 6.2 | 6.2 | 27.6 | 54.8 | 6.2 |
| Kimbrel, Craig 2825 | pi cp | bos al | 6.0 | 12.0 | 55.7 | 56.7 | 0.0 |
| Mazara, Nomar 3614 | rf lf | tex al | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 |
| Posey, Buster 2745 | ca 1b | sf nl | 3.5 | 7.5 | 28.5 | 33.0 | -0.5 |
| Kang, Jung-Ho 3464 | 3b ss | pit nl | 3.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 0.5 |
| Turner, Trea 3730 | 2b cf | dc nl | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Herrmann, Frank 2902 | pi cp | phi nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 1.0 |
Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and extends his lead in season player rankings.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 22.7 |
| 2 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 20.0 |
| 3 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 18.4 |
| 4 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 17.2 |
| 5 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 16.8 |
| 6 | Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 15.4 |
| 7 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 14.4 |
| 8 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 14.1 |
| 9 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym nl | 14.0 |
| 10 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 13.7 |
Scherzer struck out 11 over eight innings, allowing two runs, three hits and one walk, in the 3-2 win over the Phillies.
Scherzer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 22.7 for the season. Scherzer took the Box-Toppers points lead in his last start Aug. 25, passing previous leader Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (20.0 Box-Toppers points).
Scherzer’s 22.7 points is now his single-season career high, passing his 2014 point total of 22.1 he earned with the Tigers.
Scherzer also now has 128.7 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 32nd place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Tuesday, he passes three players on the “all-time” list—Roy Oswalt (127.2), A.J. Burnett (127.8) and Vladimir Guerrero (128.3). Scherzer now trails 31st-ranked player Trevor Hoffman (129.4).
American League Player of the Day—Astros pitcher Collin McHugh pitched six scoreless innings, allowing four hits, one walk and striking out five, in the 3-1 win over the Athletics.
National League Batter of the Day—Curtis Granderson of the Mets hit two homers and went 2-for-2, driving in three runs, in the 7-4 win over the Marlins.
American League Batter of the Day—Adrian Beltre of the Rangers homered and went 3-for-5, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 8-7 win over the Mariners.
Beltre earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 111.3 career points, rising to 52nd place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Tuesday, he passes Tom Glavine (110.6) on the “all-time” list and now trails 51st-ranked player Kevin Brown (112.8).
Beltre has 9.5 Box-Toppers points on the season, fifth among AL batters.
Notable—Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright now has 110.0 career Box-Toppers points—54th-most among players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995—after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday.
Wainwright (7IP 3H R 0BB 7K ND in the 3-1, 10-inning win over the Brewers) passes Jeff Kent (109.7) on the “all-time” list and now trails 53rd-ranked player Tom Glavine (110.6).
Wainwright has 8.2 Box-Toppers points on the season, 21st among NL pitchers.
Also notable—Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks has 11.7 Box-Toppers points on the season after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday.
Hendricks (7IP 3H 0R BB 4K W in the 3-0 win over the Pirates) ranks 18th among all players and 12th among NL pitchers.
Debut—Rays pitcher Enny Romero made his Box-Toppers debut Tuesday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Romero (1IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K W in the 4-3 win over the Red Sox) made his Major League debut Sept. 22, 2013, and was playing in his 68th career game. He is the 3,726th 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 McHugh earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Granderson and Beltre 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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 8/30 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 11.0 | WSH 3, PHI 2 | Max Scherzer (W,15-7) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 11 | |
| 9.0 | `STL 2, MIL 1 (10) | Adam Wainwright | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | ||
| 7.0 | CHC 3, PIT 0 | Kyle Hendricks (W,13-7) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| AL | 6.0 | HOU 3, OAK 1 | Collin McHugh (W,9-10) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |
| 5.2 | CLE 5, MIN 4 | Dan Otero (W,4-1) | - | - | - | - | 2.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | NYM 7, MIA 4 | Curtis Granderson, PH-RF | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | ATL 7, SD 3 | Julio Teheran (W,4-9) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | TEX 8, SEA 7 | Adrian Beltre, 3B | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | NYY 5, KC 4 (10) | Dellin Betances (W,3-4; BS,4) | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | LAA 4, CIN 2 | C.J. Cron, 1B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | DET 8, CHW 4 | J.D. Martinez, RF | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | TB 4, BOS 3 | Enny Romero (W,2-0) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.1 | BAL 5, TOR 3 | Brad Brach (W,8-2) | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 0.0 | ARI 4, SF 3 | Welington Castillo, C | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||
| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 22.7 | 43.7 | 108.3 | 128.7 | 1.7 |
| Hendricks, Kyle 3386 | pi sp | chi nl | 11.7 | 21.4 | 26.4 | 26.4 | 2.0 |
| Beltre, Adrian 1141 | 3b | tex al | 9.5 | 22.0 | 47.9 | 111.3 | -3.0 |
| Wainwright, Adam 2150 | pi sp | stl nl | 8.2 | 11.2 | 59.3 | 110.0 | 5.2 |
| Teheran, Julio 3176 | pi sp | atl nl | 7.0 | 14.7 | 42.8 | 42.8 | -0.7 |
| McHugh, Collin 3316 | pi sp | hou al | 6.7 | 16.4 | 28.2 | 28.2 | -3.0 |
| Castillo, Wellington 3251 | ca | ari nl | 5.0 | 8.5 | 11.5 | 11.5 | 1.5 |
| Martinez, J.D. 2922 | rf | det al | 4.5 | 6.2 | 16.2 | 16.2 | 2.8 |
| Cron, C.J. 3338 | 1b dh | ana al | 3.7 | 9.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 | -2.3 |
| Betances, Dellin 3333 | pi mr cp | nyy al | 3.0 | 7.0 | 11.7 | 11.7 | -1.0 |
| Granderson, Curtis 2051 | rf ph | nym nl | 3.0 | 7.0 | 31.9 | 64.3 | -1.0 |
| Brach, Brad 3374 | pi mr | bal al | 3.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 0.0 |
| Otero, Dan 3365 | pi mr | cle al | 3.0 | 4.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 1.3 |
| Romero, Enny 3726 | pi mr | tb al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Jake Arrieta of the Cubs led all players with 22 wins and 29.1 Box-Toppers points. Dallas Keuchel of the Astros led AL players with 20 wins and 21.4 Box-Toppers points.
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Javier Baez hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-3, earning Box-Toppers Player of the Game as the Chicago Cubs won the National League Division Series in four games, eliminating the St. Louis Cardinals.
Also Tuesday, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw earned overall Player of the Day honors with his performance in the NL Division Game 4 win over the Mets, which forces a Game 5 in the series Thursday.
Baez had a Box-Toppers game score of +3.0, the highest of any Cubs player in the 6-4 win, as the Cubs beat the Cardinals in the best-of-five game series, 3-1.
The Cubs face the winner of the other NL Division Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets, who are now tied at two games apiece in their best-of-five game series.
During the regular season, Baez had no Box-Toppers points—he had 2.5 points in 2014. Baez played in 28 regular season games in 2015.
Though the Cubs were the Wild Card team and had a lesser win-loss record than the NL Central champ Cardinals, they held an edge in Box-Toppers team rankings. The Cubs passed the Cardinals in the final 10 days of the season to rank third in Box-Toppers team points with 127.4. The Cardinals, with baseball’s best record, ranked fourth with 124.3. The Cubs surged at the end of the season, earning 11.0 Box-Toppers points in the final 10 days of the season. The Cardinals, by comparison, picked up only 3.5 points during that period.
The two teams were the highest ranked NL teams remaining in the playoffs after the Cubs knocked off the top-rated Pittsburgh Pirates (129.6) in the NL Wild Card playoff.
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw struck out eight over seven innings, allowing one run and three hits, to even the series and force Game 5 Thursday in Los Angeles.
Kershaw had a Box-Toppers game score of +9.0, the highest of all Dodgers players, to win Player of the Day honors, beating Tuesday’s other Player of the Game, Javier Baez of the Cubs, who had a Box-Toppers game score of +3.0.
During the regular season, Kershaw had 25.7 Box-Toppers points, second among all players and second among NL pitchers, behind Jake Arrieta of the Cubs (29.1).
Notable—Through 18 postseason games, the team with a starting pitcher ranked higher in Box-Toppers player rankings has won 13 of those games and lost only five, which bodes well Wednesday for the Rangers and Royals (see below).
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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 10/13 | Score | Team | Players | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| POG | 9.0 | Dodgers | Clayton Kershaw (W,1-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |
| POG | 3.0 | Cubs | Javier Baez, SS | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Coming Wednesday: AL Division Series playoff games conclude with two Game 5 matchups:
The pitching matchup Wednesday:
Rangers—Cole Hamels, 15.4 Box-Toppers points, 15th among all players, eighth among AL pitchers.
Blue Jays—Marcus Stroman, 2.7 Box-Toppers points, 368th among all players, 105th among AL pitchers. (Stroman was out recovering from injurymuch of 2015. In 2014, he had 13.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 12th among AL pitchers.)
The pitching matchup Wednesday:
Astros—Collin McHugh, 9.7 Box-Toppers points, 49th among all players, 19th among AL pitchers.
Royals—Johnny Cueto, 12.8 Box-Toppers points, 25th among all players, 13th among AL pitchers.
Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta is Box-Toppers Player of the Day in Wednesday’s National League Wild Card game.
Arrieta pitched a complete game shutout, striking out 11 and allowing four hits, in the 4-0 win over the Pirates.
Arrieta led all players during the regular season with 29.1 Box-Toppers points, the eighth-highest single-season total since 1995. He outdueled Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole, who had 19.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ninth among all players and sixth among NL pitchers. Cole (5IP 6H 4R 4K L) had a Box-Toppers game score of -6.
The Pirates’ loss means the top-ranked team in Box-Toppers rankings is eliminated from the playoffs. The Pirates had 129.6 Box-Toppers points on the season. The Cubs, rank third with 127.4, are now the top-ranked NL team remaining in the playoffs.
The Cubs carried more momentum into the postseason, picking up 11.0 Box-Toppers points in the final 10 days of the season. The Pirates, by comparison, had 5.5 during that period.
The Cubs will face face the St. Louis Cardinals in the best-of-five NL Divisional Series beginning Friday in St. Louis. The Cardinals have baseball’s best record, but rank fourth in Box-Toppers team rankings, behind both the Cubs and Pirates, with 124.3 Box-Toppers points.
| 10/7 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| POG | 16.0 | Cubs | Jake Arrieta (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
Coming Thursday: The American League begins both division playoff series Thursday.
The Blue Jays rank fifth in Box-Toppers team rankings with 124.1 Box-Toppers points. The Rangers rank 10th with 107.2. In the final 10 days of the season, the Blue Jays picked up 6.5 Box-Toppers points, while the Rangers earned 5.7
The pitching matchup Thursday:
Rangers—Yovani Gallardo, 5.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 176th among all players, 62nd among AL pitchers.
Blue Jays—David Price, 21.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked fifth among all players, second among AL pitchers.
Here are players for both teams in the AL Division Series beginning Thursday. Players are listed for both teams ranked by Box-Toppers points earned in 2015. All players listed were on active Major or Minor League rosters at the end of the season—not necessarily all of them will be included on postseason rosters.
| Texas Rangers | Toronto Blue Jays | |||||
| Player | Pos | BTP | Player | Pos | BTP | |
| Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | 15.4 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | 21.1 | |
| Beltre, Adrian 1141 | 3b | 12.5 | Encarnacion, Edwin 2098 | dh | 10.4 | |
| Fielder, Prince 2029 | dh | 11.5 | Bautista, Jose 2169 | rf | 10.0 | |
| Lewis, Colby 1567 | pi sp | 7.7 | Donaldson, Josh 3144 | 3b | 9.9 | |
| Moreland, Mitch 2799 | 1b | 6.2 | Hutchison, Drew 3038 | pi sp | 9.0 | |
| Tolleson, Shawn 3077 | pi cp | 6.0 | Estrada, Marco 2847 | pi sp | 8.0 | |
| Gallardo, Yovani 2333 | pi sp | 5.0 | Tulowitzki, Troy 2308 | ss | 6.0 | |
| Napoli, Mike 2161 | 1b | 4.5 | Dickey, R.A. 1734 | pi sp | 5.0 | |
| Choo, Shin-Soo 2267 | rf | 4.5 | Martin, Russell 2202 | ca | 5.0 | |
| DeShields, Delino 3557 | cf | 4.5 | Smoak, Justin 2731 | 1b | 5.0 | |
| Hamilton, Josh 2332 | lf dh ph | 3.5 | Goins, Ryan 3478 | ss 2b | 4.5 | |
| Chirinos, Robinson 2924 | ca | 3.5 | Osuna, Roberto 3512 | pi cp | 4.0 | |
| Odor, Rougned 3336 | 2b | 3.0 | Pillar, Kevin 3486 | cf | 3.5 | |
| Holland, Derek 2634 | pi sp | 2.7 | Travis, Devon 3436 | 2b | 3.0 | |
| Martinez, Nick 3430 | pi sp | 2.0 | Stroman, Marcus 3327 | pi sp | 2.7 | |
| Dyson, Sam 3399 | pi mr cp | 2.0 | Buehrle, Mark 1407 | pi sp | 2.0 | |
| Patton, Spencer 3416 | pi mr | 2.0 | Colabello, Chris 3235 | lf dh 1b | 2.0 | |
| Gonzalez, Chi Chi 3490 | pi sp | 1.7 | Sanchez, Aaron 3392 | pi sp | 2.0 | |
| Blanks, Kyle 2661 | 1b | 1.5 | Cecil, Brett 2566 | pi cp mr | 2.0 | |
| Gallo, Joey 3485 | 3b | 1.5 | Pennington, Cliff 2641 | ss 3b | 2.0 | |
| Perez, Martin 3213 | pi sp | 1.0 | Navarro, Dioner 2087 | ca | 1.0 | |
| Gimenez, Chris 2870 | ca | 1.0 | Revere, Ben 2886 | lf | 1.0 | |
| Ohlendorf, Ross 2457 | pi mr | 1.0 | Loup, Aaron 3146 | pi mr cp | 1.0 | |
| Claudio, Alex 3459 | pi mr | 1.0 | Hendriks, Liam 3339 | pi mr | 1.0 | |
| Klein, Phil 3477 | pi sp | 1.0 | Delabar, Steve 3020 | pi mr | 1.0 | |
| Strausborger, Ryan 3560 | lf | 1.0 | Carrera, Ezequiel 2873 | lf ph | 1.0 | |
| Pompey, Dalton 3450 | cf | 1.0 | ||||
| Total | 107.2 | Total | 124.1 | |||
The Royals have the most Box-Toppers team points in the AL with 127.5, ranked second overall, behind the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Astros rank eighth with 118.4. In the final 10 days of the season, the Astros were slightly hotter than the Royals—7.9 vs. 6.0.
The pitching matchup Thursday:
Astros—Collin McHugh, 9.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 49th among all players, 19th among AL pitchers.
Royals—Yordano Ventura, 11.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 30th among all players, 15th among AL pitchers.
Here are players for both teams in the AL Division Series beginning Thursday. Players are listed for both teams ranked by Box-Toppers points earned in 2015. All players listed were on active Major or Minor League rosters at the end of the season—not necessarily all of them will be included on postseason rosters.
| Houston Astros | Kansas City Royals | |||||
| Player | Pos | BTP | Player | Pos | BTP | |
| Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | 21.4 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | 12.8 | |
| Kazmir, Scott 1947 | pi sp | 12.7 | Ventura, Yordano 3294 | pi sp | 11.7 | |
| McHugh, Collin 3316 | pi sp | 9.7 | Hosmer, Eric 2886 | 1b | 9.0 | |
| Correa, Carlos 3506 | ss | 7.2 | Cain, Lorenzo 3171 | cf | 8.2 | |
| Fiers, Michael 3029 | pi sp | 7.0 | Young, Chris R. 1933 | pi sp | 8.0 | |
| Altuve, Jose 3007 | 2b | 7.0 | Holland, Greg 2906 | pi cp | 8.0 | |
| McCullers, Lance 3488 | pi sp | 6.7 | Moustakas, Mike 2967 | 3b | 7.7 | |
| Gomez, Carlos 2397 | cf | 6.0 | Volquez, Edinson 2220 | pi sp | 7.0 | |
| Rasmus, Colby 2608 | lf rf cf | 6.0 | Rodriguez, Wandy 2117 | pi sp | 6.7 | |
| Gregerson, Luke 2563 | pi cp | 6.0 | Infante, Omar 1949 | 2b | 5.2 | |
| Valbuena, Luis 2600 | 3b | 4.5 | Morales, Kendrys 2142 | dh | 4.7 | |
| Gattis, Evan 3179 | dh | 4.0 | Perez, Salvador 2972 | ca | 4.5 | |
| Harris, Will 3093 | pi mr cp | 3.7 | Gomes, Jonny 2059 | lf rf | 4.5 | |
| Qualls, Chad 1958 | pi mr cp | 3.0 | Gordon, Alex 2328 | lf | 4.5 | |
| Lowrie, Jed 2437 | ss dh | 2.5 | Duffy, Danny 2915 | pi sp | 4.0 | |
| Feldman, Scott 2632 | pi sp cp | 2.0 | Davis, Wade 2681 | pi cp | 4.0 | |
| Marisnick, Jake 3428 | cf | 2.0 | Escobar, Alcides 2663 | ss | 3.5 | |
| Tucker, Preston 3525 | rf lf | 2.0 | Rios, Alex 1989 | rf | 2.5 | |
| Carter, Chris 2828 | dh | 1.0 | Guthrie, Jeremy 2290 | pi sp | 2.0 | |
| Springer, George 3337 | rf | 1.0 | Dyson, Jarrod 2813 | cf pr | 2.0 | |
| Fields, Josh 3247 | pi mr | 1.0 | Medlen, Kris 2596 | pi sp | 2.0 | |
| Conger, Hank 2843 | ca | 1.0 | Vargas, Jason 2055 | pi sp | 1.0 | |
| Oberholtzer, Brett 3244 | pi sp | 1.0 | Morales, Franklin 2369 | pi mr sp | 1.0 | |
| Zobrist, Ben 2216 | lf ss | 1.0 | ||||
| Hochevar, Luke 2440 | pi mr | 1.0 | ||||
| Orlando, Paulo 3526 | cf | 1.0 | ||||
| Totals | 118.4 | Totals | 127.5 | |||
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.
Cubs pitcher Travis Wood is Wednesday’s Player of the Day.
Wood pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out seven in the 5-0 win over the Reds.
American League Player of the Day—Astros pitcher Collin McHugh struck out 11 over 5 2/3 innings, allowing one run, in the 6-1 win over the Athletics.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kazmir, Scott 1947 | pi sp | oak al | 3.7 |
| 2 | Bauer, Trevor 3065 | pi sp | cle al | 3.0 |
| 3 | Harvey, Matt 3075 | pi sp | nym nl | 2.7 |
| 4 | Stanton, Giancarlo 2737 | rf | fla nl | 2.5 |
| 5 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 2.0 |
| 6 | Wainwright, Adam 2150 | pi sp | stl nl | 2.0 |
| 7 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | lad nl | 2.0 |
| 8 | Odorizzi, Jake 3291 | pi sp | tb al | 2.0 |
| 9 | Gonzalez, Miguel 3062 | pi sp | bal al | 2.0 |
| 10 | Wood, Travis 2777 | pi sp | chi nl | 2.0 |
National League Batter of the Day—Adeiny Hechavarria of the Marlins went 3-for-3 with a homer, two runs and three RBIs in the 6-2 win over the Braves. This was Hechavarria’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time he earned Player of the Game honors. Hechavarria made his Major League debut Aug. 4, 2012, and was playing in his 344th career game. He is the 3,445th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
American League Batter of the Day—Josh Donaldson of the Blue Jays went 3-for-5, drove in three and scored twice, in the 12-7 win over the Rays.
Rankings—Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer rose to second place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday. Bauer (6IP 4H 2R 8K W in the 4-2 win over the White Sox) earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 3.0 for the season.
Streak—Andre Ethier of the Dodgers has now earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point for 10 straight seasons. Ethier (2-3 2R BI) was Player of the Game in the 5-2 win over the Mariners to earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point. He began his 10-season streak in 2006, when he earned his first Box-Toppers point with the Dodgers. His best year was 2009 when he earned 8.2 Box-Toppers points, ranking eighth among NL outfielders. In 2014, he had 1.0 point. Ethier has 46.3 career Box-Toppers points, which ranks him ninth among active outfielders currently in the NL.
Notable—Yadier Molina of the Cardinals on Wednesday earned his first Box-Toppers point since Sept. 15, 2013. Molina (3-4 BI) was Player of the Game in the 4-2 win over the Brewers and earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point. He earned no Box-Toppers points in the 2014 season. Molina has 30.7 career Box-Toppers points, ranking second among active catchers currently in the NL (behind A.J. Pierzynski of the Braves, who has 45.7 points).
Scoring—Wood earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and McHugh earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Hechavarria and Donaldson each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers 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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 4/15 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 9.0 | Cubs | Travis Wood (W, 1-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |
| AL | 8.2 | Astros | Collin McHugh (W, 2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 11 | |
| 8.0 | Tigers | Alfredo Simon (W, 2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | Marlins | Adeiny Hechavarria SS | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | Angels | Hector Santiago (W, 1-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Blue Jays | Josh Donaldson 3B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Orioles | Brad Brach (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | Rockies | Adam Ottavino (S, 2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | Nationals | Wilson Ramos C | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Padres | Justin Upton LF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Dodgers | Andre Ethier RF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Indians | Trevor Bauer (W, 2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | ||
| 2.0 | Twins | Glen Perkins (S, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.0 | Mets | Travis d`Arnaud C | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 0.0 | Cardinals | Yadier Molina C | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Box-Toppers’ leading rookies easily won each league’s Rookie of the Year Award Monday.
First baseman Jose Abreu of the White Sox won the American League award unanimously and Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom won the National League award with 26 out of 30 first place votes.
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Padres pitcher Andrew Cashner, who pitched a two-hit shutout, is Monday’s Player of the Day. Cashner also walked one and struck out seven in the 1-0 win over the Phillies.
Astros pitcher Collin McHugh is American League Player of the Day. McHugh struck out seven over 6 2/3 innings, allowing one run, in the 3-1 win over the Indians. McHugh earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 11.8 for the season. He ranks 30th among all players and 17th among AL pitchers.
Mark Trumbo of the Diamondbacks is National League Batter of the Day. Trumbo hit a grand slam and went 2-for-4, driving in five runs, in the 6-2 win over the Giants.
Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers is AL Batter of the Day. Cabrera homered and doubled, going 3-for-5 with three runs in the 8-6 win over the Twins. Cabrera earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 12.5 for the season. He ranks 23rd among all players and second among AL batters, behind Jose Abreu of the White Sox (15.5 Box-Toppers points).
Notables: Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg rose to 14th place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Monday. Strasburg (7IP 0R 7K W in the 4-2 win over the Braves) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 14.7 for the season. He ranks sixth among NL pitchers.
Angels pitcher Matt Shoemaker rose to 33rd place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Monday. Shoemaker (7.2IP R 5K W in the 8-1 win over the Mariners) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.7 for the season. He ranks 19th among AL pitchers.
Adam Jones of the Orioles becomes the 49th player (and only the fifth batter) with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points this season after earning Player of the Game honors Monday. Jones (3-4 R BI in the 5-2 win over the Blue Jays) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.5 for the season. He ranks 46th among all players and fourth among AL batters.
Cashner receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. McHugh receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Trumbo and Cabrera each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.
All of Monday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed, click here.
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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 915 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 13.0 | Padres | Andrew Cashner (W, 4-7) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | |
| 9.0 | Nationals | Stephen Strasburg (W, 12-11) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | ||
| AL | 7.2 | Astros | Collin McHugh (W, 10-9) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |
| 5.2 | Angels | Matt Shoemaker (W, 16-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | Dbacks | Mark Trumbo 1B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | `Cubs | Travis Wood | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 3.2 | `Rays | Alex Colome | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 3.0 | Dodgers | Justin Turner PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | `Marlins | Chris Hatcher (H, 5) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| BAT | 2.0 | Tigers | Miguel Cabrera 1B | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1.0 | Royals | Norichika Aoki RF | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Orioles | Adam Jones CF | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom is Tuesday’s Player of the Day and rises to 26th place in Box-Toppers season player rankings.
deGrom pitched eight scoreless innings and struck out nine in the 2-0 win over the Rockies . He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 12.0 for the season. He ranks 10th among National League pitchers.
Astros pitcher Collin McHugh is American League Player of the Day. McHugh allowed two hits and one run over eight innings in the 2-1 win over the Mariners. He earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 10.1 for the season. He is the 44th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points. He ranks 45th among all players and 21st among AL pitchers.
Josh Donaldson of the Athletics is AL Batter of the Day. Donaldson doubled and went 5-for-6, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 11-2 win over the White Sox. Donaldson earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 10.5 for the season. He is the 45th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points. He ranks 42nd among all players and third among all AL batters, behind Jose Abreu of the White Sox (15.5 Box-Toppers points) and Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers (11.0 Box-Toppers points).
Devin Mesoraco of the Reds is NL Batter of the Day. Mesoraco homered and went 2-for-3, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 9-5 win over the Cardinals.
Notable: Marcell Ozuna of the Marlins rose to second place among National League batters after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday. Ozuna (HR 3-3 2R 2BI in the 6-3 win over the Brewers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 8.0 for the season. He ranks 73rd among all players and is second to NL batting leader Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies (11.6 Box-Toppers points).
deGrom receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. McHugh receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Donaldson and Mesoraco each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.
All of Tuesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed, click here.
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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 909 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 14.0 | Mets | Jacob deGrom (W, 8-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | |
| 12.0 | Giants | Yusmeiro Petit (W, 5-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | ||
| AL | 8.0 | Astros | Collin McHugh (W, 9-9) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| BAT | 5.0 | Athletics | Josh Donaldson 3B | 6 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 5.0 | Reds | Devin Mesoraco C | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | Orioles | Alejandro De Aza LF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | Marlins | Marcell Ozuna CF | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | Phillies | Freddy Galvis SS | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | Blue Jays | Munenori Kawasaki PH, 2B | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Rays | James Loney 1B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Angels | Collin Cowgill LF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Nationals | Adam LaRoche 1B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Twins | Oswaldo Arcia RF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Padres | Jedd Gyorko 2B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Tigers | J.D. Martinez LF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Astros pitcher Collin McHugh is Tuesday’s Player of the Day. McHugh pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out nine in the 3-0 win over the Royals.
Giants pitcher Tim Hudson is National League Player of the Day. Hudson pitched seven scoreless innings in the 4-0 win over the Cubs.
Hudson earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 4.7 for the season and 149.0 for his career (1999-present). He moves into 15th place on the all-time list (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995), passing Chipper Jones (149.0) and Javier Vazquez (148.3) and just behind Greg Maddux (151.7).
Hudson is in fifth place among active players, behind CC Sabathia (179.3), Manny Ramirez (167.2), Johan Santana (166.6) and Albert Pujols (161.3).
Matt Holliday of the Cardinals is NL Batter of the Day. Holliday homered and went 3-for-3 in the 6-0 win over the Yankees. Holliday beat out teammate and pitcher Lance Lynn, who pitched a complete game shutout, for Player of the Game. Both Holliday and Lynn had Box-Toppers game scores of +3.0, but in case of game score ties, batters beat pitchers, giving Holliday the edge.
Adam Lind of the Blue Jays is American League Batter of the Day. Lind homered, went 3-for-5 and drove in two runs in the 9-6 win over the Rays.
Notables: Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke rises to seventh place in Box-Toppers season player rankings. Greinke (7.2IP 3R 11K W in the 6-3 win over the Reds) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 7.4 for the season. He is in fourth place among NL pitchers in Box-Toppers points. (See the updated top 10 list on the home page.)
Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers rises to first place among AL batters in Box-Toppers points. Cabrera (HR 2-4 2R 2RBI in the 6-5 win over the Athletics) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 5.5 for the season. He passes previous AL batting leader Alexei Ramirez of the White Sox—both Ramirez and Cabrera have 5.5 Box-Toppers points but Cabrera has the edge because he has more combined points over 2013-14 (22.4 vs. 6.5). Cabrera now ranks 19th among all players in Box-Toppers points. Cabrera led AL batters in Box-Toppers points in 2013 with 16.9.
McHugh receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Hudson receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Holliday and Lind each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.
All of Tuesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 527 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 11.0 | Astros | Collin McHugh (W, 3-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | |
| NL | 6.0 | Giants | Tim Hudson (W, 5-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
| 6.0 | `White Sox | Chris Sale | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 4.2 | Dodgers | Zack Greinke (W, 8-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 11 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Cardinals | Matt Holliday LF | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Red Sox | Koji Uehara (S, 11) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| BAT | 2.0 | Blue Jays | Adam Lind 1B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | Padres | Tommy Medica 1B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Tigers | Miguel Cabrera 1B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Angels | C.J. Cron DH | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Mets | Ruben Tejada SS | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Twins | Oswaldo Arcia RF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Brewers | Mark Reynolds 3B, 1B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Rockies | Wilin Rosario C | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
Phillies pitcher A.J. Burnett is Sunday’s Player of the Day, while Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright takes the season lead among players in Box-Toppers points.
Burnett pitched eight scoreless innings and struck out eight in the 2-0 win over the Diamondbacks.
Wainwright pitched eight scoreless innings and struck out seven in the 7-0 win over the Pirates. He earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 6.0 for the season and rising to the top of Box-Toppers player rankings, passing previous leader Chris Colabello of the Twins (5.2 points). (See updated top 10 rankings on Box-Toppers’ home page.)
Astros pitcher Collin McHugh is American League Player of the Day. McHugh pitched 8 2/3 innings, allowing only one run and striking out seven in the 5-1 win over the Athletics.
Omar Infante of the Royals is AL Batter of the Day. Infante hit a two-run homer and drove in six runs in the 9-3 win over the Orioles.
There is no National League Batter of the Day because no NL batter earned Player of the Game honors Sunday.
Notables: Cubs pitcher Jason Hammel rises to sixth place in Box-Toppers player rankings. Hammel (7IP 0R 7K in 4-0 win vs. Brewers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 5.0 for the season. (See updated top 10 rankings on Box-Toppers’ home page.)
Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka rises to eighth place in Box-Toppers player rankings. Tanaka (6.1IP 11K ND in 3-2 win vs. Angels) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 4.7 for the season. (See updated top 10 rankings on Box-Toppers’ home page.)
Burnett receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. McHugh receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Infante receives 1.5 for being AL Batter of the Day.
All of Sunday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 427 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 11.0 | Phillies | A.J. Burnett (W, 1-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| 11.0 | Padres | Ian Kennedy (W, 2-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | ||
| 10.0 | Cardinals | Adam Wainwright (W, 5-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | ||
| 9.0 | Cubs | Jason Hammel (W, 4-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | ||
| 9.0 | `Giants | Ryan Vogelsong | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | ||
| AL | 8.2 | Astros | Collin McHugh (W, 2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | |
| 8.0 | `Braves | Julio Teheran | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | ||
| 7.0 | Mets | Dillon Gee (W, 2-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | ||
| BAT | 6.0 | Royals | Omar Infante 2B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.1 | Blue Jays | R.A. Dickey (W, 2-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 4.1 | `Yankees | Masahiro Tanaka | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 11 | ||
| 4.0 | White Sox | Jose Abreu DH | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | Mariners | Kyle Seager 3B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Rockies | Jorge De La Rosa (W, 2-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.