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.
White Sox pitcher Dylan Cease is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to third in season player rankings.
Also Saturday, Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani maintains second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Player of the Day—Cease pitched a complete-game, one-hit shutout, striking out seven and allowing two walks, in the 13-0 win over the Twins.
Cease was pitching a no-hitter until giving up a hit with two out in the ninth inning.
Cease earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 18.7 for the season, rising from fourth to third place in season player rankings. He is also third among American League pitchers, behind Justin Verlander of the Astros (22.0) and Shohei Ohtani of the Angels (21.0).
National League Player of the Day—Braves pitcher Bryce Elder struck out six over six scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks, in the 2-1 win over the Marlins. Elder did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the Marlins tied the game after he exited.
Elder earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 2.7 for the season, 87th among NL pitchers.
National League Batter of the Day—Tyrone Taylor of the Brewers hit two home runs, doubled and went 3-for-5, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 8-6, 10-inning win over the Diamondbacks.
American League Batter of the Day—Ryan Mountcastle of the Orioles hit two home runs and went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 8-1 win over the Athletics.
Mountcastle earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 5.0 for the season, 23rd 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 Saturday, Sept. 3.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | hou al | 22.0 |
| 2 | Ohtani, Shohei 3933 | pi sp dh | ana al | 21.0 |
| 3 | Cease, Dylan 4231 | pi sp | chi al | 18.7 |
| 4 | Alcantara, Sandy 4061 | pi sp | fla nl | 18.1 |
| 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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Rankings—Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani maintains second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.
Ohtani (8IP 6H R 0BB 5K ND in the 2-1, 12-inning win over the Astros) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 21.0 for the season. He trails Astros pitcher Justin Verlander (22.0) and also ranks second among AL pitchers behind Verlander.
Ohtani extends his lead among AL batters, ahead of Jose Ramirez of the Guardians (10.7). While Ohtani has only earned 5.0 of his 21.0 points as a batter this season, he still qualifies to rank among batters because he has more than 25 percent of his Player of the Game honors as a designated hitter. This was his 15th Player of the Game honor this season, his 11th as a pitcher, so his four Player of the Game honors as a designated hitter constitute 26.7 percent of his Player of the Game honors. However, if Ohtani earns his next Player of the Game honor in 2022 as a pitcher, he will no longer qualify to rank among batters, as that will bring his percentage of Player of the Game honors as a batter down to exactly 25 percent (four of 16).
Ohtani ranked among batters until Aug. 9, when he earned his 12th Player of the Game honor of the season, his ninth as a pitcher. That brought his share of Player of the Game honors earned as a batter to exactly 25 percent. But he regained his status to be ranked among batters Aug. 28, when he earned Player of the Game honors as a batter, giving him four of his 14 honors as a batter, 28.6 percent.
Ohtani earned 16.1 Box-Toppers points in 2021, third among AL pitchers. While Ohtani also played as both a designated hitter and a starting pitcher in 2021, he was ranked only as a pitcher that season because he earned such an overwhelming majority of his Player of the Game honors as a pitcher (nine of 12).
Notable—In addition to Ohtani and Cease, three other players with more than 10.0 Box-Toppers points this season also earned Player of the Game honors Saturday:
Mariners pitcher Robbie Ray (6IP 6H 0R 0BB 3K W in the 4-0 win over the Guardians) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 14.4 for the season, 11th among all players and fifth among AL pitchers.
Mookie Betts of the Dodgers (HR 3B 2-4 3R 3BI in the 12-1 win over the Padres) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.7 for the season, 22nd among all players and second among NL batters, behind Pete Alonso of the Mets (13.2).
Rays pitcher Corey Kluber (7IP 2H 0R 0BB 4K W in the 2-1 win over the Yankees) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.0 for the season, 29th among all players and 12th among AL pitchers. Kluber also now has 125.1 career Box-Toppers points, 46th among all players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. He trails 45th-ranked player Mariano Rivera (126.4). Kluber ranks 14th among active players in career points, fifth among active AL pitchers.
Debut—Red Sox pitcher Brayan Bello made his Box-Toppers debut Saturday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Bello (6IP 3H 0R BB 5K W in the 5-3 win over the Rangers) made his Major League debut July 6 and was playing in his eighth career game.
Julio Urias @Dodgers, 5th in ’22 Box-Toppers points (16.4), does not win B-T Player of the Game honors Saturday in win vs. SD (6IP 2H R 3BB 2K W). His B-T game score of +1.0 was less than +4.0 by Player of the Game Mookie Betts (HR 3B 2-4 3R 3BI).
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) September 4, 2022
Details—https://t.co/dOt7OGQI1h https://t.co/TsOEKtB6dH pic.twitter.com/NBckzLfJb9
Max Scherzer @Mets does not win Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors Saturday because NYM lost to WSH. He had NYM-best +4.0 game score (5IP 3H R BB 5K ND).
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) September 4, 2022
Player of the Game—Patrick Corbin @Nationals.
All 14 of Saturday’s B-T Player of the Game winners—https://t.co/dOt7OGQI1h https://t.co/lRv6odk4J6 pic.twitter.com/JKjLmVqgDt
Scoring—Cease earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Elder earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Taylor and Mountcastle each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Saturday’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
| 9/3 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +13.0 | CHW 13, MIN 0 | Dylan Cease, (W 13‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 9.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |
| +9.0 | TB 2, NYY 1 | Corey Kluber, (W 10‑7) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| NL | +8.0 | `ATL 2, MIA 1 | Bryce Elder | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | |
| +7.0 | BOS 5, TEX 3 | Brayan Bello, (W 1‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | ||
| +6.0 | WSH 7, NYM 1 | Patrick Corbin, (W 6‑17) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| +5.0 | `LAA 2, HOU 1 (F/12) | Shohei Ohtani | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 8.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||
| BAT | +4.0 | MIL 8, ARI 6 (F/10) | Tyrone Taylor, CF‑LF | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| BAT | +4.0 | BAL 8, OAK 1 | Ryan Mountcastle, 1B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.0 | LAD 12, SD 1 | Mookie Betts, 2B | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | `TOR 4, PIT 1 | Trevor Richards | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| +3.1 | SF 5, PHI 4 | Camilo Doval, (S 19) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +3.0 | KC 12, DET 2 | Kyle Isbel, LF‑RF | 4 | 2 | 1 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | SEA 4, CLE 0 | Robbie Ray, (W 12‑8) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| +2.0 | STL 8, CHC 4 | Yadier Molina, C | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ |
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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohtani, Shohei 3933 | pi sp dh | ana al | 21.0 | 37.1 | 51.6 | 51.6 | +4.9 |
| Cease, Dylan 4231 | pi sp | chi al | 18.7 | 33.1 | 35.1 | 35.1 | +4.3 |
| Ray, Robbie 3502 | pi sp | sea al | 14.4 | 32.1 | 65.5 | 76.2 | -3.3 |
| Betts, Mookie 3404 | rf | lad nl | 11.7 | 14.7 | 42.8 | 54.0 | +8.7 |
| Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | tb al | 11.0 | 16.0 | 59.7 | 125.1 | +6.0 |
| Mountcastle, Ryan 4325 | 1b | bal al | 5.0 | 8.0 | 9.5 | 9.5 | +2.0 |
| Doval, Camilo 4658 | pi cp | sf nl | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | +5.0 |
| Corbin, Patrick 3027 | pi sp | dc nl | 4.0 | 10.7 | 52.8 | 85.3 | -2.7 |
| Elder, Bryce 4709 | pi sp | atl nl | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | +2.7 |
| Isbel, Kyle 4548 | rf lf | kc al | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | +1.0 |
| Taylor, Tyrone 4393 | cf lf | mil nl | 1.5 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 |
| Molina, Yadier 1967 | ca | stl nl | 1.0 | 5.5 | 19.5 | 54.2 | -3.5 |
| Richards, Trevor 3945 | pi sp mr cp | tor al | 1.0 | 4.0 | 14.7 | 14.7 | -2.0 |
| Bello, Brayan 4727 | pi sp | bos al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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A Box-Toppers look at Sunday’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 | Stripling, Ross 3629 | 9.0 | 15.7 | 30.4 | 35.1 |
| PIT | Brubaker, JT 4382 | 2.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| COL | Marquez, German 3788 | 3.7 | 21.1 | 51.2 | 51.2 |
| CIN | Lodolo, Nick 4586 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| MIA | Lopez, Pablo 4028 | 9.7 | 19.1 | 32.8 | 32.8 |
| ATL | Fried, Max 4011 | 15.0 | 26.8 | 43.5 | 43.5 |
| OAK | Martinez, Adrian 4599 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| BAL | Watkins, Spenser 4479 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| TEX | Dunning, Dane 4317 | 3.4 | 5.4 | 8.4 | 8.4 |
| BOS | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| KC | Castillo, Max* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| DET | Manning, Matt 4550 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| NYY | Montas, Frankie 3803 | 3.0 | 15.4 | 33.8 | 33.8 |
| TB | Armstrong, Shawn 4204 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| WSH | Fedde, Erick 4065 | 3.4 | 13.8 | 18.5 | 18.5 |
| NYM | Carrasco, Carlos 2885 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 60.6 | 107.1 |
| MIN | Bundy, Dylan 3655 | 5.7 | 7.7 | 36.5 | 42.5 |
| CHW | Giolito, Lucas 3900 | 4.0 | 15.4 | 43.1 | 43.1 |
| CHC | Stroman, Marcus 3327 | 2.7 | 12.7 | 28.4 | 51.5 |
| STL | Mikolas, Miles 3034 | 9.4 | 9.4 | 24.1 | 26.8 |
| SEA | Kirby, George 4595 | 8.4 | 8.4 | 8.4 | 8.4 |
| CLE | Quantrill, Cal 4195 | 4.0 | 9.7 | 13.7 | 13.7 |
| COL | Urena, Jose 3492 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 19.7 | 23.4 |
| CIN | Anderson, Chase 3328 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 24.8 | 40.8 |
| PHI | Suarez, Ranger 4228 | 4.0 | 13.0 | 14.0 | 14.0 |
| SF | Rodon, Carlos 3494 | 15.4 | 27.1 | 36.1 | 52.2 |
| HOU | Urquidy, Jose 4194 | 7.0 | 15.4 | 20.1 | 20.1 |
| LAA | Davidson, Tucker 4429 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| MIL | Alexander, Jason* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| ARI | Gallen, Zac 4171 | 14.7 | 18.7 | 30.4 | 30.4 |
| SD | Clevinger, Mike 3707 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 48.9 | 51.9 |
| LAD | Ferguson, Caleb 4006 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
* Player has yet to earn Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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