Tigers' Michael Fulmer wins AL Rookie of the Year and is Box-Toppers' top-ranked rookie. Corey Seager of the Dodgers is unanimous NL Rookie of the Year, but isn't among Box-Toppers' top five NL rookies.
Read MoreBox-Toppers rookie, pitching leaders among finalists for top postseason awards, but batting leaders excluded from MVP finalists
Rookie of the Year finlists Fulmer, Maeda lead newcomers in Box-Toppers points. Cy Young finalists Scherzer, Kluber lead pitchers in points. But Box-Toppers batting leaders Arenado, Machado not among MVP finalists.
Read MoreHow 2016 Silver Slugger winners fared in Box-Toppers points and rankings
Only 6 of 17 Silver Slugger Award winners also led their position in Box-Toppers points in 2016.
Read MoreA look at Box-Toppers' top 100 players for 2016
Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer leads the list of the top 100 players for 2016 with 25.7 Box-Toppers points, the 20th-highest single-season point total since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began.
Read MoreDavid Ross tops players in World Series Game 7 as Cubs defeat Indians to secure 1st championship in 108 years
David Ross is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in World Series Game 7 as the Chicago Cubs win their first championship in 108 years.
The Cubs defeated the Cleveland Indians 8-7 Wednesday in 10 innings, winning the best-of-seven-game series, 4-3.
Ross hit a sixth-inning solo home run, going 1-for-1 with a walk, and earning a Box-Toppers game score of +2.0, the highest among all Cubs players Wednesday.
During the regular season, Ross had 2.5 Box-Toppers points, 91st among National League batters and ninth among NL catchers. Ross has said he will retire after the 2016 season.
It is the first time this World Series and only the fifth time in 35 postseason games this year that a batter has earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors.
Mike Montgomery, who earned the save, had the highest Box-Toppers game score (+0.1) among Cubs pitchers (0.1IP 0H 0R 0BB 0K), getting the game’s final out with two pitches in the bottom of the 10th inning.
Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks had a Box-Toppers game score of −1.8 (4.2IP 4H 2R BB 2K ND). Hendricks had 13.4 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranked 17th among all players, 10th among NL pitchers.
Cubs pitcher Jon Lester, who pitched three innings of relief, had a Box-Toppers game score of 0.0 (3IP 3H 2R BB 4K ND). Lester had the highest regular season Box-Toppers point total of any player in the World Series, 22.1, ranked fourth among all players, third among NL pitchers.
Indians starting pitcher Corey Kluber had a Box-Toppers game score of −10.0 (4IP 6H 4R 0BB 0K ND). Kluber had 21.2 regular season Box-Toppers points, fifth among all players, first among American League pitchers. He earned Box-ToppersPlayer of the Game honors four times during the postseason, most of any player, including twice in the World Series. Pitching on short rest for the second time in the World Series, Kluber got off to a rocky start, giving up a lead-off solo home run to Dexter Fowler.
Cubs left fielder Ben Zobrist was named World Series Most Valuable Player, though he never had a Box-Toppers game score of more than 0.0 in any of the Cubs’ four wins. Box-Toppers would have chosen pitcher Jake Arrieta as MVP; he was Box-Toppers Player of the Game in the Cubs’ Game 2 and Game 6 wins.
Box-Toppers 2016 final team rankings
Box-Toppers 2016 final top 10 player rankings
Box-Toppers point totals of all Cubs players active at season’s end
Box-Toppers point totals of all Indians players active at season’s end
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.
Top Cubs in World Series Game 7: Cubs 8, Indians 7 (10 innings)
Here are the Box-Toppers game scores of all Cubs who played in World Series Game 7 listed from highest-to-lowest Box-Toppers game score.
| BTG | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| 2.0 | * David Ross, C | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1.0 | Miguel Montero, C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1.0 | Albert Almora Jr., PR-DH | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 0.1 | Mike Montgomery (S,1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 0.0 | Dexter Fowler, CF | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 0.0 | Anthony Rizzo, 1B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 0.0 | Willson Contreras, C | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 0.0 | Jon Lester | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| 0.0 | Chris Coghlan, PR | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -1.0 | Kris Bryant, 3B | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -1.8 | Kyle Hendricks | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4.2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| -2.0 | Kyle Schwarber, DH | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -2.0 | Ben Zobrist, LF | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -2.0 | Javier Baez, 2B | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -2.0 | Addison Russell, SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -2.8 | Carl Edwards Jr. (H,4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0.2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| -3.9 | Aroldis Chapman (W,2-0; BS,3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| -5.0 | Jason Heyward, RF | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| * Player of the Game | ||||||||||||||
| BTG: Box-Toppers game score | ||||||||||||||
Game 7 narrative via Box-Toppers Twitter feed
Here are real-time tweets from Box-Toppers Wednesday as World Series Game 7 progressed:
#WorldSeries #Game7 starters:#Cubs Kyle Hendricks 13.4 Box-Toppers pts, rank 17th#Indians Corey Kluber 21.2, 5thhttps://t.co/wpv0yHvzib
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) November 2, 2016
Dexter Fowler #Cubs takes early lead as Box-Toppers Player of Game in #WorldSeries #Game7 (HR 1-1 R BI, B-T game score +2). CHC 1, CLE 0 T1,
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) November 3, 2016
Worth mentioning one more time while still relevant. #WorldSeries https://t.co/loHrpH94jr
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) November 3, 2016
Also worth one more mention while still relevant tonight. #WorldSeries https://t.co/1cgvDCryRl
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) November 3, 2016
#Indians tie #Cubs in #WorldSeries #Game7 1-1, B3.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) November 3, 2016
Box-Toppers Player of the Game leaders:
CHC: Dexter Fowler
CLE: Coco Crisp
#Cubs take 3-1 lead over #Indians #WorldSeries #Game7 B4. Dexter Fowler leads as Box-Toppers Player of Game (HR 1-2 R BI, B-T gm score +1)
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) November 3, 2016
Corey Kluber #Indians exits #WorldSeries #Game7 (4.0IP 6H 4R 0BB 0K, Box-Toppers game score -10). CHC 4, CLE 1 T5.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) November 3, 2016
Dexter Fowler #Cubs maintains lead as Box-Toppers Player of Game in #WorldSeries #Game7 (HR 2-3 R BI, B-T game score +1). CHC 4, CLE 1 T5.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) November 3, 2016
Kyle Hendricks #Cubs exits #WorldSeries #Game7 (4.2IP 4H R BB 2K, B-T game score -0.8). CHC 5, CLE 1 B5.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) November 3, 2016
Jon Lester #Cubs enters #WorldSeries #Game7 in relief. 22.1 Box-Toppers points in 2016, 4th among all players. CHC 5, CLE 3 T6.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) November 3, 2016
David Ross #Cubs takes lead as Box-Toppers Player of the Game in #WorldSeries #Game7. (Solo HR 1-1 R BI, B-Tgame score +2). CHC 6, CLE 3 M6.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) November 3, 2016
#Indians tie #Cubs 6-6, B8.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) November 3, 2016
Box-Toppers Player of the Game leaders:
CLE: Allen +3.2 Box-Toppers game score
CHC: Ross +2.0
David Ross #Cubs resumes lead as Box-Toppers Player of the Game in #WorldSeries #Game7 (HR 1-1 R BI, B-T game score +2). CHC 8, CLE 6 T10.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) November 3, 2016
108 years. Don’t count outs. #Cubs #WorldSeries
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) November 3, 2016
David Ross #Cubs (HR 1-1 R BI) is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in #WorldSeries #Game7 win, 8-7, vs. #Indians. CHC win series, 4-3 (10).
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) November 3, 2016
Jake Arrieta tops players in World Series Game 6 as Cubs tie series with Indians, 3-3
Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in World Series Game 6 Tuesday.
The Chicago Cubs win 9-3 and even the best-of-seven game series with the Cleveland Indians at three games apiece, setting up a decisive Game 7 Wednesday.
Arrieta struck out nine over 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs, three hits and three walks, earning the win. Arrieta had the highest Box-Toppers game score of all Cubs players, +4.2.
This is the second time this postseason (and second time in the World Series) Arrieta has been Box-Toppers Player of the Game. He was also top player in the Game 2 win against the Indians.
Arrieta had 15.7 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ninth among all players, sixth among NL pitchers. In 2015, he led all players in Box-Toppers points with 29.1.
Shortstop Addison Russell had the highest Box-Toppers game score (+4.0) among Cubs batters (GS 2B 2-5 R 6BI). Russell was the leading candidate for Box-Toppers Player of the Game during much of Game 6 after his third-inning grand slam homer, but his game score fell just below Arrieta’s after hitless at-bats later in the game.
Indians starting pitcher Josh Tomlin had a Box-Toppers game score Tuesday of −10.9 (2.1IP 6H 6R BB 0K L).
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.
Top Cubs in World Series Game 6: Cubs 9, Indians 3
Here are the Box-Toppers game scores of all Cubs who played in World Series Game 6 listed from highest-to-lowest Box-Toppers game score.
| BTG | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| 4.2 | * Jake Arrieta (W,2-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 9 | |
| 4.0 | Addison Russell, SS | 5 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Anthony Rizzo, 1B | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | Kris Bryant, 3B | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 0.1 | Travis Wood | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 0.0 | Ben Zobrist, LF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -1.0 | Mike Montgomery | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| -1.8 | Pedro Strop | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| -1.9 | Aroldis Chapman | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| -2.0 | Kyle Schwarber, DH | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -3.0 | Javier Baez, 2B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -3.0 | Willson Contreras, C | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -4.0 | Jason Heyward, RF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -5.0 | Dexter Fowler, CF | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| * Player of the Game | ||||||||||||||
| BTG: Box-Toppers game score | ||||||||||||||
Coming Wednesday in Cleveland:
World Series Game 7, Cubs at Indians, series tied, 3-3
The pitching matchup Wednesday:
Cubs—Kyle Hendricks, 13.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked 17th among all players, 10th among National League pitchers. Hendricks was Player of the Game in the National League Championship Series Game 6 vs. the Dodgers.
Indians—Corey Kluber, 21.2 Box-Toppers points, fifth among all players, first among American League pitchers. Kluber was Player of the Game in AL Division Series Game 2 vs. the Red Sox, in AL Championship Series Game 1 vs. the Blue Jays, in World Series Game 1 vs. the Cubs and World Series Game 4 vs. the Cubs.
Kluber has been Box-Toppers Player of the Game four times during the postseason, more than any other player and twice during the World Series, tied with Arrieta of the Cubs.
Kluber is Box-Toppers’ highest-ranked AL pitcher in 2016 with 21.2 Box-Toppers points.
Given that, the Indians should be favored in Game 7. But Kluber is pitching on short rest. But again, he’s done that before in Game 4 and earned Player of the Game honors.
Hendricks has only been Player of the Game once this postseason. In his previous World Series start in Game 3, which the Cubs lost, he didn’t do badly. He had a positive Box-Toppers game score, +2.1 (4.1IP 6H 0R 2BB 6K ND). Unlike Kluber, he is pitching on full rest and making just his second appearance in the World Series. And though he has fewer regular season Box-Toppers points than Kluber, Hendricks is among the top 10 NL pitchers in 2016.
Given how both managers have put starters on a short leash and relied on middle relievers and closers to carry the load, it would be odd to see both pitchers go deep in a Jack Morris-John Smoltz style Game 7 1991 World Series pitching duel.
It would be far more likely to see the bullpens handle the load, as has happened most of the series. That would give the Indians the edge with strong relievers Cody Allen (7.0 Box-Toppers points) and Andrew Miller (8.0 Box-Toppers points), neither of whom pitched Tuesday. The Cubs counter with their closer Aroldis Chapman (7.4 Box-Toppers points), but Chapman pitched Tuesday and had a long 2 2/3-inning outing to secure Game 5 on Sunday.
But on the other hand, the Cubs have the best starting pitching line-up in baseball and have the luxury of bringing in two of their starting aces in relief in Game 7. Both Jon Lester (22.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked fourth, third among NL pitchers) and John Lackey (13.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked 16th, ninth among NL pitchers) would be available as relievers for the season’s final game.
Box-Toppers 2016 final team rankings
Box-Toppers 2016 final top 10 player rankings
Box-Toppers point totals of all Cubs players active at season’s end
Box-Toppers point totals of all Indians players active at season’s end
Game 6 narrative via Box-Toppers Twitter feed
Here are real-time tweets from Box-Toppers Wednesday as World Series Game 6 progressed:
#WorldSeries #Game6 starters:#Cubs Jake Arrieta 15.7 Box-Toppers pts, rank 9th,#Indians Josh Tomlin 5.0 B-T, 202ndhttps://t.co/PUTK1jOqcA
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) November 1, 2016
Kris Bryant #Cubs (solo homer) takes early lead as Box-Toppers Player of Game in #WorldSeries #Game6 (B-T game score +2). CHC 1, CLE 0 T1.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) November 2, 2016
Addison Russell #Cubs takes lead as Box-Toppers Player of the Game in #WorldSeries #Game6 (2B 1-1 2BI, B-T game score +2). CHC 3-CLE 0 T1.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) November 2, 2016
Addison Russell #Cubs extends lead as Box-Toppers Player of Game in #WorldSeries #Game6 (GS 2B 2-2 R 6BI, B-T gm score +7). CHC 7, CLE 0 M3.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) November 2, 2016
Josh Tomlin #Indians exits #WorldSeries #Game6 (2.1IP 6H 6R BB 0K, Box-Toppers game score -10.9). CHC 7, CLE 0 B3.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) November 2, 2016
Arrieta #Cubs briefly led as Box-Toppers Player of Game lead in #WorldSeries #Game6 before Kipnis HR. Russell resumes lead. CHC 7, CLE 2 E5.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) November 2, 2016
#WorldSeries #Game6 #Cubs Box-Toppers game score leaders:
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) November 2, 2016
A. Russell +6 (GS 2B 2-3 R 6BI)
J. Arrieta +4 (5IP 3H 2R 2BB 8K)
CHC 7, CLE 2 T6
Jake Arrieta #Cubs exits #WorldSeries #Game6 (5.2IP 3H 2R 3BB 9K, Box-Toppers game score +4.2). CHC 7, CLE 2 B6, runner at 1st.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) November 2, 2016
Jake Arrieta #Cubs resumes Box-Toppers Player of Game lead in #WorldSeries #Game 6 (5.2IP 3H 2R 3BB 9K, B-T gm score +4.2). CHC 9, CLE 2 M9.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) November 2, 2016
Addison Russell now has 2nd-high Box-Toppers game score (+4) among #Cubs in #WorldSeries #Game6 (GS 2B 2-5 R 6BI). Arrieta has highest gm sc
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) November 2, 2016
Aroldis Chapman #Cubs exits #WorldSeries #Game6 vs. #Indians after 20 pitches (1.1IP H BB K, Box-Toppers game score +0.1). CHC 9, CLE 2 B9.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) November 2, 2016
Jake Arrieta #Cubs (5.2IP 3H 2R 3BB 9K W) is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in #WorldSeries #Game6 win, 9-3, vs. #Indians. Series tied 3-3.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) November 2, 2016
Box-Toppers 2016 year-end All-Star teams
Nationals' Max Scherzer is Box-Toppers All-Star for the 5th straight year; Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw is All-Star for 7th straight year.
Read MoreCubs' Aroldis Chapman tops players in World Series Game 5; Indians lead series, 3-2
Cubs closing pitcher Aroldis Chapman is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in World Series Game 5 Sunday.
The Chicago Cubs win 3-2 as the Cleveland Indians maintain a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Chapman pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit, no walks, striking out four and earning the save. Chapman had the highest Box-Toppers game score of all Cubs players, +5.2.
This is the second time this postseason Chapman has been Box-Toppers Player of the Game. He was also top player in the National League Division Series Game 4 win vs. the Giants.
Chapman had 7.4 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, 104th among all players, 33rd among NL pitchers and second among NL closers, behind Jeurys Familia of the Mets (8.0).
Starting pitcher Jon Lester had the second-highest Box-Toppers game score among Cubs players, +3.0 (6IP 4H 2R 0BB 5K W). Lester has the highest regular season Box-Toppers point total of any player remaining in the postseason 22.1, ranked fourth among all players, third among NL pitchers.
Kris Bryant had the highest Box-Toppers game score among Cubs batters Sunday, 0.0 (HR 1-3 R BI).
Indians starting pitcher Trevor Bauer had a Box-Toppers game score of −1.0 (4IP 6H 3R 0BB 7K L).
Monday is a travel day in the World Series. Game 6 is Tuesday in Cleveland.
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.
Top Cubs in World Series Game 5: Cubs 3, Indians 2
Here are the Box-Toppers game scores of all Cubs who played in World Series Game 5 listed from highest-to-lowest Box-Toppers game score.
| BTG | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| 5.2 | * Aroldis Chapman (S,4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 3.0 | Jon Lester (W,3-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | |
| 0.0 | Kris Bryant, 3B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 0.0 | David Ross, C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 0.0 | Carl Edwards Jr., P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -0.9 | Carl Edwards Jr. (H,3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| -1.0 | Addison Russell, SS | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -1.0 | Anthony Rizzo, 1B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -1.0 | Ben Zobrist, LF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -1.0 | a-Miguel Montero, PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -1.0 | Aroldis Chapman, P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -1.0 | Willson Contreras, C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -2.0 | Jon Lester, P | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -3.0 | Jason Heyward, RF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -3.0 | Javier Baez, 2B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -3.0 | Dexter Fowler, CF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| * Player of the Game | ||||||||||||||
| BTG: Box-Toppers game score | ||||||||||||||
Coming Tuesday in Cleveland:
World Series Game 6, Indians lead Cubs in series, 3-2
The pitching matchup Tuesday:
Cubs—Jake Arrieta, 15.7 Box-Toppers points, ninth among all players, sixth among NL pitchers. Arrieta was Player of the Game in World Series Game 2.
Indians—Josh Tomlin, 5.0 Box-Toppers points, 202nd among all players, 63rd among American League pitchers. Tomlin was Player of the Game in the American League Championship Series Game 2 vs. the Blue Jays.
On paper, the 2015 NL Cy Young Award winner Arrieta outmatches Tomlin. In addition, Arrieta is pitching on five days rest having last pitched and won in Game 2. Tomlin is pitching on short rest, just three days, after having 58 pitches over 4 2/3 innings in Game 3 Friday.
But Tomlin was also outmatched in his Game 3 start vs. Kyle Hendricks of the Cubs (13.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked 17th) and the Indians still prevailed, 1-0, thanks to the Indians bullpen aces Andrew Miller and Cody Allen.
Box-Toppers World Series preview
Box-Toppers 2016 final team rankings
Box-Toppers 2016 final top 10 player rankings
Box-Toppers point totals of all Cubs players active at season’s end
Box-Toppers point totals of all Indians players active at season’s end
Game 5 narrative via Box-Toppers Twitter feed
Here are real-time tweets from Box-Toppers Wednesday as World Series Game 5 progressed:
#WorldSeries #Game5 starters:#Indians Trevor Bauer 11.4 Box-Toppers pts, rank 34th,#Cubs Jon Lester 22.1, rank 4thhttps://t.co/gxGEmzPHbF
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 30, 2016
Jose Ramirez #Indians takes early lead as Box-Toppers Player of Game in #WorldSeries #Game5, (solo HR, B-T game score +2). CLE 1, CHC 0 T2.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 31, 2016
Trevor Bauer #Indians assumes lead as Box-Toppers Player of Game #WorldSeries #Game5 (3IP H 0R 0BB 5K, B-T game score +6). CLE 1, CHC 0 E3.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 31, 2016
#Cubs take lead in #WorldSeries #Game5, 2-1 B4.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 31, 2016
Box-Toppers Player of the Game leader:
Jon Lester (4IP H R 0BB 3K, B-T game score +4).
Jon Lester #Cubs extends Box-Toppers Player of the Game lead in #WorldSeries #Game 5 (5IP 2H R 0BB 4K, B-T game score +5). CHC 3, CLE 1 M5.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 31, 2016
Trevor Bauer #Indians exits #WorldSeries #Game5 (4IP 6H 3R 0BB 7K, Box-Toppers gm score -1). CHC 3, CLE 1, B5. Lester leads as Player of Gm.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 31, 2016
Jon Lester #Cubs maintains Box-Toppers Player of Game lead in #WorldSeries #Game 5 (6IP 4H 2R 0BB 5K, B-T game score +3). CHC 3, CLE 2 M6.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 31, 2016
Jon Lester #Cubs exits #WorldSeries #Game 5 leading as Box-Toppers Player of Game (6IP 4H 2R 0BB 5K, B-T game score +3). CHC 3, CLE 2, T7.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 31, 2016
If Chapman #Cubs holds on & earns save, he'd likely be Box-Toppers Player of Gm in #WorldSeries #Game5 (1.2IP H 0R 3K, B-T gm score +3.2).
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 31, 2016
#Cubs 3, #Indians 2 B8
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 31, 2016
Box-Toppers Player of the Game leaders (B-T game scores)
Chapman +3.2
Lester +3.0
Bryant 0.0#WorldSeries #Game5
Aroldis Chapman #Cubs (2.2IP H 0R 4K Sv) is Box-Toppers Player of Game in #WorldSeries #Game5 win, 3-2, vs. #Indians. CLE leads series, 3-2.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 31, 2016
Corey Kluber tops players for 2nd time in World Series, as Indians take 3-1 series lead
Indians pitcher Corey Kluber is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in World Series Game 4 Saturday.
The Cleveland Indians win 7-2 to take a 3-1 lead over the Chicago Cubs in the best-of-seven game series.
Kluber allowed one run over six innings, allowing five hits, one walk, striking out six and earning the win. Kluber had the highest Box-Toppers game score of all Indians players, +4.0.
This is the second time this World Series Kluber has been Box-Toppers Player of the Game—he was also top player in his Game 1 start. This was the fourth time this postseason Kluber has earned Player of the Game honors, most of any player. In addition to his two top player honors in the World Series, he was Player of the Game in AL Division Series Game 2 vs. the Red Sox and AL Championship Series Game 1 vs. the Blue Jays.
During the regular season Kluber had 21.2 Box-Toppers points, fifth among all players and first among AL pitchers.
Second baseman Jason Kipnis had the second-highest Box-Toppers game score (+3.0) among Indians players (three-run HR, 2B 3-5 2R 3BI).
Opposing starting pitcher John Lackey of the Cubs had a Box-Toppers game score of 0.0 (5IP 4H 3R BB 5K L).
The Indians could wrap up the championship as the World Series resumes Sunday in Chicago.
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.
Top Indians in World Series Game 4: Indians 7, Cubs 2
Here are the Box-Toppers game scores of all Indians who played in World Series Game 4 listed from highest-to-lowest Box-Toppers game score.
| BTG | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| 4.0 | * Corey Kluber (W,4-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| 3.0 | Jason Kipnis, 2B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1.0 | Carlos Santana, 1B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1.0 | c-Coco Crisp, PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1.0 | Andrew Miller | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 0.0 | Francisco Lindor, SS | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 0.0 | Dan Otero | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 0.0 | Andrew Miller, P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 0.0 | Dan Otero, P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -1.0 | Lonnie Chisenhall, RF | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -1.0 | Corey Kluber, P | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -1.0 | a-Michael Martinez, PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -1.0 | Tyler Naquin, CF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -1.0 | Mike Napoli, 1B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -2.0 | b-Brandon Guyer, PH-LF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -3.0 | Rajai Davis, LF-CF | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -3.0 | Roberto Perez, C | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -5.0 | Jose Ramirez, 3B | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| * Player of the Game | ||||||||||||||
| BTG: Box-Toppers game score | ||||||||||||||
Coming Sunday in Chicago:
World Series Game 5, Indians lead Cubs in series, 3-1
The pitching matchup Sunday:
Indians—Trevor Bauer, 11.4 Box-Toppers points, 34th among all players, 12th among AL pitchers.
Cubs—Jon Lester, 22.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked fourth among all players, third among NL pitchers.
On paper, the Cubs looked to dominate the depleted, injury-riddled Indians in this World Series. But so far, the Indians have prevailed with their patched-together pitching rotation.
But now, the Indians ace Kluber has pitched and won two games and will wait for an if-necessary Game 7. The Cubs dominant starter Lester is back for Game 5 and if the Cubs can win, Game 2-winner Jake Arrieta is likely for Game 6. Aside from Kluber, the Indians can’t match those starters. Though the Cubs are down, they have to feel good about their chances in the next two games. And if it goes that far, they have to hope that Kluber finally feels some of the fatigue on short rest in Game 7 that he seemed to fail to feel on his Saturday short-rest win in Game 4.
Box-Toppers World Series preview
Box-Toppers 2016 final team rankings
Box-Toppers 2016 final top 10 player rankings
Box-Toppers point totals of all Cubs players active at season’s end
Box-Toppers point totals of all Indians players active at season’s end
Game 4 narrative via Box-Toppers Twitter feed
Here are real-time tweets from Box-Toppers Wednesday as World Series Game 4 progressed:
#WorldSeries #Game4 starters:
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 29, 2016
Corey Kluber #Indians 21.2 Box-Toppers pts, rank 5th
John Lackey #Cubs 13.4 pts, 16thhttps://t.co/50Vap0CKpT
Anthony Rizzo #Cubs takes early lead as Box-Toppers Player of the Game in #WorldSeries #Game4 (1-1 BI, B-T game score +1). CHC 1, CLE 0 B1.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 30, 2016
#Indians tie #WorldSeries #Game4 1-1 T2
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 30, 2016
Box-Toppers Player of Game leaders:
CLE—Carlos Santana (HR 1-1 R BI)#Cubs Anthony Rizzzo (1-1 BI)
#Indians take 2-1 lead vs #Cubs in #WorldSeries #Game4, M2.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 30, 2016
CLE Santana takes lead as Box-Toppers Player of Game (HR 1-1, B-T gm score +2).
#Indians take 3-1 lead over#Cubs M3 #WorldSeries #Game4.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 30, 2016
CLE Carlos Santana leads as Box-Toppers Player of Game (HR 1-2, B-T gm score +1).
Corey Kluber #Indians takes lead as Box-Toppers Player of Game in #WorldSeries #Game4 (4IP 4H R BB 5K, B-T game score +2). CLE 3, CHC 1 T5.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 30, 2016
Corey Kluber #Indians extends lead as Box-Toppers Player of Game in #WorldSeries #Game4 (5IP 4H R BB 5K, B-T gm score +3). CLE 3, CHC 1 T6.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 30, 2016
John Lackey #Cubs exits #WorldSeries #Game4 (5IP 4H 3R BB 5K, Box-Toppers game score 0.0). CLE 3, CHC 1, T6.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 30, 2016
Corey Kluber #Indians extends lead as Box-Toppers Player of Game in #WorldSeries #Game4 (6IP 6H R BB 6K, B-T gm score +4). CLE 4, CHC 1 E6
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 30, 2016
Corey Kluber #Indians exits #WorldSeries #Game4 as Box-Toppers Player of Game leader (6IP 5H R BB 6K, B-T gm score +4). CLE 7, CHC 1 E7.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 30, 2016
Corey Kluber #Indians (6IP 5H R 6K) is Box-Toppers Player of Game in #WorldSeries #Game4 win, 7-2, vs #Cubs. CLE leads series over CHC, 3-1.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 30, 2016
Reliever Andrew Miller tops players in World Series Game 3 as Indians take 2-1 series lead
Indians pitcher Andrew Miller is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in World Series Game 3 Friday.
The Cleveland Indians win 1-0 to take a 2-1 lead over the Chicago Cubs in the best-of-seven-games series.
Miller struck out three in 1 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing no hits, no walks and picking up the win. Miller had a Box-Toppers game score of +4.1, highest among Indians players.
Miller relieved starter Josh Tomlin in the fifth inning with two outs and also pitched the sixth inning.
Miller was pulled for pinch hitter Coco Crisp in the seventh inning, who drove in the game’s only run. That made Miller the pitcher of record, earning him the win, since he was the last Indians pitcher on the mound before the Indians took the lead.
Miller had 8.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranked 92nd among all players, 32nd among American League pitchers and first among AL middle relievers. He earned 4.0 of his points with the Yankees before being traded to the Indians.
This is the third time this postseason Miller has been Box-Toppers Player of the Game, tied for the most such honors with teammate Corey Kluber (who starts for the Indians Saturday). Previously, Miller was Player of the Game in the AL Division Series Game 1 win vs. the Red Sox on Oct. 6 and in the AL Championship Series Game 3 win vs. the Blue Jays on Oct. 17.
Closer Cody Allen had the second-highest Box-Toppers game score (+3.1) among Indians (1.1IP H 0R 0BB 3K). Starter Josh Tomlin had the third-highest score (+2.2) among Indians (4.2IP 2H 0R BB K). Pinch hitter Coco Crisp had the highest Box-Toppers game score (+1.0) among Indians batters, driving in the game’s only run with a single in the seventh inning (1-1 BI).
Opposing starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks of the Cubs had a Box-Toppers game score of +2.1 (4.1IP 6H 0R 2BB 6K ND). Hendricks had 13.4 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranked 17th among all players, 10th among National League pitchers.
The World Series resumes Saturday in Chicago with Game 4.
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.
Top Indians in World Series Game 3: Indians 1, Cubs 0
Here are the Box-Toppers game scores of all Indians who played in World Series Game 3 listed from highest-to-lowest Box-Toppers game score.
| BTG | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| 4.1 | Andrew Miller (W,2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 3.1 | Cody Allen (S,6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 2.2 | Josh Tomlin | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 1.0 | a-Coco Crisp, PH | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 0.2 | Bryan Shaw (H,4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 0.0 | Michael Martinez, PR-CF-3B | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 0.0 | Andrew Miller, P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 0.0 | Bryan Shaw, P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 0.0 | Brandon Guyer, LF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 0.0 | Cody Allen, P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 0.0 | Rajai Davis, LF-CF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -1.0 | Tyler Naquin, CF | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -1.0 | Carlos Santana, LF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -1.0 | Yan Gomes, C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -1.0 | Josh Tomlin, P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -2.0 | Francisco Lindor, SS | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -2.0 | Jose Ramirez, 3B | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -2.0 | Jason Kipnis, 2B | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -2.0 | Roberto Perez, C | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -4.0 | Mike Napoli, 1B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -4.0 | Lonnie Chisenhall, RF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BTG: Box-Toppers game score | ||||||||||||||
Coming Saturday in Chicago:
World Series Game 4, Indians lead Cubs in series, 2-1
The pitching matchup Saturday:
Indians—Corey Kluber, 21.2 Box-Toppers points, fifth among all players, first among AL pitchers. Kluber was Player of the Game in AL Division Series Game 2 vs. the Red Sox, in AL Championship Series Game 1 vs. the Blue Jays and in World Series Game 1 vs. the Cubs.
Cubs—John Lackey, 13.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked 16th, ninth among NL pitchers.
Kluber is pitching on short rest, having pitched and won World Series Game 1 on Oct. 25. He has earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors three times this postseason, tied for the most of any player with Indians middle reliever Andrew Miller (Friday’s Player of the Game). Lackey comes in on full rest, having not pitched since Oct. 19 and is among the top 10 NL pitchers in Box-Toppers player rankings. However, Lackey has not earned Player of the Game honors in his two postseason appearances (combined 8IP 10H 5R 5BB 7K) and last earned regular season Player of the Game honors on Sept. 4.
Box-Toppers World Series preview
Box-Toppers 2016 final team rankings
Box-Toppers 2016 final top 10 player rankings
Box-Toppers point totals of all Cubs players active at season’s end
Box-Toppers point totals of all Indians players active at season’s end
Game 3 narrative via Box-Toppers Twitter feed
Here are real-time tweets from Box-Toppers Wednesday as World Series Game 3 progressed:
#WorldSeries #Game3 starters:
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 28, 2016
Josh Tomlin #Indians 5.0 Box-Toppers pts, rank 202nd
Kyle Hendricks #Cubs 13.4, 17thhttps://t.co/jyhVpVxl5W
Box-Toppers Player of the Game leaders #WorldSeries #Game3:#Cubs—Kyle Hendricks#Indians—Josh Tomlin
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 29, 2016
Score: 0-0 T5
Kyle Hendricks #Cubs exits #WorldSeries #Game3 (4.1IP 6H 0R 2BB 6K, Box-Toppers game score +2.1). CHC 0, CLE 0 T5.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 29, 2016
#Indians starter Josh Tomlin exits #WorldSeries #Game3 (4.2IP 2H 0R BB K, Box-Toppers game score +2.2). CLE 0, CHC 0 B5, runner 2nd, 2 outs.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 29, 2016
Thru 5, #Cubs, #Indians 0-0.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 29, 2016
Box-Toppers Player of the Game leaders:
CLE—Josh Tomlin B-T game score +2.2.
CHC—Kyle Hendricks B-T gm sc +2.1.
#WorldSeries #Game 3—End 6, #Cubs, #Indians 0-0.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 29, 2016
Box-Toppers Player of the Game leaders:
CLE—Tomlin B-T game score +2.2.
CHC—Hendricks +2.1.
#Indians score 1st in #WorldSeries #Game3, 1-0 v CHC, T7.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 29, 2016
Box-Toppers Player of Game leader—Tomlin (4.2IP 2H 0R BB K, B-T game score +2.2).
Crrxn: Andrew Miller #Indians leads as Box-Toppers Player of Game in #WorldSeries #Game3 (he's pitcher of record & has B-T gm score of +4.1)
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 29, 2016
Andrew Miller #Indians leads as Box-Toppers Player of Game #WorldSeries #Game3 (1.1IP 0H 0R 0BB 3K, B-T game score +4.1). CLE 1, CHC 0, E7.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 29, 2016
#Cubs trail #Indians 1-0 going into B9 in #WorldSeries #Game3.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 29, 2016
MR Andrew Miller CLE leads as Box-Toppers Player of Game (B-T gm score +4.1).
Andrew Miller #Indians (1.1IP 0H 0R 0BB 3K W) is Box-Toppers Player of Game in #WorldSeries #Game3 win, 1-0, v #Cubs. CLE leads series, 2-1.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 29, 2016
Jake Arrieta tops players in World Series Game 2 as Cubs even series with Indians, 1-1
Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in World Series Game 2 Wednesday.
The Chicago Cubs win 5-1 to even the best-of-seven series with the Cleveland Indians, 1-1.
Arrieta allowed one run over 5 2/3 innings, allowing two hits, three walks and striking out six. He had a Box-Toppers game score of +4.2, most of any Cubs player Wednesday. It is the first time this postseason he has earned Player of the Game honors.
Arrieta has 15.7 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ninth among all players, sixth among NL pitchers. He led all players in Box-Toppers points in 2015 with 29.1.
Kyle Schwarber had the highest Box-Toppers game score (+1.0) among Cubs batters Wednesday (2-4 R 2BI). Opposing starting pitcher Trevor Bauer of the Indians had a Box-Toppers game score of −6.8 (3.2IP 6H 2R 2BB 2K L).
Thursday is a travel day and the World Series resumes Friday in Chicago with Game 3.
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.
Top Cubs in World Series Game 2: Cubs 5, Indians 1
Here are the Box-Toppers game scores of all Cubs who played in World Series Game 2 listed from highest-to-lowest Box-Toppers game score.
| BTG | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| 4.2 | * Jake Arrieta (W,1-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | |
| 3.0 | Mike Montgomery | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| 2.1 | Aroldis Chapman | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 1.0 | Kyle Schwarber, DH | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1.0 | Anthony Rizzo, 1B | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 0.0 | Ben Zobrist, LF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -2.0 | Addison Russell, SS | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -2.0 | Jorge Soler, RF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -2.0 | Jason Heyward, PR-RF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -3.0 | Kris Bryant, 3B | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -3.0 | Willson Contreras, C | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -4.0 | Dexter Fowler, CF | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -4.0 | Javier Baez, 2B | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| * Player of the Game | ||||||||||||||
| BTG: Box-Toppers game score | ||||||||||||||
Coming Friday in Chicago:
World Series Game 3, Indians at Cubs, series tied, 1-1
The pitching matchup Friday:
Indians—Josh Tomlin, 5.0 Box-Toppers points, 202nd among all players, 63rd among American League pitchers. Tomlin was Player of the Game in the American League Championship Series Game 2 vs. the Blue Jays.
Cubs—Kyle Hendricks, 13.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked 17th among all players, 10th among National League pitchers. Hendricks was Player of the Game in the National League Championship Game 6 vs. the Dodgers.
Box-Toppers World Series preview
Box-Toppers 2016 final team rankings
Box-Toppers 2016 final top 10 player rankings
Box-Toppers point totals of all Cubs players active at season’s end
Box-Toppers point totals of all Indians players active at season’s end
Game 2 narrative via Box-Toppers Twitter feed
Here are real-time tweets from Box-Toppers Wednesday as World Series Game 2 progressed:
#WorldSeries Game 2 starters:
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 26, 2016
Jake Arrieta #Cubs 15.7 Box-Toppers pts, rank 9th
Trevor Bauer #Indians 11.4 pts, 34thhttps://t.co/MPCvrzXH1G
Anthony Rizzo #Cubs takes early lead as Box-Toppers Player of Game in #WorldSeries #Game2 (2B 1-1 BI, B-T game score +1). CHC 1, CLE 0 T1.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 26, 2016
Anthony Rizzo #Cubs extends lead as Box-Toppers Player of Game in #WorldSeries #Game2 (2B 1-1 R BI, B-T game score +2). CHC 2, CLE 0 T3.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 27, 2016
Jake Arrieta #Cubs assumes lead as Box-Toppers Player of Game in #WorldSeries #Game 2 (3IP 0H 0R 2BB 4K, B-T gm score +5). CHC 2, CLE 0 E3.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 27, 2016
Trevor Bauer #Indians exits #WorldSeries #Game2 (3.2IP 6H 2R 2BB 2K, Box-Toppers game score -6.8. No blood, 87 pitches) CHC 2, CLE 0 T4.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 27, 2016
Jake Arrieta #Cubs extends lead as Box-Toppers Player of Game in #WorldSeries #Game2 (4IP 0H 0R 3BB 5K, B-T game score +6). CHC 2, CLE 0 E4.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 27, 2016
Jake Arrieta #Cubs extends lead as Box-Toppers Player of Game in #WorldSeries #Game2 (5IP 0H 0R 3BB 6K, B-T game score +8). CHC 5, CLE 0 E5.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 27, 2016
Danny Salazar #Indians pitches relief in #WorldSeries #Game2, 1st appearance since 9/9 (injury). '16—12.5 Box-Toppers pts, 8th among AL Ps.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 27, 2016
Kyle Schwarber takes Box-Toppers game score lead (+2) among #Cubs batters (2-3 R 2BI) in #WorldSeries #Game 2. Arrieta leads as Player of Gm
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 27, 2016
Don Larsen rest easy. Jason Kipnis #Indians gets 1st hit against Jake Arrieta #Cubs, his first of #WorldSeries. CHC 5, CLE 0 B6. #Game2
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 27, 2016
Jake Arrieta #Cubs exits leading as Box-Toppers Player of Game in #WorldSeries #Game2 (5.2IP 2H R 3BB 6K, B-T gm score +4.2) CLE 5, CHC 1 B6
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 27, 2016
Jake Arrieta #Cubs (5.2IP 2H R 3BB 6K) is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in #WorldSeries #Game2 win, 5-1, vs. #Indians. Series tied 1-1.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 27, 2016
Corey Kluber tops players in World Series Game 1 as Indians take 1-0 series lead over Cubs
Indians pitcher Corey Kluber is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in World Series Game 1 Tuesday, striking out nine Cubs over six scoreless innings.
The Indians win 6-0 to take a 1-0 lead over the Cubs in the best-of-seven series.
Kluber allowed four hits and no walks and earned a Box-Toppers game score of +11.0, the highest of any Indians player Tuesday.
It is the third time this postseason Kluber has earned Player of the Game honors, the most of any player this postseason. Kluber was Player of the Game in American League Division Series Game 2 vs. the Red Sox and in AL Championship Series Game 1 vs. the Blue Jays.
Kluber has 21.2 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, fifth among all players and first among AL pitchers.
He outdueled Cubs starting ace Jon Lester (22.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked fourth among all players, third among NL pitchers). Lester had a Box-Toppers game score Tuesday of −2.8 (5.2IP 6H 3R 3BB 7K L).
Catcher Roberto Perez led the way for Indians batters with two home runs (2-4 2R 4BI). He had a Box-Toppers game score Tuesday of +4.0, second-best among Indians players.
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.
Top Indians in World Series Game 1: Indians 6, Cubs 0
Here are the Box-Toppers game score of all Indians who played in World Series Game 1 listed from highest-to-lowest Box-Toppers game score.
| BTG | Indians player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| 11.0 | * Corey Kluber (W,3-1) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | |
| 4.0 | Roberto Perez, C | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Cody Allen | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 1.0 | Andrew Miller (H,5) | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | |
| 0.0 | Jose Ramirez, 3B | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 0.0 | Francisco Lindor, SS | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 0.0 | Brandon Guyer, LF | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -2.0 | Lonnie Chisenhall, RF | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -2.0 | Mike Napoli, 1B | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -2.0 | Carlos Santana, DH | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -4.0 | Rajai Davis, CF | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| -5.0 | Jason Kipnis, 2B | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| * Player of the Game | ||||||||||||
| BTG: Box-Toppers game score | ||||||||||||
Coming Wednesday in Cleveland:
World Series Game 2, Indians lead Cubs, 1-0
The pitching matchup Wednesday:
Cubs—Jake Arrieta, 15.7 Box-Toppers points, ninth among all players, sixth among NL pitchers.
Indians—Trevor Bauer, 11.4 Box-Toppers points, 34th among all players, 12th among AL pitchers.
Neither pitcher has earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors so far this season. Bauer’s last start on Oct. 17 in the AL Championship Game 3 vs. the Blue Jays lasted only 2/3 of an inning when Bauer had to be pulled from the game because he was bleeding profusely from his pinky where he cut it days earlier on a drone. The Cubs have lost both postseason games Arrieta has started in 2016—on Oct. 10, the Cubs lost National League Division Series Game 3 to the Giants and on Oct. 18, they lost NL Championship Game 3 to the Dodgers.
Note: The game starts an hour earlier than normal at 7 p.m. Eastern, 6 p.m. Central, because of weather concerns.
Box-Toppers World Series preview
Box-Toppers 2016 final team rankings
Box-Toppers 2016 final top 10 player rankings
Box-Toppers point totals of all Cubs players active at season’s end
Box-Toppers point totals of all Indians players active at season’s end
Cubs have every advantage in World Series, but short-staffed Indians have dominated as underdogs
Chicago Cubs seem likely to end their 108-year World Series drought, holding Box-Toppers-point edges in most categories, but the Cleveland Indians have been resilient when outmatched this postseason.
Read MoreKyle Hendricks tops players in NLCS Game 6 as Cubs advance to first World Series in 71 years
Kyle Hendricks is Box-Toppers Player of the Game Saturday as the Cubs win their first pennant in 71 years, defeating the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series Game 6.
National League Championship Series Game 6: Cubs 5, Dodgers 0
Hendricks pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits, no walks and striking out six.
The Chicago Cubs win the best-of-seven game series over the Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-2, becoming National League champions and advancing to the World Series for the first time since 1945.
Hendricks had a Box-Toppers game score Saturday of +11.1, most of all Cubs players. Anthony Rizzo had the highest Box-Toppers game score (0.0) among Cubs batters (HR 2B 2-4 R BI).
Opposing starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers had a Box-Toppers game score of −7.0 (5IP 7H 5R 0BB 4K L). Kershaw ranked second among all players in Box-Toppers points in 2016 with 24.4.
Hendricks had 13.4 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranked 17th among all players, 10th among NL pitchers.
The Cubs rank first in Box-Toppers team rankings with players accumulating 139.5 Box-Toppers points in 2016. They ranked first nearly the entire season—in 24 Box-Toppers weekly team rankings reports, they were ranked first in 22 of them, missing only April 14 and July 21.
The Dodgers ranked third among all teams in Box-Toppers points with 125.2, second among NL teams, behind the Cubs.
The Cubs now face the Indians in the World Series beginning Tuesday in Cleveland. The Indians have not won the World Series since 1948. The Cubs have not won since 1908.
See Box-Toppers NLCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.
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.
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 | |
| 11.1 | CHC 5, LAD 0 | Kyle Hendricks (W,1-1) | - | - | - | - | 7.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| BTG: Box-Toppers game score | |||||||||||||
Cubs could reach World Series for 1st time in 71 years with win Saturday in NL Championship Series Game 6 vs. Dodgers
The Chicago Cubs could reach the World Series for the first time since 1945 (that’s 71 years if you’re counting) with a win Saturday over the Los Angeles Dodgers:
National League Championship Series Game 6: Cubs lead Dodgers, 3-2
The pitching matchup Saturday is a rematch of Game 2 of the series, won by the Dodgers, 1-0:
Dodgers—Clayton Kershaw, 24.4 Box-Toppers points, second among all players, second among NL pitchers.
Cubs—Kyle Hendricks, 13.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked 17th among all players, 10th among NL pitchers.
In Game 2, both pitchers did well, with Kershaw pitching seven scoreless innings and Hendricks allowing one run over 5 1/3 innings—a solo home run by Adrian Gonzalez, the only scoring in the game.
If the Dodgers win Game 6, they tie the series, 3-3, and Game 7 happens Sunday in Chicago. If the Cubs win, they win the series and face the Cleveland Indians in the World Series beginning Tuesday in Cleveland.
See Box-Toppers NLCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.
Factoid—The Cubs hold the record for the longest streak between World Series championships. It is 108 years and counting since their 1908 win.
In 1945, the last time the Cubs made the World Series, they had the longest streak of any team since winning their last World Series. At the time, they had not won a World Series in the 37 years since they won in 1908. However, in 1945, three franchises had yet to earn their first World Series title:
- The St. Louis Browns, franchise begun in 1901, won their first title in 1966 as the Baltimore Orioles.
- The Philadelphia Phillies, franchise begun in 1883, won their first title in 1980.
- The Brooklyn Dodgers, franchise begun in 1884, won their first title in 1955. They are now the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Cubs have been the longest-suffering team between World Series championships since 1922. That year, the New York Giants won the World Series for the first time since 1905, ending the then longest drought between championships of 17 years. The Cubs’ 14-year drought then became the longest and has grown each year for the past 94 years.
The Cubs franchise began in 1876 and has won two World Series titles in 1907 and 1908. They made it to seven World Series between 1910 and 1945—including four from 1929 to 1939—losing all of them.
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.
Jon Lester tops players in NLCS Game 5 Thursday as Cubs take 3-2 lead over Dodgers in series
Cubs pitcher Jon Lester is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in Thursday’s National League Championship Series Game 5.
National League Championship Series Game 5: Cubs 8, Dodgers 4
Lester allowed one run over seven innings, allowing five hits, one walk and striking out six, as the Cubs take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven game series.
Lester had a Box-Toppers game score Thursday of +5.0, highest among Cubs players. Second baseman Javier Baez had the highest Box-Toppers game score (+2.0) among Cubs batters (2B 3-5 R 3BI).
Opposing starting pitcher Kenta Maeda of the Dodgers had a Box-Toppers game score of +2.2 (3.2IP 3H R 2BB 6K ND).
Lester, during the regular season, had 22.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked fourth among all players, third among NL pitchers. This was the second time this postseason he’s earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors. He was also Player of the Game in the NL Division Series Game 1 win over the Giants, 1-0, on Oct. 7.
The series resumes Saturday with Game 6 in Chicago. There are no games scheduled for Friday.
See Box-Toppers NLCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.
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.
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 | |
| 5.0 | CHC 8, LAD 4 | Jon Lester (W,2-0) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| BTG: Box-Toppers game score | |||||||||||||
Ryan Merritt tops players as Indians eliminate Blue Jays in ALCS; Cubs' Rizzo tops players in NLCS Game 4 win
Pitcher Ryan Merritt led the Indians to a clinching American League Championship Series Game 5 win Wednesday, even though he has never earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors during the regular season.
Also Wednesday, Anthony Rizzo was Box-Toppers Player of the Game in the Cubs’ Game 4 win to even the National League Championship Series with the Dodgers at two games apiece.
American League Championship Series Game 5: Indians 3, Blue Jays 0
Merritt pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits, no walks and striking out three, to earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors.
The Indians win the best-of-seven-game series over the Blue Jays, 4-1, and advance to the World Series beginning next Tuesday in Cleveland.
Merritt picked up a no decision because he did not pitch the requisite five innings to earn the win. However, he did pitch at least three innings, enough to qualify to earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game.
Merritt had a Box-Toppers game score Wednesday of +5.1, most of any Indians player. Left fielder Coco Crisp had the highest Box-Toppers game score (+1.0) among Indians batters (HR 1-2 R BI).
Opposing pitcher Marco Estrada of the Blue Jays had a Box-Toppers game score of +3.0 (6IP 5H 3R 0BB 7K L).
Merritt had no Box-Toppers points during the regular season and in fact is unranked because he has yet to earn his first career Player of the Game honor during the regular season. Merritt made his Major League debut May 30 and has played in four games, pitching a total of 11 innings.
The Indians ranked higher than the Blue Jays in Box-Toppers team rankings. The Indians ranked fourth with an accumulated 123.7 Box-Toppers points earned by their players in 2016. The Blue Jays ranked ninth with 114.0, the lowest of the five AL teams to qualify for the playoffs.
Yet, the Indians were weakened by the loss of two of their top starting pitchers—Danny Salazar (12.5 Box-Toppers points, ranked eighth among AL pitchers) and Carlos Carrasco (12.4 points, ranked 10th among AL pitchers). Both were out with injuries. A third starter, Trevor Bauer (11.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked 12th among AL pitchers), was injured during the series—cutting his pinky finger repairing a drone—and could only pitch 2/3 of an inning in Game 3 before having to be removed because he was bleeding so profusely from his drone wound.
Yet, the Indians were able to cobble together four wins with bullpen stars like Andrew Miller (8.0 Box-Toppers points, first among AL middle relievers) and Cody Allen (7.0 Box-Toppers points, fourth among AL closers), plus their ace starter Corey Kluber (21.2 Box-Toppers points, first among AL pitchers).
One final note: In March, Box-Toppers somehow made the correct preseason forecast that the Indians and Blue Jays would face off in the American League Championship Series and the Cubs and Dodgers would face off in the National League Championship Series.
The only problem with that: Box-Toppers picked the Blue Jays to win the ALCS and the World Series. Now, that ain’t gonna happen.
See Box-Toppers ALCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.
National League Championship Series Game 4: Cubs 10, Dodgers 2
Rizzo homered and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in three runs, to earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors.
The Cubs now even the best-of-seven-game National League Championship Series with the Dodgers, 2-2.
Rizzo had a Box-Toppers game score Wednesday of +3.0, most among Cubs players. Cubs starting pitcher John Lackey (13.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked 16th, ninth among NL pitchers) had a Box-Toppers game score of −3.0 (4IP 3H 2R 3BB 3K ND).
Opposing pitcher Julio Urias of the Dodgers had a Box-Toppers game score of −6.8 (3.2IP 4H 4R 2BB 4K L).
Rizzo had 3.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, 71st among NL batters and 16th among NL first basemen.
The series resumes Thursday with Game 5 in Los Angeles.
See Box-Toppers NLCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.
| BTG | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| 5.1 | `CLE 3, TOR 0 | Ryan Merritt | - | - | - | - | 4.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 3.0 | CHC 10, LAD 2 | Anthony Rizzo, 1B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | |||||||||||||
| BTG: Box-Toppers game score | |||||||||||||
National League Championship Series Game 5, Cubs at Dodgers, series tied, 2-2
The pitching matchup Thursday is a rematch of the Game 1 starters from Saturday. The Cubs won that game, 8-4:
Cubs—Jon Lester, 22.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked fourth among all players, third among NL pitchers.
Dodgers—Kenta Maeada, 10.0 Box-Toppers points, 54th among all players, 21st among NL pitchers.
See Box-Toppers NLCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.
Dodgers' Rich Hill, Blue Jays' Aaron Sanchez top players in Tuesday's League Championship Series games
Dodgers pitcher Rich Hill and Blue Jays pitcher Aaron Sanchez are top players in Tuesday’s two League Championship Series games.
In both LCS games Tuesday, the top 10 pitcher was outdueled by a lesser-ranked starter:
- Indians pitcher Corey Kluber (21.2 Box-Toppers points, ranked fifth among all players and first among AL pitchers) lost against the Blue Jays’ Sanchez (10.7 Box-Toppers points, 45th among all players and 19th among AL pitchers).
- Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta (15.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked ninth among all players and sixth among NL pitchers) lost against the Dodgers’ Hill (14.4 Box-Toppers points, 13th among all players and eighth among NL pitchers).
National League Championship Series Game 3: Dodgers 6, Cubs 0
Hill pitched six scoreless innings, allowing two hits, two walks and striking out six to earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors. The Dodgers take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven game series.
Hill had a Box-Toppers game score Tuesday of +8.0, most among Dodgers players. Top Dodgers batter was catcher Yasmani Grandal, who had a Box-Toppers game score of +2.0 (HR 1-3 R 3BI).
Opposing starting pitcher Jake Arrieta of the Cubs had a Box-Toppers game score of −4.0 (5IP 6H 4R 0BB 5K L).
The series resumes Wednesday in Los Angeles.
American League Championship Series Game 4: Blue Jays 5, Indians 1
Sanchez allowed one run over six innings, giving up two hits, two walks and striking out five to earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors. The Blue Jays stave off elimination and now trail the Indians 3-1 in the best-of-seven game series.
Sanchez had a Box-Toppers game score Tuesday of +5.0, most among Blue Jays players. Top Blue Jays batter was first baseman Edwin Encarnacion who had a Box-Toppers game score of 0.0 (2-4 0R 2BI).
Opposing starting pitcher Corey Kluber of the Indians had a Box-Toppers game score of +2.0 (5IP 4H 2R 2BB 7K L).
The series resumes Wednesday in Toronto.
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.
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 | |
| 8.0 | LAD 6, CHC 0 | Rich Hill (W,1-1) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | |
| 5.0 | TOR 5, CLE 1 | Aaron Sanchez (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | |
| BTG: Box-Toppers game score | |||||||||||||
Coming Wednesday\
American League Championship Series Game 5: Indians lead Blue Jays, 3-1
Though the Blue Jays are on the brink of elimination, they hold the distinct advantage in pitching.
The Indians staff depleted by injury, throw a rookie on the mound to start Game 5 who has never earned a Box-Toppers point. Meanwhile, the Indians have already used their one healthy ace Corey Kluber, who leads AL pitchers in Box-Toppers points, twice during this series already. The Blue Jays counter with starter Marco Estrada, who ranks among the top 15 AL pitchers. And with Kluber unavailable for at least a couple of games, the Blue Jays may be able to stave off elimination and possibly make the series competitive.
The pitching matchup Wednesday:
Indians—Ryan Merritt, 0.0 Box-Toppers points, unranked. Merritt made his Major League debut May 30 and has played in four games but has yet to make his Box-Toppers debut—he has never earned Player of the Game honors.
Blue Jays—Marco Estrada, 11.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 37th among all players, 15th among AL pitchers.
See Box-Toppers ALCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.
National League Championship Series Game 4, Dodgers lead Cubs, 2-1
The Cubs lost Game 3 though they had a slight pitching advantage with Arrieta (15.7 Box-Toppers points) over Hill (14.4). They hold a more distinct advantage Wednesday when the higher-ranked and veteran pitcher John Lackey with 24 games of postseason experience takes on the rookie Julio Urias with two innings of postseason experience.
The pitching matchup Wednesday:
Cubs—John Lackey, 13.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked 16th, ninth among NL pitchers.
Dodgers—Julio Urias, 5.7 Box-Toppers points, 179th among all players, 51st among NL pitchers.
See Box-Toppers NLCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.
Jose Fernandez twice led players in Box-Toppers points & contended for 2016 points lead
Jose Fernandez, who died Sept. 25, twice led all players in Box-Toppers points and was in contention to earn 2016 Player of the Year honors.
Read MoreAndrew Miller tops players in ALCS Game 3 Monday, giving Indians 3-0 series lead over Blue Jays
Indians closing pitcher Andrew Miller is Box-Toppers Player of the Game Monday in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series.
Miller pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit, no walks, striking out three and earning the save, in the 4-2 win over the Blue Jays. The Indians take a 3-0 lead over the Blue Jays in the best-of-seven game series.
Miller had 8.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranked 92nd among all players and 32nd among AL pitchers. Miller earned 3.0 of his Box-Toppers points as a middle reliever and 5.0 as a closer during the season. He ranks third among AL closers and first among AL middle relievers. He started the season with the Yankees (earning 4.0 Box-Toppers points) before being traded to the Indians (earning 4.0 more points).
This is the second time this postseason Miller has earned Player of the Game honors. He was also Player of the Game on Oct. 6 in Game 1 of the AL Division Series against the Red Sox.
Miller had a Box-Toppers game score Monday of +3.1, most among Indians players. He narrowly beat first baseman Mike Napoli, who had a Box-Toppers game score of +3.0 (HR 2B 2-3 2R 2BI).
Blue Jays starting pitcher Marcus Stroman had a Box-Toppers game score Monday of −3.9 (5.1IP 3H 4R 3BB 5K L).
The series resumes Tuesday with Game 4 in Toronto (more details below).
See Box-Toppers ALCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.
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.
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 | |
| 3.1 | CLE 4, TOR 2 | Andrew Miller (S,1) | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| BTG: Box-Toppers game score | |||||||||||||
Coming Tuesday:
American League Championship Series Game 4: Indians lead Blue Jays, 3-0
The tentative pitching matchup Tuesday:
Indians—Corey Kluber, 21.2 Box-Toppers points, fifth among all players, first among AL pitchers. Kluber was also Player of the Game in ALCS Game 1 and ALDS Game 2.
Blue Jays—Aaron Sanchez, 10.7 Box-Toppers points, 45th among all players, 19th among AL pitchers.
See Box-Toppers ALCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.
National League Championship Series Game 3, Cubs at Dodgers, series tied, 1-1
The pitching matchup Tuesday:
Cubs—Jake Arrieta, 15.7 Box-Toppers points, ninth among all players, sixth among NL pitchers.
Dodgers—Rich Hill, 14.4 Box-Toppers points, 13th among all players, eighth among NL pitchers.
See Box-Toppers NLCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.