Box-Toppers Toppers Box
Today’s key Box-Toppers numbers. Click links to jump to charts elsewhere on this page.▪️ Box-Toppers Player of the Game winners.
▪️ Box-Toppers points of the day’s top players.
▪️ Top 10 players in 2022 Box-Toppers points.
▪️ A B-T look at today’s pitching matchups.
Braves pitcher Spencer Strider is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, recording the highest Box-Toppers game score for any Player of the Game winner in 2022.
Strider struck out 16 over eight scoreless innings, allowing two hits and no walks, in the 3-0 win over the Rockies.
Strider earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 11.4 for the season, 24th among all players and 14th among National League pitchers.
Strider had a Box-Toppers game score Thursday of +22.0, the highest for any Player of the Game winner in 2022. The previous high was +20.0 by Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw on April 13 (7IP 0H 0R 0BB 13K W in the 7-0 win over the Twins). The last time a Player of the Game winner had a better Box-Toppers game score was last season, April 23, 2021, when Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom also had a +22.0 game score (CG 2H 0R 0BB 15K W in the 6-0 win over the Nationals). deGrom’s game score ranks ahead of Strider’s because he had more innings pitched—nine vs. eight.
Strider becomes the 34th player to reach 10.0 Box-Toppers points in 2022. It is his first season earning points and so his first season to reach 10.0 points.
American League Player of the Day—Mariners pitcher Logan Gilbert struck out nine over six scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk, in the 7-0 win over the Tigers.
Gilbert earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 9.4 for the season, 16th among AL pitchers.
National League Batter of the Day—Joey Meneses of the Nationals hit a walk-off three-run homer and went 4-for-6, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 7-5, 10-inning win over the Athletics.
This was Meneses’ Box-Toppers debut, his first career Player of the Game honor. Meneses made his Major League debut Aug. 2 and was playing in his 25th career game.
American League Batter of the Day—Alex Verdugo of the Red Sox homered and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in one run, in the 9-8 win over the Rangers.
Verdugo earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 7.0 for the season, 11th among AL batters.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 in Box-Toppers season player rankings for 2022. Players are ranked by Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned this season through Thursday, Sept. 1.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | hou al | 22.0 |
| 2 | Ohtani, Shohei 3933 | pi sp dh | ana al | 20.0 |
| 3 | Alcantara, Sandy 4061 | pi sp | fla nl | 18.1 |
| 4 | Cease, Dylan 4231 | pi sp | chi al | 16.7 |
| 5 | Urias, Julio 3652 | pi sp | lad nl | 16.4 |
| 6 | Musgrove, Joe 3705 | pi sp | sd nl | 15.4 |
| 7 | Rodon, Carlos 3494 | pi sp | sf nl | 15.4 |
| 8 | McClanahan, Shane 4399 | pi sp | tb al | 15.4 |
| 9 | Fried, Max 4011 | pi sp | atl nl | 15.0 |
| 10 | Gallen, Zac 4171 | pi sp | ari nl | 14.7 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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Notable—White Sox pitcher Johnny Cueto now has 118.2 career Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday.
Cueto (5.1IP 6H R 0BB 5K W in the 7-1 win over the Royals) ranks 50th among all players in career points since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. With his 1.0 point Thursday, he passes two players on the “all-time” list—Padres pitcher Yu Darvish (117.3) and Barry Zito (117.4). He now trails 49th-ranked player Carlos Delgado (118.7). Cueto ranks 15th among active players in career points, sixth among active AL pitchers.
Cueto now has 6.4 Box-Toppers points in 2022, 36th among AL pitchers.
Scoring—Strider earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Gilbert earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Meneses and Verdugo each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Thursday’s other Player of the Game winners (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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Box‑Toppers Player of the Game winners
Here is the top player from each of the day’s games listed from highest to lowest Box‑Toppers game score (BTG).Back to top
| 9/1 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +22.0 | ATL 3, COL 0 | Spencer Strider, (W 9‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 8.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | |
| AL | +12.0 | SEA 7, DET 0 | Logan Gilbert, (W 11‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | |
| +10.0 | ARI 5, MIL 0 | Merrill Kelly, (W 12‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | ||
| +7.0 | BAL 3, CLE 0 | Kyle Bradish, (W 3‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | ||
| BAT | +4.0 | WSH 7, OAK 5 (F/10) | Joey Meneses, RF | 6 | 2 | 4 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| BAT | +3.0 | BOS 9, TEX 8 | Alex Verdugo, RF | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +3.0 | NYM 5, LAD 3 | Adam Ottavino, (S 3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +2.1 | CHW 7, KC 1 | Johnny Cueto, (W 7‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
AL—Overall American League Player of the Day, worth 1.7 total Box‑Toppers points.
NL—Overall National League Player of the Day, worth 1.7 total Box‑Toppers points.
BAT—Top AL or NL Batter of the Day, worth 1.5 total Box‑Toppers points.
All other players listed here earn Player of the Game honors, worth 1.0 Box‑Toppers point.
` Pitcher had a no‑decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
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Box-Toppers point totals of the day’s Player of the Game winners
Here are Box-Toppers point totals of each of the Player of the Game winners. Players are ranked by their Box-Toppers point total in 2022 (’22). Also shown is their point total for this season and last (’21-22), the period 2017-2022 (’17-22) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2022 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2021 total (+/-).Back to top
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’22 | ’21‑22 | ’17‑22 | Career | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strider, Spencer 4626 | pi sp | atl nl | 11.4 | 11.4 | 11.4 | 11.4 | +11.4 |
| Gilbert, Logan 4439 | pi sp | sea al | 9.4 | 16.4 | 16.4 | 16.4 | +2.4 |
| Kelly, Merrill 4143 | pi sp | ari nl | 9.0 | 12.0 | 24.0 | 24.0 | +6.0 |
| Verdugo, Alex 4129 | lf rf | bos al | 7.0 | 10.5 | 14.0 | 14.0 | +3.5 |
| Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | chi al | 6.4 | 11.4 | 18.4 | 118.2 | +1.4 |
| Bradish, Kyle 4597 | pi sp | bal al | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | +4.0 |
| Ottavino, Adam 3054 | pi mr cp | nym nl | 2.0 | 6.0 | 12.0 | 19.0 | -2.0 |
| Meneses, Joey 4725 | rf | dc nl | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | +1.5 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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A Box-Toppers look at Friday’s pitching matchups
A Box-Toppers look at the upcoming day’s probable pitching matchups. Teams are paired below with visiting teams on top and home teams on the bottom. Each team’s starting pitcher is shown with their Box-Toppers point total from 2022 (’22), over a two-year period (’21-22), over a six-year period (’17-22) and their career point total.Back to top
| Game | Starter | ’22 | ’21‑22 | ’17‑22 | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOR | Manoah, Alek 4424 | 7.7 | 18.4 | 18.4 | 18.4 |
| PIT | Oviedo, Johan 4442 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| COL | Freeland, Kyle 3763 | 5.0 | 12.0 | 32.4 | 32.4 |
| CIN | Cessa, Luis 3703 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 6.0 |
| OAK | Sears, JP 4627 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| BAL | Kremer, Dean 4330 | 4.7 | 6.7 | 8.4 | 8.4 |
| KC | Lynch, Daniel 4488 | 4.7 | 8.4 | 8.4 | 8.4 |
| DET | Hutchison, Drew 3038 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 26.0 |
| NYY | German, Domingo 3957 | 1.0 | 5.7 | 24.4 | 24.4 |
| TB | Springs, Jeffrey 4372 | 7.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 |
| SEA | Castillo, Luis Miguel 3840 | 8.0 | 17.0 | 52.8 | 52.8 |
| CLE | Plesac, Zach 4168 | 5.7 | 11.1 | 21.2 | 21.2 |
| TEX | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 24.8 | 67.6 |
| BOS | Pivetta, Nick 3825 | 7.7 | 12.7 | 35.4 | 35.4 |
| WSH | Gray, Josiah 4503 | 4.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 |
| NYM | Peterson, David 4347 | 5.0 | 8.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 |
| MIA | Alcantara, Sandy 4061 | 18.1 | 27.8 | 37.2 | 37.2 |
| ATL | Morton, Charlie 2503 | 8.7 | 21.4 | 64.7 | 92.4 |
| MIN | Gray, Sonny 3259 | 11.1 | 17.5 | 53.7 | 86.5 |
| CHW | Martin, Davis 4657 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| CHC | Sampson, Adrian 4147 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| STL | Montgomery, Jordan 3814 | 8.4 | 18.1 | 25.1 | 25.1 |
| HOU | McCullers, Lance 3488 | 1.7 | 10.4 | 33.2 | 46.0 |
| LAA | Detmers, Reid 4513 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| MIL | Lauer, Eric 4017 | 8.4 | 14.4 | 27.8 | 27.8 |
| ARI | Davies, Zach 3581 | 1.0 | 7.0 | 20.7 | 29.7 |
| SD | Darvish, Yu 3003 | 10.1 | 23.2 | 61.7 | 117.3 |
| LAD | May, Dustin 4214 | 2.0 | 3.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 |
| PHI | Gibson, Kyle 3312 | 8.0 | 15.7 | 35.5 | 52.5 |
| SF | Cobb, Alex 2916 | 4.0 | 11.4 | 23.8 | 55.2 |
* Player has yet to earn Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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