Both American League Division Series begin Monday.
The Houston Astros face the Oakland Athletics in one best-of-five game series and the New York Yankees take on the Tampa Bay Rays in the other series.
Read MoreYates, Hendriks win Reliever of the Year Awards from internet baseball writers group
Kirby Yates of the Padres and Liam Hendriks of the Athletics are winners of this year’s reliever of the year awards as voted on by the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA).
Read MoreAstros’ Will Harris tops players in Thursday's ALCS Game 4 win over Yankees
Astros relief pitcher Will Harris is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in Thursday’s American League Championship Series Game 4 win over the Yankees.
Harris struck out two in a scoreless and hitless seventh inning, allowing no walks. Harris did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision. The win went to reliever Ryan Pressly, who exited after the fifth inning with the Astros leading.
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Do the New York Yankees even stand a chance facing the rocketing Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series?
Astros players accumulated by far the most Box-Toppers points of any team (158.1). The Yankees had 123.4 points, ranked fifth overall. The Astros top three pitchers are among Box-Toppers’ top-10 ranked players in 2019. Meanwhile, the Yankees top player, James Paxton (14.1 Box-Toppers points), ranks 19th overall.
Read MoreALCS preview: Red Sox hold Box-Toppers advantages in series, but defending champ Astros may be better than last year
The Boston Red Sox hold nearly all the advantages over the Houston Astros in the coming American League Championship Series.
But the Astros are the defending World Series champions and return in 2018 with a largely unchanged roster and even more wins than they had last season (103 vs. 101).
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Boston Red Sox rise to lead Box-Toppers team rankings, boosted by Kinsler trade
The Boston Red Sox rise to lead Box-Toppers team rankings after acquiring Ian Kinsler from the Angels and winning five of six games they played this week.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Dodgers rise to lead National League teams after acquiring second baseman Brian Dozier from the Twins and pitcher John Axford from the Blue Jays.
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A look at the All-Star Game rosters through the Box-Toppers lens, including a look at the worthy left in the lurch and players whose selection Box-Toppers deems questionable.
Read MoreTwo relievers are Box-Toppers top players in Sunday's two Division Series games
Two relief pitchers were Box-Toppers’ top players in two League Division Series playoff games Sunday:
- Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna was Player of the Game in the 7-6, 10-inning win over the Rangers, as his team swept Texas in the series.
- And Nationals middle reliever Blake Treinen was Player of the Game in the 5-2 win over the Dodgers to even that series at one game apiece.
ALDS Game 3, Blue Jays 7, Rangers 6 (10 innings)
Osuna pitched two scoreless innings, allowing no hits, no walks, striking out two and earning the win. The Blue Jays win the best-of-five game series, 3-0 and advance to the American League Championship Series beginning Friday against the winner of the Red Sox-Indians series.
Osuna was also Player of the Game in the Blue Jays’ Game 2 win agains the Rangers on Friday. He is the first player this postseason to earn Player of the Game honors more than once.
During the regular season, Osuna had 3.0 Box-Toppers points (all in April) and ranked 319th among all players, 87th among AL pitchers and 15th among AL closers.
Osuna had a Box-Toppers game score Sunday of +4.0. Blue Jays’ top batter in the game was Edwin Encarnacion, who had a Box-Toppers game score of +3.0 (HR 2-3 R 3BI).
NLDS Game 2: Nationals 5, Dodgers 2
Nationals middle reliever Blake Treinen pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing no hits, no walks, striking out two and earning the win.
Treinen had no Box-Toppers points during the regular season. He has 1.0 for his career, earned June 10, 2015.
Treinen had a Box-Toppers game score Sunday of +3.1. Nationals’ top batter in the game, Daniel Murphy, had a Box-Toppers game score of +3.0 (3-3 R 2BI).
The best-of-five game series is now tied 1-1 and resumes Monday in Los Angeles.
ALDS Game 3 between the Red Sox and Indians was rained out Sunday and rescheduled for Monday. More details below.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| BTG | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| 4.0 | TOR 7, TEX 6 (10) | Roberto Osuna (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 3.1 | WSH 5, LAD 2 | Blake Treinen (W,1-0; H,1) | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| BTG: Box-Toppers game score | |||||||||||||
Coming Monday: League Division playoff games resume:
NL Division Series Game 3, Nationals at Dodgers, series tied, 1-1
The pitching matchup Monday:
Nationals—Gio Gonzalez, 6.0 Box-Toppers points, 158th among all players, 45th among NL pitchers.
Dodgers—Kenta Maeada, 10.0 Box-Toppers points, 54th among all players, 21st among NL pitchers.
AL Division Series Game 3, Indians lead Red Sox, 2-0
The pitching matchup Monday:
Indians—Josh Tomlin, 5.0 Box-Toppers points, 202nd among all players, 63rd among AL pitchers.
Red Sox—Clay Buchholz, 5.0 Box-Toppers points, 200th among all players, 62nd among AL pitchers.
NL Division Series Game 3, Cubs lead Giants, 2-0
The pitching matchup Monday:
Cubs—Jake Arrieta, 15.7 Box-Toppers points, ninth among all players, sixth among NL pitchers.
Giants—Madison Bumgarner, 13.0 Box-Toppers points, 19th among all players, 12th among NL pitchers.
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.
Cubs' Lester tops players in 4 league division playoff games, Friday, Oct. 7
Cubs pitcher Jon Lester is Box-Toppers top player in Friday’s four league division series playoff games.
The other three Players of the Game Friday:
- Indians pitcher Corey Kluber.
- Dodgers closing pitcher Kenley Jansen.
- Blue Jays closing pitcher Roberto Osuna.
NLDS Game 1: Cubs 1, Giants 0
Cubs pitcher Jon Lester pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing five hits, no walks and striking out five.
During the regular season, Lester had 22.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked fourth among all players, third among National League pitchers.
He outdueled fellow Box-Toppers top 10 pitcher, Johnny Cueto of the Giants (8IP 3H R 0BB 10K L). In the loss, Cueto had a higher Box-Toppers game score than Lester (+13.0 vs. +8.0) but Lester still wins Player of the Game since he had the highest score on the winning team. Cueto, during the regular season, had 16.4 Box-Toppers points, eighth among all players and fifth among NL pitchers.
Second baseman Javier Baez had the highest Box-Toppers game score (+2.0) among Cubs batters, hitting the eighth-inning home run that was the only scoring of the game (2-3 R BI).
The Cubs now lead the best-of-five game series, 1-0, which resumes Saturday in Chicago.
ALDS Game 2: Indians 6, Red Sox 0
Indians pitcher Corey Kluber pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out seven and allowing three hits and three walks.
During the regular season, Kluber led all American League pitchers with 21.2 Box-Toppers points and ranked fifth among all players.
Kluber had a Box-Toppers game score of +8.0, same as Lester had for the Cubs in they NLDS win, but Lester’s game score ranks higher because he had more innings pitched (8 vs. 7).
Left fielder Brandon Guyer had the highest Box-Toppers game score (+2.0) among Indians batters (3-4 2R BI).
The Indians now lead the best-of-five game series, 2-0, which resumes Sunday in Boston.
NLDS Game 1, Dodgers 4, Nationals 3
Dodgers closing pitcher Kenley Jansen pitched a five-out save, going 1 2/3 innings, allowing one hit, no runs, no walks and striking out two.
During the regular season, Jansen had 6.0 Box-Toppers points, ranking 163rd among all players, 46th among NL pitchers and third among NL closing pitchers.
Jansen had a Box-Toppers game score of +3.2, most of any Dodgers player in the win. Third baseman Justin Turner had the highest Box-Toppers game score (+2.0) among Dodgers batters (HR 2-3 R 2BI).
The game pitted Box-Toppers two top-ranked players against each other as starting pitchers, but neither had positive Box-Toppers game scores:
- Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers (24.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked second) had a Box-Toppers game score of −3.0 (5IP 8H 3R BB 7K W).
- Max Scherzer of the Nationals (25.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked first) had a Box-Toppers game score of −2.0 (6IP 5H 4R 0BB 5K L).
The Dodgers now lead the best-of-five game series, 1-0, which resumes Saturday in Washington.
ALDS Game 2: Blue Jays 5, Rangers 3
Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna pitched a five-out save, going 1 2/3 innings, allowing one hit, no runs, no walks and striking out two.
During the regular season, Osuna had 3.0 Box-Toppers points (all in April) and ranked 319th among all players, 87th among AL pitchers and 15th among AL closers.
Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki had the highest Box-Toppers game score (+1.0) among Blue Jays batters (HR 2-4 R 2BI).
The Blue Jays now lead the best-of-five game series, 2-0, which resumes Sunday in Toronto.
| BTG | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| 8.0 | CHC 1, SF 0 | Jon Lester (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
| 8.0 | CLE 6, BOS 0 | Corey Kluber (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | |
| 3.2 | LAD 4, WSH 3 | Kenley Jansen (S,1) | - | - | - | - | 1.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 2.2 | TOR 5, TEX 3 | Roberto Osuna (S,1) | - | - | - | - | 1.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| BTG: Box-Toppers game score | |||||||||||||
Coming Saturday: The National League Division Series playoffs resume with two Game 2s:
NL Division Series Game 2, Dodgers lead Nationals, 1-0
The pitching matchup Saturday:
Dodgers—Rich Hill, 14.4 Box-Toppers points, 13th among all players, eighth among NL pitchers.
Nationals—Tanner Roark, 12.7 Box-Toppers points, 22nd among all players, 14th among NL pitchers.
NL Division Series Game 2, Cubs lead Giants, 1-0
The pitching matchup Saturday:
Giants—Jeff Samardzija, 10.7 Box-Toppers points, 41st among all players, 18th among NL pitchers.
Cubs—Kyle Hendricks, 13.4 Box-Toppers points, 17th among all players, 10th among NL pitchers.
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.
Pirates' Francisco Liriano tops players in Sunday, April 3's opening day games
Pirates pitcher Francisco Liriano is Sunday’s Box-Toppers opening day Player of the Day.
Liriano struck out 10 over six scoreless innings, allowing three hits, in the 4-1 win over the Cardinals.
Liriano receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being opening day Player of the Day and now leads all players in Box-Toppers points with 2.0. He had 14.9 Box-Toppers points in 2015, ranked ninth among National League pitchers.
American League Player of the Day—Royals pitcher Edinson Volquez pitched six scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out five, in the 4-3 win over the Mets.
Volquez has now earned Box-Toppers points in 11 consecutive seasons. He first earned Box-Toppers points in 2006 with the Rangers and has 59.5 career Box-Toppers points, ranked 19th among active AL pitchers. His best year was 2008 with the Reds when he had 15.1 points, ranked sixth among NL pitchers. He had 7.0 Box-Toppers points in 2015 with the Royals.
Notable—Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna was Player of the Game in the other regular season game Sunday. Osuna struck out two in one scoreless inning and earned the save in the 5-3 win over the Rays.
Also, Sunday, Angels pitcher A.J. Achter was Player of the Game in the final spring training game of the season, a 6-4 win over the Cubs. Achter struck out two in a scoreless seventh inning, picking up a no decision. (Achter earns no Box-Toppers points because he was playing in a spring training game.)
Scoring—Liriano earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Volquez earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. All of Sunday’s other regular season Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 4/3 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 8.0 | Pirates | Francisco Liriano (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 10 | |
| AL | 6.0 | Royals | Edinson Volquez (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | |
| 2.0 | Blue Jays | Roberto Osuna (S,1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| Spring training | ||||||||||||||||
| 3.0 | `Angels | A.J. Achter | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
Royals' Cueto, Blue Jays' Osuna top players as teams win AL Division Series, Wednesday, Oct. 14
Johnny Cueto struck out eight over eight innings, allowing two runs and two hits, to lead the Kansas City Royals to a Game 5 American League Division Series win Wednesday, eliminating the Houston Astros. Cueto is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Wednesday, closer Roberto Osuna pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing no hits and striking out four, to lead the Toronto Blue Jays to a Game 5 AL Division Series win, eliminating the Texas Rangers. Osuna is Box-Toppers Player of the Game.
American League Division Series Game 5: Royals 7, Astros 2
Cueto, who picked up the win, had a Box-Toppers game score of +10.0, highest among all Royals players, as the Royals beat the Astros in the best-of-five game series, 3-2.
During the regular season, Cueto had 12.8 Box-Toppers points, 25th among all players, 13th among AL pitchers.
Astros pitcher Dallas Keuchel, ranked fourth among all players in Box-Toppers points (21.4), first among AL pitchers, appeared in relief, pitching the eighth inning (1IP 2H 3R 0K ND). He had a Box-Toppers game score of −8.0.
The Royals had the most regular season Box-Toppers team points in the AL with 127.5, ranked second overall, behind the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Astros ranked eighth with 118.4.
The Royals face the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series beginning Friday in Kansas City.
American League Division Series Game 5: Blue Jays 6, Rangers 3
Osuna, who picked up the save, had a Box-Toppers game score of +5.2, highest among all Blue Jays players, as the Blue Jays eliminated the Rangers in the best-of-five game series, 3-2.
During the regular season, Osuna had 4.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 268th among all players, 86th among AL pitchers and 14th among AL closing pitchers. He was born Feb. 7, 1995, a couple of months before Box-Toppers record keeping began at the start of the 1995 season.
The Blue Jays ranked fifth in regular season Box-Toppers team rankings (second among AL teams, behind the Royals) with 124.1 Box-Toppers points. The Rangers ranked 10th with 107.2.
The Blue Jays face the Kansas City Royals in the American League Championship Series beginning Friday in Kansas City.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 10/14 | Score | Team | Players | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| POG | 10.0 | Royals | Johnny Cueto (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| POG | 5.2 | Blue Jays | Roberto Osuna (S,1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Coming Thursday, the league division playoff series conclude:
NL Division Series Game 5, Mets at Dodgers, series tied 2-2
The pitching matchup Thursday:
Mets—Jacob deGrom, 22.4 Box-Toppers points, third among all players, third among NL pitchers.
Dodgers—Zack Greinke, 20.7 Box-Toppers points, seventh among all players, fifth among NL pitchers.
The Dodgers hold the slight edge in Box-Toppers team rankings, sixth among all teams, with 122.5 Box-Toppers points. But the Mets are only 0.5 points behind, with 122.0, ranking seventh among all teams. So far this postseason, Box-Toppers’ higher-ranked team has won three of the three concluded league division series. That would give the edge to the Dodgers. But higher-ranked starting pitchers have won 14 of 20 postseason games this season. That would give the edge to deGrom and the Mets
The winner of this game will face the Chicago Cubs in the NL Championship Series beginning Saturday in either New York or Los Angeles.
Royals' Joe Blanton (6IP R 7K) top players for Monday, June 22
Royals pitcher Joe Blanton is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Blanton struck out seven over six innings, allowing one run and two hits, in the 4-1 win over the Mariners.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of June 22.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 13.4 |
| 2 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 13.0 |
| 3 | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | pit nl | 12.0 |
| 4 | Archer, Chris 3194 | pi sp | tb al | 11.0 |
| 5 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 10.4 |
| 6 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | det al | 10.1 |
| 7 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 9.7 |
| 8 | Martinez, Carlos 3371 | pi sp | stl nl | 9.7 |
| 9 | Harvey, Matt 3075 | pi sp | nym nl | 9.7 |
| 10 | Gray, Sonny 3259 | pi sp | oak al | 9.4 |
Box-Toppers points leader Felix Hernandez of the Mariners was the losing pitcher in the game. Hernandez (6.2IP 9H 4R 5K L) had a Box-Toppers game score of −6.8. (Blanton had a Box-Toppers game score of 9.) Hernandez has 13.4 Box-Toppers points on the season and has led player rankings all but six days this season, however his lead is narrowing.
National League Player of the Day—Maikel Franco of the Phillies homered twice and went 4-for-5, scoring three times and driving in five runs, in the 11-8 win over the Yankees. This was Franco’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. He made his Major League debut Sept. 2, 2014, and was playing in his 52nd career game. He is the 3,510th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
American League Batter of the Day—Kennys Vargas of the Twins homered and went 4-for-4, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 13-2 win over the White Sox. This was Vargas’ Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. He made his Major League debut Aug. 1, 2014, and was playing in his 94th career game. He is the 3,511th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
National League Batter of the Day—There is no separate NL Batter of the Day for Monday because the overall NL Player of the Day was a batter (Maikel Franco of the Phillies). In fact, no NL pitcher earned Player of the Game honors in the seven games played Monday.
Notable—Yoenis Cespedes of the Tigers has the highest Box-Toppers player ranking of any of the seven who earned Player of the Game honors Monday.
Cespedes has 5.7 Box-Toppers points and ranks 40th among all players, fourth among AL batters. Cespedes (HR 2B 3-3 2R 3BI in the 8-5 win over the Indians) earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game.
Debut—In addition to Franco and Vargas, a third player also made his Box-Toppers debut Monday, earning his first career Player of the Game honor—Blue Jays pitcher Roberto Osuna. Osuna (2IP 0H 0R 5K Sv in the 8-5 win over the Rays) made his Major League debut April 8 and was playing in his 31st career game. He is the 3,512th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Blanton earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Franco earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Vargas earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day. All of Monday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 6/22 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 9.0 | Royals | Joe Blanton (W, 2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | |
| NL | 7.0 | Phillies | Maikel Franco 3B | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 6.0 | Twins | Kennys Vargas DH | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 6.0 | Blue Jays | Roberto Osuna (S, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 5.0 | Tigers | Yoenis Cespedes LF | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 5.0 | `Angels | Hector Santiago | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 4.0 | Cubs | Kris Bryant 3B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||