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A belated note: Mets pitcher David Peterson was Box-Toppers Player of the Game in the uncompleted, rain-suspended Sept. 28 game between the Marlins and Mets.
Major League Baseball ruled in early October that the Mets were winners in the game, even though the Marlins led 2-1 when it was suspended in the top of the ninth inning.
Read MoreBlue Jays pitcher Chris Bassitt is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to second in season player rankings and passing Shohei Ohtani to lead American League pitchers.
Bassitt struck out 12 over 7 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing five hits and one walk, in the 6-0 win over the Yankees.
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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 MoreBraves pitcher Mike Soroka and Russell Martin of the Dodgers are Sunday’s Box-Toppers top players in a pair of National League Division Series games.
Read MoreBraves pitcher Julio Teheran is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Sunday, Brewers closing pitcher Josh Hader rises to lead Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Read MoreRays pitcher Blake Snell had the biggest improvement in Box-Toppers point totals from 2017 to 2018, and is this season’s Box-Toppers’ Most Improved Player.
Snell had 22.2 more Box-Toppers points in 2018 than he did in 2017. In 2017, he had 5.0 Box-Toppers points and in 2018, he had 27.2 points, first among all players.
Read MoreTigers pitcher Matthew Boyd is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Saturday, Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer extends his lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Read MoreMets pitcher Noah Syndergaard is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Sunday, Anthony Rizzo of the Cubs rises to lead National League batters in Box-Toppers points after earning NL Batter of the Day honors.
Read MoreCardinals pitcher Jack Flaherty is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Flaherty struck out 10 over six innings, allowing one run and two walks, in the 3-1 win over the Dodgers. Flaherty did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because when he exited, the Cardinals trailed, 1-0.
Read MoreRockies pitcher Tyler Anderson is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Anderson struck out eight over eight scoreless innings, allowing four hits and one walk, in the 3-1 win over the Dodgers.
Read MoreBraves pitcher Julio Teheran is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Teheran struck out 11 over six scoreless and no-hit innings, allowing three walks, in the 4-1 win over the Padres. Teheran was pitching a no-hitter when he was pulled after 95 pitches, experiencing cramping. The bullpen gave up seven hits and a run in the final three innings.
Read MoreIndians pitcher Carlos Carrasco is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to seventh place in season player rankings.
Also Wednesday, Astros pitcher Gerrit Cole rises to second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings and becomes the second player this season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points. Plus, Braves pitcher Julio Teheran rises to ninth place in season player rankings Wednesday after earning National League Player of the Day honors.
Read MoreBraves pitcher Julio Teheran is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Teheran struck out six over seven scoreless innings, allowing two hit and two walks, in the 11-0 win over the Mets.
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Braves pitcher Julio Teheran is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day on the final day of the 2016 season.
| 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 Sunday, Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer, Box-Toppers Player of the Year, did not earn Player of the Game honors in his final regular season start. He ends with 25.7 Box-Toppers points, tied for the 20th-best single-season Box-Toppers point total since tracking began in 1995.
Player of the Day—Teheran struck out 12 over seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits and one walk, in the 1-0 win over the Tigers.
Teheran earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 10.7 for the season. He becomes the 52nd player this season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points. He ranks 43rd among all players and 19th among NL pitchers.
This is Teheran’s third season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points. In 2013, he had 13.7 and in 2014, he had 14.4.
American League Player of the Day—Angels pitcher Jhoulys Chacin pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out seven and allowing four hits and one walk, in the 8-1 win over the Astros.
National League Batter of the Day—Danny Espinosa of the Nationals hit a two-run homer and went 1-for-1, scoring three times and driving in two runs, in the 10-7 win over the Marlins.
American League Batter of the Day—Matt Wieters of the Orioles hit two home runs and went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 5-2 win over the Yankees.
Wieters earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 11.0 for the season. He becomes the 54th and final player in 2016 with 10 or more Box-Toppers points, the 10th batter. Wieters ranks 38th among all players and fifth among AL batters.
This is Wieter’s first season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points. His previous high was 7.0 in 2011.
Notable—Box-Toppers Player of the Year Max Scherzer had a chance to increase his 2016 Box-Toppers point total, but did not earn Player of the Game Sunday in the Nationals’ win.
Scherzer (5IP 9H 5R 2BB 7K W in the 10-7 win over the Marlins) had a Box-Toppers game score of −9.0. Player of the Game Danny Espinosa, who was also NL Batter of the Day, had a Box-Toppers game score of +5.0.
Scherzer ends the season with 25.7 Box-Toppers points, a 1.3-point lead over second place player, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (24.4), who on Saturday failed to gain Box-Toppers points, which could have propelled him past Scherzer for the lead.
Scherzer’s 25.7 Box-Toppers points is tied for the 20th-best single-season point total in the 22-year history of Box-Toppers tracking. This is the first time he has won overall Player of the Year honors. In 2013, when he was with the Tigers, he led AL pitchers with 18.1 Box-Toppers points.
Also notable—Two other players with 10 or more Box-Toppers points on the season earned Player of the Game honors Sunday:
Debut—Brewers pitcher Corey Knebel made his Box-Toppers debut Sunday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Knebel (1IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K Sv in the 6-4, 10-inning win over the Rockies) made his Major League debut May 24, 2014, and was playing in his 91st career game. He is the 3,757th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995. Knebel is the 151st and final player to make his Box-Toppers debut in 2016.
Scoring—Teheran earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Chacin earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Espinosa and Wieters each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Sunday’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.
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Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 10/2 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 15.0 | ATL 1, DET 0 | Julio Teheran (W,7-10) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 | |
| AL | 9.0 | LAA 8, HOU 1 | Jhoulys Chacin (W,6-8) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | |
| 7.0 | SF 7, LAD 1 | Matt Moore (W,13-12) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 7.0 | TOR 2, BOS 1 | Aaron Sanchez (W,15-2) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 7.0 | `PHI 5, NYM 2 | Jerad Eickhoff | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | WSH 10, MIA 7 | Danny Espinosa, SS | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 4.0 | BAL 5, NYY 2 | Matt Wieters, C | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | STL 10, PIT 4 | Matt Carpenter, 1B | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | CHC 7, CIN 4 | Miguel Montero, PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | OAK 3, SEA 2 | John Axford (S,3) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | ARI 3, SD 2 | Daniel Hudson (W,3-2) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | MIL 6, COL 4 (10) | Corey Knebel (S,2) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | TB 6, TEX 4 (10) | Alexei Ramirez, SS | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | MIN 6, CHW 3 | Miguel Sano, 3B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | CLE 3, KC 2 | Yan Gomes, C | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Moore, Matt 2975 | pi sp | sf nl | 12.4 | 12.4 | 37.9 | 37.9 | 12.4 |
| Wieters, Matt 2643 | ca | bal al | 11.0 | 12.0 | 30.0 | 35.7 | 10.0 |
| Teheran, Julio 3176 | pi sp | atl nl | 10.7 | 18.4 | 46.5 | 46.5 | 3.0 |
| Sanchez, Aaron 3392 | pi sp | tor al | 10.7 | 12.7 | 14.7 | 14.7 | 8.7 |
| Carpenter, Matt 2987 | 3b 1b 2b | stl nl | 9.5 | 15.0 | 29.5 | 29.5 | 4.0 |
| Eickhoff, Jerad 3566 | pi sp | phi nl | 8.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 3.0 |
| Chacin, Jhoulys 2711 | pi mr sp | ana al | 5.7 | 5.7 | 20.1 | 27.8 | 5.7 |
| Espinosa, Danny 2804 | ss 2b | dc nl | 3.2 | 6.2 | 14.9 | 16.9 | 0.2 |
| Sano, Miguel 3527 | 3b rf | min al | 3.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | -3.0 |
| Ramirez, Alexei 2537 | ss | tb al | 2.5 | 4.5 | 23.0 | 35.0 | 0.5 |
| Montero, Miguel 2304 | ca ph | chi nl | 2.0 | 7.5 | 21.7 | 31.9 | -3.5 |
| Axford, John 2726 | pi cp | oak al | 1.0 | 4.0 | 12.0 | 18.0 | -2.0 |
| Hudson, Dan 2776 | pi cp | ari nl | 1.0 | 3.0 | 14.0 | 20.0 | -1.0 |
| Gomes, Yan 3177 | ca | cle al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 9.2 | 9.2 | 0.0 |
| Knebel, Corey 3757 | pi cp | mil nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Indians pitcher Danny Salazar is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
| 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 | 18.2 |
| 5 | Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 17.1 |
| 6 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 16.8 |
| 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 |
Salazar struck out 11 over 5 2/3 innings, allowing one run, six hits and two walks, in the 6-5 win over the Marlins. Salazar did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because he exited the game with the Indians trailing, 1-0.
Salazar earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 12.5 for the season. He ranks 14th among all players and fourth among American League pitchers.
National League Player of the Day—Braves pitcher Julio Teheran pitched six scoreless innings, striking out seven and allowing five hits and two walks, in the 2-0 win over the Phillies.
American League Batter of the Day—Jose Abreu of the White Sox hit a pair of three-run homers in the 13-11, 12-inning win over the Twins. Abreu went 3-for-7, driving in seven total runs.
Abreu earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, his first points of the 2016 season. Abreu led AL batters in Box-Toppers points in his rookie year of 2014 with 15.5 and had 3.0 points in 2015.
National League Batter of the Day—Yasiel Puig of the Dodgers hit a three-run homer and went 1-for-2, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 7-4 win over the Padres.
Puig earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day and has 2.5 points for the season. It is his first Player of the Game honor since being called back up after spending a month in the minors. Puig, despite his star status, has only 8.5 career Box-Toppers points over four seasons—1.5 in 2013, 1.0 in 2014, 3.5 in 2015 and 2.5 in 2016.
Notable—Cubs pitcher John Lackey has the most season Box-Toppers points among the 15 who earned Player of the Game honors Sunday.
Lackey (5IP H 2R BB 4K ND in the 3-2, 13-inning win over the Giants) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 13.4 for the season. He ranks 11th among all players and ninth among NL pitchers. He is the third Cubs starting pitcher among Box-Toppers top 10 NL pitchers—Jon Lester (17.1) ranks fourth and Jake Arrieta (13.7) ranks eighth.
Lackey now has 121.1 career Box-Toppers points, 39th-most among all players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. He trails 38th-ranked player Gary Sheffield (124.1).
Also notable—Albert Pujols of the Angels extends his lead in career Box-Toppers points among active batters after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.
Pujols (HR 3-4 R 2BI in the 4-2 win over the Mariners) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 182.3 career points. It is the first point Pujols has earned since becoming the active career leader in points after the Yankees released previous leader Alex Rodriguez (187.0) on Aug. 13. Pujols ranks sixth among all players since 1995 when Box-Toppers tracking began and trails fifth-ranked player, Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia (183.0) by only 0.7 points. Sabathia is the active career leader in points. (See the updated list of top 20 players in career Box-Toppers points on the home page.)
Pujols has 8.0 Box-Toppers points on the season, his best year since 2011 when he had 12.5 points with the Cardinals. Pujols ranks 11th among AL batters this season.
Debut—Mets pitcher Seth Lugo made his Box-Toppers debut Sunday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Lugo (7IP 6H R 0BB 4K W in the 5-1 win over the Nationals) made his Major League debut July 1 and was playing in his 13th career game. He is the 3,729th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Salazar earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Teheran earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Abreu and Puig each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Sunday’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
| 9/4 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 6.2 | `CLE 6, MIA 5 | Danny Salazar | - | - | - | - | 5.2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 11 | |
| NL | 6.0 | ATL 2, PHI 0 | Julio Teheran (W,5-9) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |
| 5.1 | `OAK 1, BOS 0 | Kendall Graveman | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | CHW 13, MIN 11 (12) | Jose Abreu, 1B | 7 | 2 | 3 | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 5.0 | LAD 7, SD 4 | Yasiel Puig, RF | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | MIL 10, PIT 0 | Jonathan Villar, PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | `CHC 3, SF 2 (13) | John Lackey | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 3.1 | NYY 5, BAL 2 | Dellin Betances (S,8) | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | NYM 5, WSH 1 | Seth Lugo (W,3-2) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 3.0 | TOR 5, TB 3 | Joaquin Benoit (W,3-1) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 2.2 | HOU 7, TEX 6 | Chris Devenski (W,3-4) | - | - | - | - | 1.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | LAA 4, SEA 2 | Albert Pujols, DH | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | DET 6, KC 5 | Justin Upton, LF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | STL 5, CIN 2 | Seung Hwan Oh (S,15) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1.0 | ARI 8, COL 5 | Jean Segura, 2B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `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 | +/- |
| Lackey, John 1640 | pi sp | chi nl | 13.4 | 23.1 | 42.8 | 121.2 | 3.7 |
| Salazar, Danny 3223 | pi sp | cle al | 12.5 | 25.9 | 35.3 | 35.3 | -0.9 |
| Teheran, Julio 3176 | pi sp | atl nl | 8.7 | 16.4 | 44.5 | 44.5 | 1.0 |
| Pujols, Albert 1438 | dh 1b | ana al | 8.0 | 15.0 | 45.0 | 182.3 | 1.0 |
| Upton, Justin 2411 | lf | det al | 6.7 | 15.7 | 42.6 | 51.1 | -2.3 |
| Graveman, Kendall 3444 | pi sp | oak al | 6.0 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 1.3 |
| Oh, Seung Hwan 3693 | pi cp | stl nl | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Betances, Dellin 3333 | pi mr cp | nyy al | 4.0 | 8.0 | 12.7 | 12.7 | 0.0 |
| Segura, Jean 3173 | 2b | ari nl | 3.0 | 5.0 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 1.0 |
| Villar, Jonathan 3233 | ss ph | mil nl | 3.0 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 3.0 |
| Devenski, Chris 3702 | pi sp | hou nl | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 |
| Puig, Yasiel 3193 | rf | lad nl | 2.5 | 6.0 | 8.5 | 8.5 | -1.0 |
| Abreu, Jose 3308 | 1b | chi al | 1.5 | 4.5 | 20.0 | 20.0 | -1.5 |
| Benoit, Joaquin 1663 | pi mr | tor al | 1.0 | 3.0 | 9.0 | 29.5 | -1.0 |
| Lugo, Seth 3729 | pi sp | nym nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
A look at Box-Toppers 100 top-ranked players for 2016 at the All-Star break. Blue Jays and top-ranked Cubs have most representatives on the list.
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Braves pitcher Julio Teheran is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 18.0 |
| 2 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 11.7 |
| 3 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 10.7 |
| 4 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 10.0 |
| 5 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 10.0 |
| 6 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym nl | 10.0 |
| 7 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | ari nl | 9.7 |
| 8 | Lackey, John 1640 | pi sp | chi nl | 9.4 |
| 9 | Bumgarner, Madison 2753 | pi sp | sf nl | 9.0 |
| 10 | Salazar, Danny 3223 | pi sp | cle al | 8.8 |
Teheran pitched a complete-game, one-hit shutout, striking out seven and walking none, in the 6-0 win over the Mets.
American League Player of the Day—Royals pitcher Chris Young struck out seven over six innings, allowing one run, three hits and one walk, in the 2-1, 13-inning win over the Tigers. Young did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the game was tied 1-1 when he exited.
American League Batter of the Day—Matt Wieters of the Orioles homered, doubled and went 4-for-5, scoring three times and driving in four runs, in the 11-6 win over the Blue Jays.
National League Batter of the Day—There is no National League Batter of the Day for Sunday because no NL batter earned Player of the Game honors.
Streak—Angels pitcher Jered Weaver has now earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers points for 11 straight seasons after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday, his first of the season.
Weaver (CG 3H 0R BB K W in the 2-0 win over the Athletics) earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2006 with the Angels and has 124.1 points for his career, rising to 37th among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his point Sunday, he passes one player on the “all-time” list, Gary Sheffield (124.1).
Weaver’s best season was 2011 with the Angels when he had 22.8 Box-Toppers points, second-most among AL pitchers. He had four straight seasons with 15.0 or more points (2009—15.0, 2010—19.4, 2011—22.8, 2012—15.4) all with the Angels. Weaver had 7.7 points in 2015 with the Angels.
Notable—In addition to Weaver, two other players with more than 100 career Box-Toppers points also earned Player of the Game honors Sunday:
Debuts—Two players made their Box-Toppers debuts Sunday, the first time in their careers they earned Player of the Game honors:
Scoring—Teheran earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Young earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Wieters earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day. All of Sunday’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
| 6/19 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 15.0 | ATL 6/NYM 0 | Julio Teheran (W,3-7) | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |
| 9.0 | CHC 10/PIT 5 | Kyle Hendricks (W,5-6) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 12 | ||
| 7.0 | `SF 5/TB 1 | Jake Peavy | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| AL | 7.0 | `KC 2/DET 1 | Chris Young | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | |
| BAT | 6.0 | BAL 11/TOR 6 | Matt Wieters, C | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 6.0 | LAA 2/OAK 0 | Jered Weaver (W,6-6) | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 5.2 | HOU 6/CIN 0 | Mike Fiers (W,5-3) | - | - | - | - | 5.2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 5.0 | BOS 2/SEA 1 | David Price (W,8-4) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | ||
| 5.0 | ARI 5/PHI 1 | Archie Bradley (W,3-3) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | ||
| 4.0 | MIN 7/NYY 4 | Max Kepler, RF | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | MIA 3/COL 0 | Tom Koehler (W,6-6) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | ||
| 4.0 | SD 6/DC 3 | Fernando Rodney (S,14) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 3.1 | `LAD 2/MIL 1 | Kenta Maeda | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 8 | ||
| 3.0 | `CLE 3/CHW 2 | Cody Allen | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 2.0 | TEX 5/STL 4 | Jurickson Profar, PH | 1 | 0 | 1 | 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 | +/- |
| Price, David 2593 | pi sp | bos al | 6.7 | 27.8 | 83.8 | 100.5 | -14.4 |
| Wieters, Matt 2643 | ca | bal al | 6.0 | 7.0 | 25.0 | 30.7 | 5.0 |
| Hendricks, Kyle 3386 | pi sp | chi nl | 5.0 | 14.7 | 19.7 | 19.7 | -4.7 |
| Teheran, Julio 3176 | pi sp | atl nl | 5.0 | 12.7 | 40.8 | 40.8 | -2.7 |
| Peavy, Jake 1635 | pi sp | sf nl | 4.0 | 9.0 | 37.1 | 140.8 | -1.0 |
| Allen, Cody 3265 | pi mr | cle al | 4.0 | 8.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 0.0 |
| Maeda, Kenta 3609 | pi sp | lad nl | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Young, Chris R. 1933 | pi sp | kc al | 3.7 | 11.7 | 27.8 | 77.8 | -4.3 |
| Rodney, Fernando 1803 | pi cp | sd nl | 3.0 | 4.0 | 21.0 | 33.0 | 2.0 |
| Fiers, Michael 3029 | pi sp | hou al | 2.0 | 9.0 | 23.1 | 23.1 | -5.0 |
| Koehler, Tom 3159 | pi sp | fla nl | 2.0 | 6.0 | 14.0 | 14.0 | -2.0 |
| Bradley, Archie 3438 | pi sp | ari nl | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 |
| Weaver, Jered 2178 | pi sp | ana al | 1.0 | 8.7 | 63.3 | 124.1 | -6.7 |
| Kepler, Max 3664 | rf | min al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Profar, Jurickson 3665 | ph | tex al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Twins pitcher Tyler Duffey is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Sunday, Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole rose to eighth place in Box-Toppers player rankings.
Player of the Day—Duffey pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out seven and allowing three hits, in the 8-1 win over the Angels.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 23.1 |
| 2 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 22.7 |
| 3 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 20.4 |
| 4 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | tor al | 20.1 |
| 5 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | lad nl | 19.7 |
| 6 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 19.4 |
| 7 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 19.4 |
| 8 | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | pit nl | 18.0 |
| 9 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 17.1 |
| 10 | Bumgarner, Madison 2753 | pi sp | sf nl | 17.0 |
National League Player of the Day—Braves pitcher Julio Teheran struck out eight over 8 1/3 innings, allowing one run and five hits, in the 2-1 win over the Phillies. Teheran was perfect through six innings. He earned no decision, not picking up the win, because he exited the game with the score tied 1-1.
National League Batter of the Day—Yunel Escobar of the Nationals doubled and went 4-for-4, scoring three times and driving in four runs, in the 13-3 win over the Marlins.
American League Batter of the Day—Logan Forsythe of the Rays hit a three-run homer and doubled, going 2-for-3, scoring twice, in the 7-6 win over the Orioles.
Rankings—Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole rose to eighth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.
Cole (7IP 6H 3R 9K W in the 4-3 win over the Dodgers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 18.0 for the season. He ranks fifth among NL pitchers.
Notable—Two of Sunday's Players of the Game achieved notable milestones:
Scoring—Duffey earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Teheran earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Escobar and Forsythe each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Sunday’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
| 9/20 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 10.0 | Twins | Tyler Duffey (W,4-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | |
| NL | 8.1 | `Braves | Julio Teheran | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |
| 8.0 | Astros | Collin McHugh (W,17-7) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 8.0 | Royals | Danny Duffy (S,1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| BAT | 7.0 | Nationals | Yunel Escobar, 3B | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 6.2 | Indians | Josh Tomlin (W,6-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | Rays | Logan Forsythe, 2B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | Red Sox | Rich Hill (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 10 | ||
| 4.0 | Pirates | Gerrit Cole (W,17-8) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9 | ||
| 3.0 | Brewers | Adam Lind, 1B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Mariners | Robinson Cano, 2B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Yankees | Greg Bird, 1B | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.1 | Cardinals | Trevor Rosenthal (S,46) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | Padres | Justin Upton, LF | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Giants | Tim Hudson (W,8-8) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
Box-Toppers’ two top-ranked pitchers won each league’s Cy Young Award Wednesday.
Overall Box-Toppers points leader Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers easily won the National League Cy Young Award for top pitcher in a unanimous vote. The race in the American League was tighter, but Corey Kluber of the Indians, who led all AL pitchers in Box-Toppers points, edged out Felix Hernandez of the Mariners to win the AL Cy Young Award.
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Blue Jays pitcher Mark Buehrle is Wednesday’s Player of the Day, while Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw now has the fourth-highest single-season Box-Toppers point total in the past 20 seasons.
Buehrle pitched eight scoreless innings and struck out 10 in the 1-0 win over the Mariners.
| Rank | Player | Team | Pos | Year | BTP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Randy Johnson | Dbacks | pi sp | 2000 | 33.7 |
| 1 | Randy Johnson | Dbacks | pi sp | 2002 | 33.7 |
| 3 | Pedro Martinez | Red Sox | pi sp | 2000 | 33.5 |
| 4 | Randy Johnson | Dbacks | pi sp | 1999 | 31.5 |
| 4 | *Clayton Kershaw | Dodgers | pi sp | 2014 | 31.5 |
| 6 | Pedro Martinez | Red Sox | pi sp | 1999 | 31.4 |
| 7 | Randy Johnson | Dbacks | pi sp | 2001 | 29.4 |
| 8 | Pedro Martinez | Red Sox | pi sp | 2002 | 28.8 |
| 9 | Curt Schilling | Dbacks | pi sp | 2002 | 28.4 |
| 10 | Roger Clemens | Blue Jays | pi sp | 1997 | 27.4 |
Kershaw extended his overall Box-Toppers points lead after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Kershaw (8IP R 11K W in the 9-1 win over the Giants) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 31.5 for the season.
Kershaw’s 31.5 points for the season is tied for the fourth most earned in a single season since Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995. In 1999, Diamondbacks pitcher Randy Johnson also had 31.5 Box-Toppers points.
Kershaw, in what was likely his final regular season appearance, finishes 2.2 Box-Toppers points behind the “all-time” single-season record of 33.7, set by Johnson in both 2000 and 2002. So even if Kershaw were to make one more appearance and even if he were to earn Player of the Day in that appearance, the most he could earn is 2.0 more Box-Toppers points, meaning he would still fall short of Johnson’s record.
Brewers pitcher Kyle Lohse is National League Player of the Day. Lohse pitched a complete-game, two-hit shutout, striking out six and walking none, in the 5-0 win over the Reds. Lohse earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 11.1 for the season. He is the 55th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points. He ranks 17th among NL pitchers and 42nd among all players.
Tommy Medica of the Padres is NL Batter of the Day. Medica hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-3 in the 4-3 win over the Rockies.
Xander Bogaerts of the Red Sox is American League Batter of the Day. Bogaerts went 2-for-4, scoring once and driving in three runs, in the 11-3 win over the Rays.
Notables: Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta ranks 15th in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday. Arrieta (7IP R 10K W in the 3-1 win over the Cardinals) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 14.7 for the season. He ranks seventh among NL pitchers.
Braves pitcher Julio Teheran ranks 16th in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday. Teheran earned Player of the Game honors for batting, one of eight times this season—it occurred twice on Wednesday—that a pitcher has earned Player of the Game honors for batting. Teheran (2-2 2BI in the 6-2 win over the Pirates) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 14.4 for the season. He ranks eighth among NL pitchers.
Twins pitcher Phil Hughes ranks 18th in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday. Hughes (8IP R 5K W in the 2-1 win over the Diamondbacks) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 14.1 for the season. He ranks ninth among AL pitchers.
Orioles pitcher Bud Norris becomes the 56th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday. Norris (6IP 9K W in the 9-5 win over the Yankees) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.7 for the season. He ranks 49th among all players and 23rd among AL pitchers.
Phillies pitcher Kyle Kendrick earned Player of the Game honors Wednesday for batting—one of eight times this season a pitcher has been Player of the Game for batting and one of two times it happened Wednesday. Kendrick doubled and went 3-for-3, driving in a run, in the 2-1 win over the Marlins.
Buehrle receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Lohse receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Medica and Bogaerts each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.
All of Wednesday’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
| 924 | Score | Team | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 14.0 | Blue Jays | Mark Buehrle (W, 13-10) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| NL | 13.0 | Brewers | Kyle Lohse (W, 13-9) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| 13.0 | Cubs | Jake Arrieta (W, 10-5) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 9.0 | Dodgers | Clayton Kershaw (W, 21-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 11 | ||
| 7.0 | Rangers | Lisalverto Bonilla (W, 3-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | ||
| 6.0 | Twins | Phil Hughes (W, 16-10) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 5.0 | Tigers | Justin Verlander (W, 15-12) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 3.1 | Angels | Hector Santiago (W, 6-9) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Padres | Tommy Medica LF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Orioles | Bud Norris (W, 15-8) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 9 | ||
| 2.1 | Indians | Zach McAllister (W, 4-7) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| BAT | 2.0 | Red Sox | Xander Bogaerts SS | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | Braves | Julio Teheran P | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Phillies | Kyle Kendrick P | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
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.