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David Fry of the Guardians and Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole are Box-Toppers Player of the Game winners in Thursday’s two American League Division Series playoff games.
The New York Yankees win their division series over the Kansas City Royals and advance to the AL Championship Series. The Cleveland Guardians tie their series with the Detroit Tigers which will conclude with Game 5 Saturday in Cleveland.
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Source: MLB.com
Both American League Division Series begin Saturday.
The Detroit Tigers face the Cleveland Guardians in one best-of-five game series and the Kansas City Royals face the New York Yankees in the other. The top two AL seeds, the Yankees (first) and the Guardians (second) received byes from the first round of playoffs and face the winners of the best-of-three Wild Card series played this week.
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The Philadelphia Phillies maintain the Box-Toppers team rankings lead for the 14th week, despite winning only one game in the past week and making only minimal moves at a trade deadline which shook up team rankings.
Among the changes this week: The New York Yankees rise past the Baltimore Orioles to regain the lead among American League teams and the Los Angeles Dodgers are the hottest team of the week, in part due to landing the top trade deadline acquisition, picking up pitcher Jack Flaherty (9.0 Box-Toppers points) from the Tigers.
Read MoreGiants pitcher Logan Webb is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Wednesday, Padres pitcher Dylan Cease increases his lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Read MoreMets pitcher Sean Manaea is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Manaea struck out 11 over seven scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk, in the 2-0 win over the Twins.
Read MoreDiamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in Saturday’s World Series Game 2.
The Arizona Diamondbacks win 9-1 to tie the best-of-seven game series with the Texas Rangers, 1-1.
Read MoreDiamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly tops players in Saturday’s four league division series playoff games.
Other Player of the Game winners in Saturday’s league division series games: Ranger Suarez of the Phillies, Yordan Alvarez of the Astros and Evan Carter of the Rangers.
Read MoreRays pitcher Tyler Glasnow is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Wednesday, Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler rises to ninth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning National League Player of the Day honors.
Read MoreCardinals pitcher Jake Woodford is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Woodford struck out six over 2 2/3 scoreless innings of middle relief, allowing one hit and no walks, in the 8-6 win over the Diamondbacks.
Read MoreAthletics pitcher Homer Bailey is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Wednesday, Astros pitcher Gerrit Cole increased his lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors. Cole now has 29.2 Box-Toppers points for the season, the eighth-highest single-season total since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995.
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Reds pitcher Scott Feldman is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Feldman pitched a complete-game, four-hit shutout, striking out five, in the 4-0 win over the Giants.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 7.0 |
| 2 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 6.7 |
| 3 | Santana, Ervin 2005 | pi sp | min al | 6.7 |
| 4 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 6.0 |
| 5 | Kimbrel, Craig 2825 | pi cp | bos al | 5.0 |
| 6 | Nova, Ivan 2796 | pi sp | pit nl | 5.0 |
| 7 | Vargas, Jason 2055 | pi sp | kc al | 5.0 |
| 8 | Holland, Greg 2906 | pi cp | col nl | 5.0 |
| 9 | Judge, Aaron 3767 | rf | nyy al | 5.0 |
| 10 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 4.4 |
American League Player of the Day—Yankees pitcher Luis Severino struck out nine over seven innings, allowing one run and four hits, in the 5-4, 18-inning win over the Cubs. Severino picked up the no-decision and did not earn the win because the Cubs tied the game after he exited.
Severino earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 3.7 for the season, most among the 14 who earned Player of the Game honors Sunday. Severino ranks 20th among all players in season Box-Toppers points, 10th among AL pitchers.
National League Batter of the Day—Tommy Pham of the Cardinals hit two homers and went 4-for-5, driving in three runs, in the 6-4, 14-inning win over the Braves.
American League Batter of the Day—Sandy Leon of the Red Sox hit two homers and went 2-for-4, driving in four runs, in the 17-6 win over the Twins.
Debut—Jesus Aguilar of the Brewers made his Box-Toppers debut Sunday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Aguilar (HR 2B 2-2 R 2BI in the 6-2 win over the Pirates) made his Major League debut May 15, 2014, and was playing in his 63rd career game. He is the 3,787th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Feldman earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Severino earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Pham and Leon each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Sunday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
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| 5/7 | Score | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 9.0 | CIN 4, SF 0 | Scott Feldman (W,2-3) | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |
| AL | 9.0 | `NYY 5, CHC 4 (F/18) | Luis Severino | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | |
| 6.0 | MIA 7, NYM 0 | Jose Urena (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 5.2 | CLE 1, KC 0 | Mike Clevinger (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 5.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 5.0 | COL 5, ARI 2 | Tyler Chatwood (W,3-4) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | ||
| 5.0 | TOR 2, TB 1 | Ryan Tepera (W,2-1) | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | STL 6, ATL 4 (F/14) | Tommy Pham, LF | 5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 4.0 | BOS 17, MIN 6 | Sandy Leon, C | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | PHI 6, WSH 5 (F/10) | Aaron Altherr, RF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | OAK 8, DET 6 | Ryon Healy, DH | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | MIL 6, PIT 2 | Jesus Aguilar, 1B | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | BAL 4, CHW 0 | Chris Tillman (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 3.0 | HOU 5, LAA 3 | Ken Giles (S,8) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | SEA 4, TEX 3 | Edwin Diaz (S,6) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’17 | ’16-17 | ’12-17 | Career | +/- |
| Severino, Luis 3567 | pi sp | nyy al | 3.7 | 5.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 1.7 |
| Healy, Ryon 3685 | 1b 3b dh | oak al | 3.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 0.5 |
| Altherr, Aaron 3563 | lf rf ph | phi nl | 3.5 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 1.0 |
| Feldman, Scott 2632 | pi sp | cin nl | 3.0 | 3.0 | 19.7 | 27.7 | 3.0 |
| Tepera, Ryan 3774 | pi mr | tor al | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Chatwood, Tyler 2856 | pi sp | col nl | 2.7 | 9.7 | 16.4 | 19.4 | -4.3 |
| Giles, Ken 3402 | pi cp mr | hou al | 2.0 | 5.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | -1.0 |
| Clevinger, Mike 3707 | pi sp mr | cle al | 1.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | -1.3 |
| Leon, Sandy 3676 | ca | bos al | 1.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | -1.5 |
| Pham, Thomas 3596 | lf | stl nl | 1.5 | 3.0 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 0.0 |
| Tillman, Chris 2754 | pi sp | bal al | 1.0 | 9.0 | 40.8 | 44.8 | -7.0 |
| Diaz, Edwin 3690 | pi cp | sea al | 1.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | -6.0 |
| Urena, Jose 3492 | pi sp | fla nl | 1.0 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | -1.7 |
| Aguilar, Jesus 3787 | 1b | mil nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
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 |
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.