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The Cleveland Indians are the top-ranked team in Box-Toppers’ 2018 preseason rankings, the same position where they finished the 2017 season.
The Nationals top NL teams and the World Series-champion Astros fall to 8th.
Meanwhile, the New York Mets made the biggest offseason improvement in players’ accumulated Box-Toppers points, while the Tampa Bay Rays and the Kansas City Royals had the biggest declines.
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Angels pitcher Ricky Nolasco is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 18.1 |
| 2 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 14.0 |
| 3 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 13.1 |
| 4 | Santana, Ervin 2005 | pi sp | min al | 12.4 |
| 5 | Carrasco, Carlos 2885 | pi sp | cle al | 10.4 |
| 6 | Ray, Robbie 3502 | pi sp | ari nl | 10.0 |
| 7 | Wood, Alex 3246 | pi sp | lad nl | 10.0 |
| 8 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | ari nl | 9.7 |
| 9 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 9.4 |
| 10 | McCullers, Lance 3488 | pi sp | hou al | 9.4 |
Also Saturday, Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale rises to third place in Box-Toppers player rankings—first among American League pitchers—after earning Player of the Game honors. Two others who earned Player of the Game honors Saturday also rise in Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings—Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco and Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke.
Player of the Game—Nolasco pitched a complete-game, three-hit shutout, striking out seven and walking none, in the 4-0 win over the Mariners.
Nolasco had a Box-Toppers game score Saturday of +13.0, tied with two others who earned Player of the Game Saturday—Dodgers pitcher Rich Hill and Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale. But Nolasco beat them both on a tiebreaker since he had more innings pitched (9 vs. 7 vs. 7).
National League Player of the Day—Dodgers pitcher Rich Hill struck out 11 over seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits and one walk, in the 8-0 win over the Dodgers.
American League Batter of the Day—Eddie Rosario of the Twins went 5-for-5, scoring three times and driving in one run, in the 10-5 win over the Royals.
National League Batter of the Day—Orlando Arcia of the Brewers homered and went 3-for-4, scoring twice, in the 8-4 win over the Marlins.
Rankings—Three players who earned Player of the Game honors Saturday rose in Box-Toppers top 10 season player rankings:
Streaks—Two players extended streaks of 10 or more consecutive seasons earning Box-Toppers points after both earned their first Player of the Game honors Saturday:
Scoring—Nolasco earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Hill earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Rosario and Arcia 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.
| 7/1 | Score | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 13.0 | LAA 4, SEA 0 | Ricky Nolasco (W, 4-9) | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |
| NL | 13.0 | LAD 8, SD 0 | Rich Hill (W, 5-4) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | |
| 13.0 | BOS 7, TOR 1 | Chris Sale (W, 11-3) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | ||
| 10.0 | STL 2, WSH 1 | Michael Wacha (W, 5-3) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | ||
| 8.0 | ARI 6, COL 2 | Zack Greinke (W, 10-4) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 7.0 | CLE 4, DET 1 | Carlos Carrasco (W, 9-3) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| 6.2 | TEX 10, CHW 4 | Cole Hamels (W, 3-0) | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | MIN 10, KC 5 | Eddie Rosario (LF) | 5 | 3 | 5 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | HOU 7, NYY 6 | Yuli Gurriel (1B) | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | TB 10, BAL 3 | Logan Morrison (1B) | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | KC 11, MIN 6 | Brandon Moss (DH) | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | DET 7, CLE 4 | Justin Wilson (S, 8) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | ATL 4, OAK 3 | Jim Johnson (S, 18) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.1 | `SF 2, PIT 1 (F/11) | George Kontos | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| BAT | 2.0 | MIL 8, MIA 4 | Orlando Arcia (SS) | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | NYM 7, PHI 6 | Asdrubal Cabrera (2B) | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.1 | CIN 5, CHC 3 | Raisel Iglesias (S, 15) | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’17 | ’16-17 | ’12-17 | Career | +/- |
| Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 13.1 | 26.5 | 94.5 | 99.5 | -0.3 |
| Carrasco, Carlos 2885 | pi sp | cle al | 10.4 | 22.8 | 51.5 | 56.9 | -2.0 |
| Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | ari nl | 9.7 | 19.4 | 88.7 | 165.8 | 0.0 |
| Rosario, Eddie 3542 | lf | min al | 5.2 | 8.2 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 2.2 |
| Hill, Rich 2215 | pi sp | lad nl | 4.7 | 19.1 | 23.1 | 42.8 | -9.7 |
| Morrison, Logan 2794 | 1b | tb al | 4.2 | 6.2 | 16.2 | 21.7 | 2.2 |
| Nolasco, Ricky 2125 | pi sp | ana al | 4.0 | 15.4 | 32.1 | 91.2 | -7.4 |
| Johnson, Jim 2417 | pi cp | atl nl | 4.0 | 8.0 | 19.0 | 25.7 | 0.0 |
| Wilson, Justin 3140 | pi cp | det al | 4.0 | 5.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 3.0 |
| Gurriel, Yuli 3796 | 1b | hou al | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 |
| Moss, Brandon 2520 | dh rf lf 1b | kc al | 2.0 | 6.0 | 27.0 | 29.0 | -2.0 |
| Iglesias, Raisel 3467 | pi cp | cin nl | 2.0 | 5.0 | 7.7 | 7.7 | -1.0 |
| Wacha, Michael 3276 | pi sp | stl nl | 2.0 | 4.0 | 21.7 | 21.7 | 0.0 |
| Arcia, Orlando 3717 | ss | mil nl | 1.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 0.5 |
| Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 1.0 | 18.8 | 70.0 | 145.0 | -16.8 |
| Kontos, George 3106 | pi mr cp | sf nl | 1.0 | 4.0 | 8.7 | 8.7 | -2.0 |
| Cabrera, Asdrubal 2362 | 2b ss | nym nl | 1.0 | 3.0 | 13.0 | 43.7 | -1.0 |
Diamondbacks pitcher Taijuan Walker is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Walker struck out 11 over eight innings, allowing two runs on four hits, in the 6-2 win over the Padres.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 6.0 |
| 2 | Santana, Ervin 2005 | pi sp | min al | 5.7 |
| 3 | Vargas, Jason 2055 | pi sp | kc al | 5.0 |
| 4 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 4.7 |
| 5 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 4.0 |
| 6 | Paxton, James 3280 | pi sp | sea al | 4.0 |
| 7 | Harper, Bryce 3011 | rf | dc nl | 4.0 |
| 8 | Holland, Greg 2906 | pi cp | col nl | 4.0 |
| 9 | Carrasco, Carlos 2885 | pi sp | cle al | 3.7 |
| 10 | Chacin, Jhoulys 2711 | pi mr sp | sd nl | 3.7 |
Walker earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 3.0 for the season, most among the 11 Thursday who earned Player of the Game honors. Walker rises to 17th place in Box-Toppers player rankings.
American League Player of the Day—Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka pitched a complete-game, three-hit, shutout in the 3-0 win over the Red Sox. Tanaka struck out three and walked none.
National League Batter of the Day—Randal Grichuk of the Cardinals hit a two-run, ninth-inning homer to tie the game, in the 8-4, 11-inning win over the Blue Jays. Grichuk went 2-for-2, scoring twice and driving in three runs.
American League Batter of the Day—Yan Gomes of the Indians doubled and went 1-for-1, scoring a run, in the 4-3 win over the Astros.
Streaks—Two players extended their streaks of 10 or more consecutive seasons earning Box-Toppers points after both earned Player of the Game honors Thursday:
Scoring—Walker earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Tanaka earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Grichuk and Gomes each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Thursday’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.
| 4/27 | Score | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 11.0 | ARI 6, SD 2 | Taijuan Walker (W,3-1) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 11 | |
| AL | 9.0 | NYY 3, BOS 0 | Masahiro Tanaka (W,3-1) | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| BAT | 5.0 | STL 8, TOR 4 (F/11) | Randal Grichuk, RF | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.2 | `SEA 2, DET 1 | Hisashi Iwakuma | - | - | - | - | 5.2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 3.0 | WSH 16, COL 5 | Daniel Murphy, 2B | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | ATL 7, NYM 5 | Kurt Suzuki, C | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | LAD 5, SF 1 (F/10) | Kenley Jansen (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 3.0 | `PHI 3, MIA 2 | Joaquin Benoit (H,6) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | STL 6, TOR 4 | Trevor Rosenthal (S,2) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.2 | LAA 2, OAK 1 | Ricky Nolasco (W,2-2) | - | - | - | - | 5.2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| BAT | 1.0 | CLE 4, HOU 3 | Yan Gomes, C | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’17 | ’16-17 | ’12-17 | Career | +/- |
| Walker, Taijuan 3453 | pi sp | ari nl | 3.0 | 10.7 | 24.4 | 24.4 | -4.7 |
| Murphy, Daniel 2589 | 2b | dc nl | 2.0 | 9.5 | 30.5 | 34.5 | -5.5 |
| Tanaka, Masahiro 3305 | pi sp | nyy al | 1.7 | 15.8 | 36.5 | 36.5 | -12.4 |
| Grichuk, Randal 3474 | rf | stl nl | 1.5 | 2.5 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 0.5 |
| Gomes, Yan 3177 | ca | cle al | 1.5 | 2.5 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 0.5 |
| Nolasco, Ricky 2125 | pi sp | ana al | 1.0 | 12.4 | 29.1 | 88.2 | -10.4 |
| Iwakuma, Hisashi 3048 | pi sp | sea al | 1.0 | 7.0 | 55.2 | 55.2 | -5.0 |
| Jansen, Kenley 2871 | pi cp mr | lad nl | 1.0 | 7.0 | 32.7 | 37.4 | -5.0 |
| Rosenthal, Trevor 3124 | pi cp | stl nl | 1.0 | 5.0 | 23.0 | 23.0 | -3.0 |
| Suzuki, Kurt 2344 | ca | atl nl | 1.0 | 2.5 | 13.5 | 33.0 | -0.5 |
| Benoit, Joaquin 1663 | pi mr | phi nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 9.0 | 30.5 | 0.0 |
3 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.
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Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander is Tuesday’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 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 15.7 |
| 9 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 15.4 |
| 10 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 15.1 |
Also Tuesday, Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer extended his lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors. But Scherzer (25.7 Box-Toppers points) is now just 1.3 points ahead of second-place player Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (24.4), meaning Kershaw could still pass Scherzer for the season points title in his scheduled start Saturday. The season ends Sunday.
In addition Tuesday, Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard rises to seventh place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Player of the Day—Verlander pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out 12 and allowing four hits and one walk, in the 12-0 win over the Indians.
Verlander earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 14.7 for the season, rising to 12th place among all players and fourth place among American League pitchers.
Verlander also rises to 28th place in career Box-Toppers points among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Tuesday, he now has 139.3 points, passing 29th-ranked player Andy Pettitte (138.5). He trails 27th-ranked player, Giants pitcher Jake Peavy (141.8).
National League Player of the Day—Giants pitcher Matt Moore struck out 11 over 7 2/3 innings, allowing one run, six hits and no walks, in the 12-3 win over the Rockies.
Moore earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 11.4 for the season. He becomes the 49th player in 2016 with 10 or more Box-Toppers points and rises to 33rd place among all players, 16th among NL pitchers.
National League Batter of the Day—Hunter Renfroe of the Padres hit a grand slam and a three-run homer in the 7-1 win over the Dodgers. Renfroe went 2-for-4.
This was Renfroe’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Renfroe made his Major League debut Sept. 21 and was playing in his sixth career game. He is the 3,749th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
American League Batter of the Day—Tim Anderson of the White Sox homered, doubled and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 13-6 win over the Rays.
| 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 | Jake Arrieta | Cubs | pi sp | 2015 | 29.1 |
| 9 | Pedro Martinez | Red Sox | pi sp | 2002 | 28.8 |
| 10 | Curt Schilling | Dbacks | pi sp | 2002 | 28.4 |
| 11 | Roger Clemens | Blue Jays | pi sp | 1997 | 27.4 |
| 12 | Johan Santana | Twins | pi sp | 2004 | 26.8 |
| 13 | Pedro Martinez | Expos | pi sp | 1997 | 26.7 |
| 13 | CC Sabathia | Indians/Brewers | pi sp | 2008 | 26.7 |
| 15 | Randy Johnson | Mariners/Astros | pi sp | 1998 | 26.4 |
| 16 | John Smoltz | Braves | pi sp | 1996 | 26.1 |
| 16 | Clayton Kershaw | Dodgers | pi sp | 2011 | 26.1 |
| 18 | Roger Clemens | Blue Jays | pi sp | 1998 | 25.8 |
| 18 | Corey Kluber | Indians | pi sp | 2014 | 25.8 |
| 20 | Johan Santana | Twins | pi sp | 2006 | 25.7 |
| 20 | Clayton Kershaw | Dodgers | pi sp | 2015 | 25.7 |
| 20 | *Max Scherzer | Nationals | pi sp | 2016 | 25.7 |
| 23 | Cliff Lee | Phillies | pi sp | 2011 | 25.4 |
| * Current season | |||||
Box-Toppers points leader—Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer extended his lead in Box-Toppers points for the season after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday. Scherzer now has 25.7 Box-Toppers points, the 23rd time in Box-Toppers’ 22-season history that a player has earned 25 or more Box-Toppers points in a season.
Scherzer (6IP 6H 2R 2BB 10K W in the 4-2 win over the Diamondbacks) is now 1.3 points ahead of second-place player, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (24.4). Kershaw is scheduled to start Saturday, meaning he could pass Scherzer if he earns NL Player of the Day (worth 1.7 points) or overall Player of the Day (worth 2.0 points). However, Scherzer is also in line to make his final start of the season Sunday.
Scherzer took the Box-Toppers points lead from Kershaw on Aug. 25. Kershaw had been in the lead since May 7 and raced to a commanding lead with 20.0 points by the end of June, but went on the disabled list for two months after that, allowing Scherzer to catch and pass him.
Scherzer’s 25.7 points now ranks tied for 20th among the highest single-season Box-Toppers points since tracking began in 1995. Two other players achieved 25.7 in a single season—Johan Santana of the Twins in 2006 and Kershaw in 2015. (See the Best seasons chart.)
Scherzer also now has 131.7 career Box-Toppers points, 31st-most since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. He trails 30th-ranked player Jason Giambi (133.4).
Rankings—Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard rises to seventh place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday.
Syndergaard (6IP 5H R 0BB 8K W in the 12-1 win over the Marlins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 16.7 for the season, passing Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta (15.7) on the season top 10 list and now trails sixth-place player, Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels (17.8). Syndergaard ranks fourth among NL pitchers.
Notable—Angels pitcher Ricky Nolasco now has 11.4 Box-Toppers points on the season after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday.
Nolasco (8IP 5H R 2BB 4K W in the 8-1 win over the Athletics) ranks 32nd among all players and 13th among AL pitchers.
Debut—Raul A. Mondesi of the Royals made his Box-Toppers debut Tuesday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Mondesi (BB R 0-0 in the 4-3, 11-inning win over the Twins) made his Major League debut Oct. 30, 2015, and was playing in his 46th career game. He is the 3,750th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Mondesi is the son of outfielder Raul R. Mondesi, who played from 1993 to 2005. The elder Mondesi earned 59.9 career Box-Toppers points from 1995, when tracking began, through 2003, when he last earned points.
Scoring—Verlander earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Moore earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Renfroe and Anderson 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.
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
| 9/27 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 14.2 | DET 12, CLE 0 | Justin Verlander (W,16-8) | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 | |
| NL | 10.2 | SF 12, COL 3 | Matt Moore (W,12-12) | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 11 | |
| BAT | 7.0 | SD 7, LAD 1 | Hunter Renfroe, RF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 7.0 | NYM 12, MIA 1 | Noah Syndergaard (W,14-9) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 6.0 | TOR 5, BAL 1 | Aaron Sanchez (W,14-2) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 10 | ||
| 5.0 | STL 12, CIN 5 | Jhonny Peralta, 3B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | LAA 8, OAK 1 | Ricky Nolasco (W,8-14) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 4.0 | WSH 4, ARI 2 | Max Scherzer (W,19-7) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | CHW 13, TB 6 | Tim Anderson, SS | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | ATL 7, PHI 6 | Tyler Flowers, C | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | NYY 6, BOS 4 | Tyler Austin, 1B | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | HOU 8, SEA 4 | George Springer, RF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | `CHC 6, PIT 4 | Trevor Cahill (H,3) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.0 | TEX 6, MIL 4 | Carlos Gomez, LF | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | KC 4, MIN 3 (11) | Raul Mondesi, 2B | 0 | 1 | 0 | 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 | +/- |
| Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 25.7 | 46.7 | 111.3 | 131.7 | 4.7 |
| Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym nl | 16.7 | 27.1 | 27.1 | 27.1 | 6.3 |
| Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | det al | 14.7 | 21.1 | 84.3 | 139.3 | 8.3 |
| Nolasco, Ricky 2125 | pi sp | ana al | 11.4 | 13.4 | 34.1 | 87.2 | 9.4 |
| Moore, Matt 2975 | pi sp | sf nl | 11.4 | 11.4 | 36.9 | 36.9 | 11.4 |
| Sanchez, Aaron 3392 | pi sp | tor al | 9.7 | 11.7 | 13.7 | 13.7 | 7.7 |
| Springer, George 3337 | rf | hou al | 6.5 | 7.5 | 10.5 | 10.5 | 5.5 |
| Anderson, Tim 3659 | ss | chi al | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Gomez, Carlos 2397 | lf cf | tex al | 3.0 | 9.0 | 19.5 | 30.5 | -3.0 |
| Cahill, Trevor 2658 | pi mr sp | chi nl | 3.0 | 4.0 | 27.1 | 40.2 | 2.0 |
| Flowers, Tyler 3101 | ca | atl nl | 2.5 | 3.5 | 11.0 | 11.0 | 1.5 |
| Austin, Tyler 3732 | 1b | nyy al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Renfroe, Hunter 3749 | rf | sd nl | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Peralta, Jhonny 1815 | 3b ss | stl nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 12.0 | 39.4 | 1.0 |
| Mondesi, Raul A. 3750 | 2b | kc al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Giants pitcher Jeff Samardzija is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 24.7 |
| 2 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 22.7 |
| 3 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 22.4 |
| 4 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 21.2 |
| 5 | Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 21.1 |
| 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 | Happ, J.A. 2536 | pi sp | tor al | 14.7 |
Samardzija pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out nine and allowing four hits and no walks, in the 2-1 win over the Padres.
Samardzija earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 10.7 for the season. He becomes the 47th player this season with 10 Box-Toppers points and ranks 35th among all players, 18th among National League pitchers. This is the second season Samardzija has reached 10 Box-Toppers points. In 2012, he had 12.7 points with the Cubs.
American League Player of the Day—Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander struck out 11 over six innings, allowing two runs, four hits and two walks, in the 4-2 win over the Twins.
Verlander earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 12.7 for the season, most among the 11 who earned Player of the Game honors Thursday. He ranks 21st among all players and sixth among AL pitchers.
Verlander also now has 137.3 career Box-Toppers points, 29th-most among players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. He trails 28th-ranked player Andy Pettitte (138.5) on the “all-time” list.
National League Batter of the Day—Yasmani Grandal of the Dodgers hit two home runs, including a grand slam, in the 7-4 win over the Rockies. Grandal also doubled and went 4-for-4, scoring twice and driving in five runs.
American League Batter of the Day—Carlos Santana of the Indians hit a three-run homer and doubled, going 2-for-3 and driving in four runs, in the 5-2 win over the Royals.
Notable—Angels pitcher Ricky Nolasco became the 48th player with 10 Box-Toppers points this season after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday.
Nolasco (7IP 5H 0R BB 5K W in the 2-0 win over the Astros) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.4 for the season. He ranks 44th among all players and 17th among AL pitchers.
This is Nolasco’s fourth season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points and his first since 2010. In both 2008 and 2009, he had 16.7 points each season with the Marlins. In 2010, he had 11.7 points, also with the Marlins.
Scoring—Samardzija earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Verlander earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Grandal and Santana each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Thursday’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
| 9/22 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 12.0 | SF 2, SD 1 | Jeff Samardzija (W,12-10) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | |
| BAT | 7.0 | LAD 7, COL 4 | Yasmani Grandal, C | 4 | 2 | 4 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| AL | 7.0 | DET 4, MIN 2 | Justin Verlander (W,15-8) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 11 | |
| 6.0 | LAA 2, HOU 0 | Ricky Nolasco (W,7-14) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 4.2 | MIL 3, PIT 1 | Chase Anderson (W,9-11) | - | - | - | - | 5.2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | CLE 5, KC 2 | Carlos Santana, 1B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | DET 9, MIN 2 | Victor Martinez, PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | ATL 6, MIA 3 | Matt Kemp, LF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | TB 2, NYY 0 | Blake Snell (W,6-8) | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 3.0 | BOS 5, BAL 3 | Craig Kimbrel (S,29) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | NYM 9, PHI 8 (11) | Jose Reyes, 3B | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | det al | 12.7 | 19.1 | 82.3 | 137.3 | 6.3 |
| Samardzija, Jeff 2495 | pi sp | sf nl | 10.7 | 20.1 | 48.8 | 49.8 | 1.3 |
| Nolasco, Ricky 2125 | pi sp | ana al | 10.4 | 12.4 | 33.1 | 86.2 | 8.4 |
| Martinez, Victor 1695 | dh | det al | 8.5 | 12.0 | 31.9 | 72.1 | 5.0 |
| Kimbrel, Craig 2825 | pi cp | bos al | 8.0 | 14.0 | 57.7 | 58.7 | 2.0 |
| Kemp, Matt 2151 | rf lf | atl nl | 7.5 | 13.0 | 37.5 | 59.1 | 2.0 |
| Grandal, Yasmani 3058 | ca | lad nl | 7.2 | 9.2 | 17.2 | 17.2 | 5.2 |
| Anderson, Chase 3328 | pi sp | mil nl | 7.0 | 11.0 | 16.0 | 16.0 | 3.0 |
| Snell, Blake 3688 | pi sp | tb al | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Santana, Carlos 2757 | dh 1b | cle al | 2.5 | 7.0 | 21.7 | 22.7 | -2.0 |
| Reyes, Jose 1759 | 3b ss | nym nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 14.0 | 30.0 | 2.0 |
Rockies pitcher Jon Gray is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day with the third-highest Box-Toppers game score of the season.
| 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 |
Gray pitched a complete-game, four-hit shutout, walking none and striking out 16, in the 8-0 win over the Padres.
Gray had a Box-Toppers game score Saturday of +21.0, the third-highest of the season and only the sixth time this season a player has had a game score of +20 or more. Two pitchers had scores of +22.0 this season—Vince Velasquez of the Phillies did it April 14 and Danny Duffy of the Royals did it Aug. 1. (See the chart at the bottom of the page for the top 11 Box-Toppers game scores earned in 2016.)
American League Player of the Day—Angels pitcher Ricky Nolasco pitched six scoreless innings, striking out seven and allowing five hits and two walks, in the 6-1 win over the Blue Jays.
National League Batter of the Day—Ryan Braun of the Brewers hit two home runs and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in five runs, in the 11-3 win over the Cubs.
Braun earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 10.5 for the season. He rises to second place among NL batters, behind Kris Bryant of the Cubs (10.5 Box-Toppers points). Though Bryant and Braun both have 10.5 points, Bryant ranks ahead because he had more points in 2015—8.5 vs. 5.0.
Bryant is the 42nd player this season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points. This is Braun’s sixth season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points, his first since 2012 when he had 12.5, prior to his 2013 suspension under baseball’s performance enhancing drug policy. Braun now ranks 35th among all players in Box-Toppers points in 2016.
American League Batter of the Day—Marcus Semien of the Athletics hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 11-2 win over the Rangers.
Notable—Phillies pitcher Jeremy Hellickson has the most 2016 Box-Toppers points of any of the 16 who earned Player of the Game honors Saturday.
Hellickson (CG 3H 0R 0BB 5K W in the 8-0 win over the Marlins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 13.1 for the season. He ranks 17th among all players and 12th among NL pitchers.
Scoring—Gray earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Nolasco earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Braun and Semien 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
| 9/17 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 21.0 | COL 8, SD 0 | Jon Gray (W,10-8) | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | |
| 11.0 | PHI 8, MIA 0 | Jeremy Hellickson (W,12-9) | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | ||
| AL | 6.0 | LAA 6, TOR 1 | Ricky Nolasco (W,6-14) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |
| 6.0 | HOU 2, SEA 1 | Mike Fiers (W,11-7) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 5.1 | BOS 6, NYY 5 | Craig Kimbrel (S,27) | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | MIL 11, CHC 3 | Ryan Braun, LF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4.0 | CLE 1, DET 0 (10) | Andrew Miller (W,8-1) | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 4.0 | PIT 7, CIN 3 | Juan Nicasio (W,10-6) | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 4.0 | PIT 10, CIN 4 | Wade LeBlanc (S,2) | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 4.0 | KC 3, CHW 2 | Wade Davis (S,25) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | OAK 11, TEX 2 | Marcus Semien, SS | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | `NYM 3, MIN 2 (12) | Josh Smoker | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 2.0 | ATL 7, WSH 3 | Ender Inciarte, CF | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | TB 5, BAL 2 | Evan Longoria, 3B | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | LAD 6, ARI 2 | Joc Pederson, CF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | STL 3, SF 2 | Kolten Wong, 2B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `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 | +/- |
| Hellickson, Jeremy 2778 | pi sp | phi nl | 13.1 | 18.1 | 41.8 | 44.8 | 8.1 |
| Braun, Ryan J. 2300 | lf | mil nl | 10.5 | 15.5 | 46.5 | 88.2 | 5.5 |
| Nolasco, Ricky 2125 | pi sp | ana al | 9.4 | 11.4 | 32.1 | 85.2 | 7.4 |
| Nicasio, Juan 2888 | pi mr sp | pit nl | 9.0 | 10.0 | 25.4 | 25.4 | 8.0 |
| Kimbrel, Craig 2825 | pi cp | bos al | 7.0 | 13.0 | 56.7 | 57.7 | 1.0 |
| Gray, Jon 3634 | pi sp | col nl | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| Longoria, Evan 2423 | 3b | tb al | 6.5 | 9.5 | 26.0 | 47.0 | 3.5 |
| Semien, Marcus 3302 | ss | oak al | 6.0 | 6.0 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 6.0 |
| Fiers, Michael 3029 | pi sp | hou al | 5.0 | 12.0 | 26.1 | 26.1 | -2.0 |
| Miller, Andrew 2436 | pi cp | cle al | 5.0 | 9.0 | 13.0 | 20.0 | 1.0 |
| Davis, Wade 2681 | pi cp | kc al | 4.0 | 8.0 | 23.0 | 26.0 | 0.0 |
| Pederson, Joc 3621 | cf | lad nl | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| LeBlanc, Wade 2669 | pi sp cp | pit nl | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 10.0 | 3.0 |
| Inciarte, Ender 3360 | cf | atl nl | 2.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | -1.0 |
| Smoker, Josh 3725 | pi cp mr | nym nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Wong, Kolten 3377 | 2b | stl nl | 1.0 | 5.0 | 10.5 | 10.5 | -3.0 |
| Date | Bonus | BTG | Team | Players | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| 1 | 4/14 | MLB | 22.0 | PHI 3, SD 0 | Vince Velasquez (W,2-0) | 9.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| 2 | 8/1 | MLB | 22.0 | KC 3, TB 0 | Danny Duffy (W,7-1) | 8.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16 |
| 3 | 9/17 | MLB | 21.0 | COL 8, SD 0 | Jon Gray (W,10-8) | 9.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| 4 | 7/10 | MLB | 21.0 | SF 4, ARI 0 | Madison Bumgarner (W,10-4) | 9.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14 |
| 5 | 5/1 | MLB | 20.0 | LAD 1, SD 0 | Clayton Kershaw (W,3-1) | 9.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| 6 | 4/14 | 20.0 | STL 7, MIL 0 | Jaime Garcia (W,1-0) | 9.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 | |
| 7 | 5/11 | MLB | 19.0 | WSH 3, DET 2 | Max Scherzer (W,4-2) | 9.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 20 |
| 8 | 5/12 | MLB | 18.0 | LAD 5, NYM 0 | Clayton Kershaw (W,5-1) | 9.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 |
| 9 | 9/13 | MLB | 17.0 | SEA 8, LAA 0 | Taijuan Walker (W,6-10) | 9.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| 10 | 4/23 | MLB | 17.0 | WSH 2, MIN 0 | Tanner Roark (W,2-2) | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 15 |
| 11 | 6/5 | MLB | 17.0 | MIA 1, NYM 0 | Jose Fernandez (W,9-2) | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
Angels pitcher Ricky Nolasco is Wednesday’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 | 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 |
Also Wednesday, Indians pitcher Corey Kluber extends his Box-Toppers points lead among American League pitchers after earning Player of the Game honors.
Player of the Day—Nolasco pitched a complete-game, four-hit shutout, striking out seven and walking none, in the 3-0 win over the Reds.
National League Player of the Day—Brewers pitcher Matt Garza struck out eight over seven innings, allowing one run, three hits and two walks, in the 3-1 win over the Cardinals.
American League Batter of the Day—Rougned Odor of the Rangers hit two home runs and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in five runs, in the 14-1 win over the Mariners.
National League Batter of the Day—Andrew Toles of the Dodgers hit a ninth-inning, go-ahead grand slam in the 10-8 win over the Rockies. Toles also doubled and went 3-for-4, driving in five runs.
Rankings—Indians pitcher Corey Kluber extended his season Box-Toppers points lead among AL pitchers after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.
Kluber (8IP 6H 3R 2BB 11K W in the 8-4 win over the Twins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 18.2 for the season, ahead of second-place AL pitcher Cole Hamels of the Rangers (16.8). Kluber maintains his rank of fourth place among all players. Kluber led AL pitchers in Box-Toppers points in 2014 with 25.8.
Notable—Two other players with 10 or more Box-Toppers points this season also earned Player of the Game honors Wednesday:
Verlander now has 134.6 career Box-Toppers points, 29th-most since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. He trails 28th-ranked player, Cubs pitcher Jon Lester (136.5).
Scoring—Nolasco earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Garza earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Odor and Toles each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 8/31 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 12.0 | LAA 3, CIN 0 | Ricky Nolasco (W,5-12) | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |
| 9.0 | `DET 3, CHW 2 | Justin Verlander | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 | ||
| NL | 8.0 | MIL 3, STL 1 | Matt Garza (W,5-6) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | |
| 7.0 | ATL 8, SD 1 | Matt Wisler (W,6-11) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 10 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | TEX 14, SEA 1 | Rougned Odor, 2B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 5.0 | LAD 10, COL 8 | Andrew Toles, LF | 4 | 1 | 3 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | CLE 8, MIN 4 | Corey Kluber (W,15-8) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 11 | ||
| 5.0 | WSH 2, PHI 1 | Gio Gonzalez (W,10-9) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 4.1 | SF 4, ARI 2 | Matt Moore (W,9-10) | - | - | - | - | 5.1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| 4.0 | BOS 8, TB 6 | Hanley Ramirez, 1B | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | CHC 6, PIT 5 | Jason Hammel (W,14-7) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 4.0 | HOU 4, OAK 3 | Michael Feliz (W,8-1) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 4.0 | `NYY 5, KC 4 (13) | Chasen Shreve | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 3.1 | COL 7, LAD 0 | Tyler Anderson (W,5-5) | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | ||
| 2.0 | TOR 5, BAL 3 | Michael Saunders, LF | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | NYM 5, MIA 2 | Addison Reed (W,4-2) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||
| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 18.2 | 31.6 | 62.4 | 62.4 | 4.8 |
| Hammel, Jason 2235 | pi sp | chi nl | 12.0 | 21.7 | 45.1 | 58.2 | 2.3 |
| Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | det al | 10.0 | 16.4 | 79.6 | 134.6 | 3.6 |
| Moore, Matt 2975 | pi sp | sf nl | 8.7 | 8.7 | 34.2 | 34.2 | 8.7 |
| Nolasco, Ricky 2125 | pi sp | ana al | 7.7 | 9.7 | 30.4 | 83.5 | 5.7 |
| Ramirez, Hanley 2119 | 1b | bos al | 6.0 | 6.0 | 28.7 | 56.6 | 6.0 |
| Odor, Rougned 3336 | 2b | tex al | 5.5 | 8.5 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 2.5 |
| Saunders, Michael 2768 | lf | tor al | 5.2 | 5.2 | 14.9 | 15.9 | 5.2 |
| Gonzalez, Gio 2626 | pi sp | dc nl | 5.0 | 14.7 | 71.8 | 85.5 | -4.7 |
| Wisler, Matt 3522 | pi sp | atl nl | 4.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 1.0 |
| Toles, Andrew 3692 | rf lf cf ph | lad nl | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Feliz, Michael 3632 | pi cp mr | hou al | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
| Garza, Matt 2343 | pi sp | mil nl | 2.7 | 4.4 | 34.1 | 70.8 | 1.0 |
| Reed, Addison 3023 | pi mr | nym nl | 2.0 | 3.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 | 1.0 |
| Anderson, Tyler 3656 | pi sp | col nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Shreve, Chasen 3482 | pi mr | nyy al | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | -1.0 |
With trade deadline acquisitions, Dodgers are hottest team of the week. Other teams strengthened by trades include Mets, Blue Jays, Rangers, Giants, Twins, Orioles.
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Twins pitcher Ricky Nolasco is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Friday, two players—Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer and Cubs pitcher Jon Lester—rise in Box-Toppers top 10 season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 20.0 |
| 2 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 17.0 |
| 2 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 16.4 |
| 4 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 14.4 |
| 5 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 14.1 |
| 6 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 12.5 |
| 7 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 12.4 |
| 8 | Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 12.4 |
| 9 | Bumgarner, Madison 2753 | pi sp | sf nl | 11.0 |
| 10 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym nl | 11.0 |
Player of the Day—Nolasco allowed one run over eight innings, giving up three hits, one walk and striking out six, in the 2-1, 12-inning win over the White Sox. Nolasco did not earn the win, picking up a no decision, because he exited with the game tied.
National League Player of the Day—Cubs pitcher Jon Lester pitched six scoreless innings, striking out seven and allowing four hits and two walks, in the 12-1 win over the Mariners.
Lester earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 12.4 for the season and rising to eighth place in season player rankings, sixth among NL pitchers.
Lester displaces teammate, pitcher Jake Arrieta (10.7 Box-Toppers points), from the season player ranking top 10 list. Arrieta had been in the top 10 this season continuously since April 16 and led all players from April 21 to April 30 and from May 3 to May 6. Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw has led all players since May 7 (currently with 20.0 Box-Toppers points). Arrieta has not earned Box-Toppers points since June 17. He led all players in Box-Toppers points in 2015 with 29.1.
Lester now also has 133.5 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 28th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Friday, Lester passes Jason Giambi (133.4) on the “all-time” list and now trails 27th-ranked player Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers (138.4).
National League Batter of the Day—Tommy Pham of the Cardinals hit a two-run homer and went 2-for-4, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 11-6 win over the Marlins.
American League Batter of the Day—Cameron Maybin of the Tigers doubled and went 3-for-5, scoring three times and driving in two runs, in the 14-6 win over the Astros.
Rankings—Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer rises to second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.
Scherzer (7IP 5H R 2BB 6K W in the 4-1 win over the Giants) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 17.0 for the season. He rises from third to second in season player rankings, passing Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez (16.4) and now trails overall leader Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (20.0 Box-Toppers points) by 3.0 points.
Scherzer also now has 123.0 career Box-Toppers points, ranked 38th among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. Scherzer trails 37th-ranked player Gary Sheffield (124.1).
Scoring—Nolasco earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Lester earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Pham and Maybin 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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 7/29 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 8.0 | `MIN 2, CHW 1 (12) | Ricky Nolasco | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| NL | 7.0 | CHC 12, SEA 1 | Jon Lester (W,11-4) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |
| 6.2 | MIL 3, PIT 1 | Junior Guerra (W,7-2) | - | - | - | - | 8.2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 5.2 | TB 5, NYY 1 | Jake Odorizzi (W,5-5) | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | STL 11, MIA 6 | Tommy Pham, CF | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | WSH 4, SF 1 | Max Scherzer (W,11-6) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 4.0 | CIN 6, SD 0 | Brandon Finnegan (W,6-8) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | DET 14, HOU 6 | Cameron Maybin, CF | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | TEX 8, KC 3 | Rougned Odor, 2B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | LAD 9, ARI 7 | Joc Pederson, CF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | BOS 6, LAA 2 | Rick Porcello (W,14-2) | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 2.0 | COL 6, NYM 1 | Carlos Gonzalez, RF | 5 | 1 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | TOR 6, BAL 5 | Edwin Encarnacion, DH | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | CLE 5, OAK 3 | Abraham Almonte, PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | ATL 2, PHI 1 | Nick Markakis, RF | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `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 | 17.0 | 38.0 | 102.6 | 123.0 | -4.0 |
| Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 12.4 | 24.4 | 70.6 | 133.5 | 0.4 |
| Guerra, Junior 3633 | pi sp | mil nl | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 |
| Encarnacion, Edwin 2098 | dh | tor al | 7.0 | 17.4 | 45.6 | 66.1 | -3.4 |
| Porcello, Rick 2573 | pi sp | bos al | 6.0 | 10.0 | 31.7 | 40.7 | 2.0 |
| Nolasco, Ricky 2125 | pi sp | min al | 5.7 | 7.7 | 28.4 | 81.5 | 3.7 |
| Gonzalez, Carlos 2460 | rf | col nl | 5.5 | 17.0 | 45.7 | 58.7 | -6.0 |
| Markakis, Nick 2116 | rf | atl nl | 4.0 | 8.5 | 19.5 | 46.1 | -0.5 |
| Odor, Rougned 3336 | 2b | tex al | 4.0 | 7.0 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 1.0 |
| Odorizzi, Jake 3291 | pi sp | tb al | 3.7 | 12.4 | 23.4 | 23.4 | -5.0 |
| Finnegan, Brandon 3535 | pi sp | cin nl | 3.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 0.0 |
| Maybin, Cameron 2672 | cf | det al | 3.0 | 4.0 | 11.5 | 15.5 | 2.0 |
| Pederson, Joc 3621 | cf | lad nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Pham, Thomas 3596 | cf | stl nl | 1.5 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 |
| Almonte, Abraham 3554 | cf ph | cle al | 1.0 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | -0.5 |
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and extends his lead in season Box-Toppers player rankings.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 14.0 |
| 2 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 9.0 |
| 3 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 8.7 |
| 4 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 8.7 |
| 5 | Machado, Manny 3087 | ss 3b | bal al | 8.7 |
| 6 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 8.7 |
| 7 | Matz, Steven 3516 | pi sp | nym nl | 8.7 |
| 8 | Hill, Rich 2215 | pi sp | oak al | 8.4 |
| 9 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym nl | 7.0 |
| 10 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 6.4 |
Also Sunday, Athletics pitcher Rich Hill maintained his rank of eighth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Player of the Day—Kershaw struck out 10 over 7 2/3 innings, allowing two runs and four hits, in the 4-2 win over the Mets. Kershaw picked up a no decision and did not earn the win because the Mets tied the game after he exited.
Kershaw earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 14.0 for the season. He holds a dominating lead in player rankings, 5.0 points ahead of second-place player, Giants pitcher Johnny Cueto (9.0).
Kershaw also has 173.3 career Box-Toppers points, seventh among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He trails sixth-ranked player, Albert Pujols of the Angels (176.3).
American League Player of the Day—Twins pitcher Ricky Nolasco struck out seven over six innings, allowing two runs and three hits, in the 5-4 win over the Mariners.
National League Batter of the Day—Wilson Ramos of the Nationals homered and went 3-for-3, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 10-2 win over the Cardinals.
American League Batter of the Day—Carlos Correa of the Astros hit a pinch-hit, three-run homer in the 13th inning in the 8-6 win over the Angels.
Rankings—Athletics pitcher Rich Hill maintained his rank of eighth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.
Hill (6.1IP 5H 2R 9K W in the 4-2 win over the Tigers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 8.4 for the season. He ranks second among AL pitchers, behind Chris Sale of the White Sox (8.7).
Streak—Hunter Pence of the Giants has now earned Box-Toppers points in 10 straight seasons after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.
Pence (3-2B 3-5 2R 3BI in the 8-3 win over the Rockies) earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2007 with the Astros and has 49.7 career points, 10th among active NL outfielders. His best season was 2008 with the Astros, when he had 8.2 Box-Toppers points, seventh among NL outfielders. In 2015, Pence had 2.0 Box-Toppers points with the Giants.
Notable—Cubs pitcher John Lackey rises to 46th place in Box-Toppers points among all players since 1995 after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.
Lackey (7IP 4H R 6K W in the 7-2 win over the Phillies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 113.5 for his career. Since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995, Lackey now ranks 46th and with his point Sunday, he passes four players on Box-Toppers’ “all-time” list—Kevin Brown (112.8), Sammy Sosa (113.2), Dan Haren (113.2) and Chris Carpenter (113.3). Lackey now trails 45th-ranked player Josh Beckett (114.9). Lackey has 5.7 Box-Toppers points for the season, 11th among NL pitchers.
Scoring—Kershaw earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Nolasco earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Ramos and Correa 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
| 5/29 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 9.2 | `LAD 4/NYM 2 | Clayton Kershaw | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10 | |
| BAT | 6.0 | DC 10/STL 2 | Wilson Ramos, C | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.1 | ARI 6/SD 3 | Archie Bradley (W,2-0) | - | - | - | - | 7.1 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 9 | ||
| 5.0 | MIA 7/ATL 3 | Derek Dietrich, 2B | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| AL | 5.0 | MIN 5/SEA 4 | Ricky Nolasco (W,2-3) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | |
| 4.0 | MIL 5/CIN 4 | Jonathan Villar, SS | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | HOU 8/LAA 6 | Carlos Correa, SS | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.1 | OAK 4/DET 2 | Rich Hill (W,8-3) | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 9 | ||
| 3.0 | SF 8/COL 3 | Hunter Pence, RF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | CHC 7/PHI 2 | John Lackey (W,5-2) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 3.0 | NYY 2/TB 1 | Nathan Eovaldi (W,6-2) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | ||
| 3.0 | BOS 5/TOR 3 | Koji Uehara (S,1) | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | KC 5/CHW 4 | Lorenzo Cain, CF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | `BAL 6/CLE 4 | Darren O'Day | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1.0 | TEX 6/PIT 2 | Mitch Moreland, 1B | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `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 | +/- |
| Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 14.0 | 39.7 | 139.8 | 173.3 | -11.7 |
| Hill, Rich 2215 | pi sp | oak al | 8.4 | 12.4 | 12.4 | 32.1 | 4.4 |
| Lackey, John 1640 | pi sp | chi nl | 5.7 | 15.4 | 35.1 | 113.5 | -4.0 |
| Eovaldi, Nathan 2928 | pi sp | nyy al | 5.7 | 7.7 | 24.8 | 24.8 | 3.7 |
| Cain, Lorenzo 3171 | cf | kc al | 4.0 | 12.2 | 18.2 | 18.2 | -4.2 |
| Nolasco, Ricky 2125 | pi sp | min al | 3.7 | 5.7 | 26.4 | 79.5 | 1.7 |
| Correa, Carlos 3506 | ss | hou al | 2.5 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 | -4.7 |
| Uehara, Koji 2802 | pi mr cp | bos al | 2.0 | 7.0 | 24.0 | 28.0 | -3.0 |
| O’Day, Darren 2577 | pi mr | bal al | 2.0 | 3.7 | 11.7 | 12.7 | 0.3 |
| Ramos, Wilson 2904 | ca | dc nl | 1.5 | 2.5 | 16.0 | 16.0 | 0.5 |
| Moreland, Mitch 2799 | 1b | tex al | 1.0 | 7.2 | 15.2 | 16.2 | -5.2 |
| Pence, Hunter 2287 | rf | sf nl | 1.0 | 3.0 | 22.0 | 49.7 | -1.0 |
| Dietrich, Derek 3199 | 2b | fla nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 0.0 |
| Bradley, Archie 3438 | pi sp | ari nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| Villar, Jonathan 3233 | ss | mil nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 |
Hyun-Jin Ryu, who threw seven shutout innings and gave up only three hits to lead the Dodgers to a Game 3 National League Championship Series win over the Cardinals, is Monday's Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
The Dodgers won the game 3-0 and now trail the best-of-seven NLCS against the Cardinals two games to one.
Ryu had 9.7 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranked 61st overall.
So far in the series, the top three players in Box-Toppers points player rankings have started games, but each time, his team has lost the game:
Coming Tuesday: Both League Championship Series continue Tuesday. Here are the pitching match-ups:
ALCS Game 3, Red Sox at Tigers, series tied 1-1
Red Sox: John Lackey, 6.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 148th overall
Tigers: Justin Verlander, 10.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 53rd overall
NLCS Game 4, Cardinals lead Dodgers 2-1
Cardinals: Lance Lynn, 16.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked 11th overall
Dodgers: Ricky Nolasco, 9.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 60th overall
In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 1014 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 7.0 | Dodgers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Hyun-Jin Ryu (W, 1-0) | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
Hanley Ramirez of the Dodgers is Sunday's Player of the Day in the two National League Division Series playoff games.
Ramirez scored three runs and went 3-for-4 in the 13-6 win over the Braves to take a 2-1 series lead for the Dodgers. Ramirez had 5.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 177th overall, second among all NL shortstops.
Marlon Byrd of the Pirates is Sunday's other Player of the Game. Byrd drove in two runs and went 2-for-3 in the 5-3 win over the Cardinals to take a 2-1 series lead for the Pirates. Byrd had 5.5 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 164th overall.
Coming Monday: All four League Division Series continue Monday. Three of the four series could be decided. Here are the pitching match-ups:
Athletics: Jarrod Parker, 6.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 138th overall
Tigers: Anibal Sanchez, 17.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked seventh overall (see the top 10 Player Rankings list on the home page)
Cardinals: Michael Wacha, 3.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 361st overall
Pirates: Charlie Morton, 3.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 344th overall
Red Sox: Clay Buchholz, 11.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked 41st overall
Rays: Alex Cobb, 9.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 58th overall
Braves: Freddy Garcia, 1.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 509th overall
Dodgers: Ricky Nolasco, 9.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 60th overall
In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 1006 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 4.0 | Dodgers | Hanley Ramirez SS | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2.0 | Pirates | Marlon Byrd RF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Dodgers pitcher Ricky Nolasco is Wednesday's Player of the Day. Nolasco pitched eight scoreless innings and struck out 11 in the 4-0 win over the Cubs.
White Sox pitcher Chris Sale is American League Player of the Day. Sale struck out 12 over eight innings and gave up only one run in the 6-1 win over the Astros.
Sale moves up to 13th place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season. He earns 1.7 Box-Toppers point for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 14.4 for the season.
Brandon Moss of the Athletics is AL Batter of the Day. Moss hit two homers, drove in six runs and went 4-for-5 in the 14-4 win over the Tigers.
Josh Harrison of the Pirates is National League Batter of the Day. Harrison scored three runs and went 3-for-4 in the 7-1 win over the Brewers.
Notable: Reds pitcher Homer Bailey is in 33rd place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday. Bailey (7.1IP 0R 7K W in the 10-0 win vs. Cardinals) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.0 for the season.
Nolasco receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Sale receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Moss and Harrison 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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 828 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 15.0 | Dodgers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Ricky Nolasco (W, 11-9) | 8.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | ||
| AL | 12.0 | White Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Chris Sale (W, 10-12) | 8.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 12 | ||
| 12.0 | Rockies | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Jhoulys Chacin (W, 13-7) | 7.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9 | |||
| 8.2 | Royals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Danny Duffy (W, 2-0) | 6.2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |||
| BAT | 8.0 | Athletics | Brandon Moss RF | 5 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 7.1 | Reds | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Homer Bailey (W, 9-10) | 7.1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |||
| 5.0 | Rays | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Chris Archer (W, 8-5) | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |||
| BAT | 3.0 | Pirates | Josh Harrison 2B | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3.0 | Padres | Will Venable CF, RF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 3.0 | `Nationals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Stephen Strasburg | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |||
| 2.0 | Rangers | Leonys Martin CF, RF | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2.0 | Braves | Jordan Schafer RF | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2.0 | Red Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Koji Uehara (S, 14) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 1.2 | Blue Jays | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Todd Redmond (W, 2-2) | 5.2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | |||
| 1.0 | Phillies | Carlos Ruiz C | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
Note: Box-Toppers is playing catch-up after time away. These are Box-Toppers results for Friday, Aug. 23:
Dodgers pitcher Ricky Nolasco is Friday's Player of the Day, while Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers rises to fifth place in Box-Toppers player rankings.
Nolasco pitched eight scoreless innings and gave up only two hits in the 2-0 win over the Red Sox.
Cabrera, who was top player in his game Friday, moves from 10th to fifth place in season player rankings in Box-Toppers points. Cabrera (HR 3RBI 2-4 in the 6-1 win vs. the Mets) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 15.4 for the season. He continues to lead in Box-Toppers points among all American League batters.
Angels pitcher Garrett Richards is AL Player of the Day. Richards pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings in the 2-0 win over the Mariners.
Khris Davis of the Brewers is National League Batter of the Day. Davis hit a pair of two-run homers in the 6-4 win over the Reds.
Jose Lobaton of the Rays is AL Batter of the Day. Lobaton homered, drove in four runs and went 2-for-3 in the 7-2 win over the Yankees.
Notable: Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright rises to 10th place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday. Wainwright (CG 1R 9K W in 3-1 win vs. the Braves) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 14.7 for the season.
Nolasco receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Richards receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Davis and Lobaton each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.
All of Friday's other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 823 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 12.0 | Dodgers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Ricky Nolasco (W, 10-9) | 8.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 10.0 | Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Adam Wainwright (W, 15-7) | 9.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | |||
| 6.1 | `Padres | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Tim Stauffer | 4.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |||
| AL | 5.1 | Angels | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Garrett Richards (W, 4-5) | 7.1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | Brewers | Khris Davis LF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 4.2 | Nationals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Tanner Roark (W, 4-0) | 4.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |||
| BAT | 4.0 | Rays | Jose Lobaton C | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3.0 | Astros | Robbie Grossman LF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 3.0 | Orioles | Brian Roberts 2B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 3.0 | Rangers | Adam Rosales DH | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 3.0 | Twins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Samuel Deduno (W, 8-7) | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | |||
| 3.0 | Rockies | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Rex Brothers (S, 12) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
| 2.0 | Tigers | Miguel Cabrera 3B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1.0 | Pirates | Clint Barmes SS | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1.0 | Phillies | Cody Asche PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
The St. Louis Cardinals' hold atop Box-Toppers team rankings seemed to be slipping a little more than a week ago—but they've regrouped and reaffirmed their top spot for the 10th straight time.
On July 5, their dominant lead had narrowed to 2.7 Box-Toppers points, they fell to second place in their division and no longer had the best record in baseball.
But nine days later, July 14, at the All-Star break, the Cardinals again have the best record in baseball (.613), have regained the National League Central division lead from the Pittsburgh Pirates (leading by a game) and have increased their overall lead in Box-Toppers points—they now lead the second-place Boston Red Sox by 5.2 points.
Cardinals players have accumulated the most Box-Toppers points this season with 74.2. The Red Sox maintain their spot as the top American League team with 69.0 and also have the best overall record in the AL (.598).
The Los Angeles Dodgers were team of the week (or rather, the extended week from Friday, July 5 through the All-Star break's final games on Sunday, July 14). The Dodgers (Box-Toppers preseason pick to win the World Series), picked up 11.7 Box-Toppers points over the period, moving from 14th to 11th place overall, giving them 62.8 points for the season.
The Dodgers picked up 3.7 of those points by acquiring starting pitcher Ricky Nolasco from the Marlins on July 6. Nolasco has since picked up another Box-Toppers point when he was Player of the Game for the Dodgers on July 9.
The Tampa Bay Rays also made a big climb this week, from 11th to fourth in the standings, picking up 10.7 Box-Toppers points, giving them 67.2 for the season.
| 714 | Top 10 Teams | BTP | BTP/wk | Last week rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardinals | 74.2 | 7.5 | 1 |
| 2 | Red Sox | 69.0 | 5.0 | 2 |
| 3 | Tigers | 67.4 | 6.5 | 4 |
| 4 | Rays | 67.2 | 10.7 | 11 |
| 5 | Indians | 66.2 | 8.9 | 9 |
| 6 | Athletics | 65.7 | 7.5 | 7 |
| 7 | Reds | 65.6 | 4.5 | 3 |
| 8 | Rangers | 64.3 | 5.7 | 5 |
| 9 | Orioles | 64.1 | 6.0 | 8 |
| 10 | Pirates | 63.3 | 5 | 6 |
BTP: Box-Toppers points total. Accumulated points of all players on team in 2013 season.
BTP/wk: Box-Toppers points for the team for the past week—or in this case, from Friday, July 5 through Sunday, July 14.
Indians pitcher Justin Masterson is Sunday's Player of the Day and takes over top spot among players in Box-Toppers points for the 2013 season.
Masterson struck out 11 over seven innings and gave up no runs in the 6-0 win over the Mariners. He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for Player of the Day, giving him 9.7 for the season, putting him atop the player standings for 2013 (see the updated standings on the home page).
Marlins pitcher Ricky Nolasco is National League Player of the Day. Nolasco struck out 11 and gave up only one run over eight innings in the 2-1 win over the Diamondbacks.
David Murphy of the Rangers is American League Batter of the Day. Murphy hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-3 in the 11-8 win over the Tigers. (Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers hit three homers, went 4-for-4, drove in five runs and had a Box-Toppers game score of 9.0—Murphy had 5.0—but since Cabrera's team lost to the Rangers, he receives no Box-Toppers points.)
Yonder Alonso is NL Batter of the Day. Alonso homered and went 3-for-4 in the 13-4 win over the Nationals.
Standings update: Rays pitcher Matt Moore rises to sixth place in player standings for the 2013 season. Moore (7IP 1R) was Player of the Game in the 3-1 win over the Orioles. He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point Sunday, giving him 7.7 for the season.
Masterson receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Day. Nolasco receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Murphy and Alonso receive 1.5 each for being top Batter of the Day in their league.
All of Sunday's other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point:
| 519 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 13.0 | Indians | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Justin Masterson (W, 7-2) | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11 | ||
| NL | 11.0 | Marlins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Ricky Nolasco (W, 3-5) | 8.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 | ||
| 8.0 | Red Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | John Lackey (W, 2-4) | 6.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |||
| 7.0 | Rockies | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Juan Nicasio (W, 4-1) | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |||
| 6.0 | Angels | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Jason Vargas (W, 3-3) | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | |||
| 6.0 | Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Jeff Locke (W, 4-1) | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |||
| 6.0 | `Braves | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Mike Minor | 6.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | |||
| BAT | 5.0 | Rangers | David Murphy LF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | Padres | Yonder Alonso 1B | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3.0 | Mets | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Scott Rice (W, 2-3) | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 2.0 | Rays | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Matt Moore (W, 8-0) | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |||
| 2.0 | `Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Trevor Rosenthal (H, 13) | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
| 1.0 | Athletics | Yoenis Cespedes LF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1.0 | Phillies | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Antonio Bastardo (W, 2-1) | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
Box-Toppers 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.