Box-Toppers Toppers Box
Today’s key Box-Toppers numbers. Click links to jump to charts elsewhere on this page.▪️ Players of the Game
▪️ B-T points of day’s top players
▪️ Top 10 players in 2024
▪️ Saturday’s sidelights sidebar
▪️ Upcoming pitching matchups
▪️ Subscribe to newsletter
▪️ Support Box-Toppers
Yankees pitcher Luis Gil is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to fifth place in season player rankings and rising to lead American League pitchers.
Also Saturday, Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga rises to the overall lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors. Plus, Royals pitcher Seth Lugo rises to sixth place.
Player of the Day
Gil struck out 14 over six innings, allowing one run, five hits and one walk, in the 6-1 win over the White Sox.
Gil earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 7.7 for the season, rising to fifth place overall and first among AL pitchers, passing previous leader, Tarik Skubal of the Tigers (6.4 points), who falls to third place.
Gil is one of four players with 7.7 points and ranks fourth among them because he has the fewest 2023 points (0.0).
National League Player of the Day
Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler struck out seven over six scoreless innings, allowing three hits and no walks, in the 4-0 win over the Reds.
Buehler earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, his first points of the season, and ranks 59th among NL pitchers.
This is Buehler’s first Player of the Game honor in more than two years. He last did it May 8, 2022, and was on the injured list after that, recovering from elbow surgery.
National League Batter of the Day
Luis Matos of the Giants hit a three-run homer, doubled and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in six runs, in the 14-4 win over the Rockies.
This was Matos’ Box-Toppers debut, his first career Player of the Game honor. Matos made his Major League debut June 14, 2023, and was playing in his 83rd career game.
American League Batter of the Day
There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Saturday because no AL batter earned Player of the Game honors in the 14 games completed.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2024 Box-Toppers points (BTP) through Saturday, May 18:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shota Imanaga | pi sp | Cubs | 8.7 |
| 2 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 7.7 |
| 3 | Dylan Cease | pi sp | Padres | 7.7 |
| 4 | Ranger Suárez | pi sp | Phillies | 7.7 |
| 5 | Luis Gil | pi sp | Yankees | 7.7 |
| 6 | Seth Lugo | pi sp | Royals | 7.4 |
| 7 | Chris Sale | pi sp | Braves | 6.7 |
| 8 | Tarik Skubal | pi sp | Tigers | 6.4 |
| 9 | Freddy Peralta | pi sp | Brewers | 6.0 |
| 10 | Logan Gilbert | pi sp | Mariners | 6.0 |
Rankings
In addition to Gil, two players rose in Box-Toppers season player rankings top 10 list after both earned Player of the Game honors Saturday:
Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga (7IP 4H 0R BB 7K ND in the 1-0 win over the Pirates) regained the lead in season player rankings, rising from fourth to first place. He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 8.7 for the season, passing the previous leader, Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler (7.7), who only took the lead Friday. Imanaga also passes Wheeler for first place among NL pitchers. Imanaga previously led rankings for one day, May 7.
Royals pitcher Seth Lugo (5.2IP 6H 2R BB 10K W in the 5-3 win over the Athletics) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 7.4 for the season, rising from seventh to sixth place overall and second among AL pitchers, behind Luis Gil of the Yankees (7.7).
Saturday’s sidelights sidebar
Top pitching matchup
▪️Zach Eflin, Rays14.0 Box-Toppers points over 2023-24, 16th among AL pitchers
▪️Kevin Gausman, Blue Jays
21.7 Box-Toppers points over 2023-24, 2nd among AL pitchers
Result—TB 5, TOR 4
Neither starter was Player of the Game.
Eflin had -8.0 B-T game score (6IP 9H 4R 0BB 3K ND).
Gausman had -3.0 B-T game score (6IP 8H 3R BB 6K ND).
Player of the Game—Garrett Cleavinger, Rays (1IP 0H 0R 0BB K Sv) with +2.0 game score.
High scores, no points
Highest Box-Toppers game scores for the day among players who did not earn Player of the Game honors:▪️+9.0—Grayson Rodriguez, Orioles (6IP H 0R 3BB 7K ND)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. SEA.
Player of the Game—Ryne Stanek, Mariners (0.2IP 0H 0R 0BB K W) with +1.2 game score.
▪️+6.0—Tyler Freeman, Guardians (2B 4-4 3R 3BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. MIN.
Player of the Game—Teammate Logan T. Allen (6IP 5H 0R BB 7K W) with +7.0 game score.
▪️+5.0—Juan Soto, Yankees (2HR 4-4 2R 3BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. CHW.
Player of the Game—Teammate Teammate Luis Gil (6IP 5H R BB 14K W) with +12.0 game score.
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 415 total players Saturday, 121 pitchers-17.8—Nick Mears, Rockies (0.2IP 5H 6R 2BB K ND vs. SF)
-14.0—Ty Blach, Rockies
-12.0—Justin Slaten, Red Sox
-11.9—Edwin Diaz, Mets
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 294 total batters Saturday-6.0—Luis Rengifo, Angels 0-6 2K
-5.0—Adley Rutschman, Orioles 0-5 3K
-5.0—Jake Burger, Marlins 0-5 K
-5.0—Willie Calhoun, Angels 0-5
-5.0—Jonah Heim, Rangers 0-5
Box-Toppers uses Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and other sources to compile this information.
Debut
In addition to Matos, two other players also made their Box-Toppers debut Saturday, both with their first career Player of the Game honor:
Rangers closing pitcher Yerry Rodriguez (2IP 0H 0R BB K W in the 3-2, 13-inning win over the Angels) made his Major League debut Oct. 5, 2022, and was playing in his 25th career game.
Rays closing pitcher Garrett Cleavinger (1IP 0H 0R 0BB K Sv in the 5-4 win over the Blue Jays) made his Major League debut Sept. 17, 2020, and was playing in his 75th career game.
Scoring
Gil earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Buehler earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day.
Matos earns 1.5 points for being NL Batter of the Day.
All of Saturday’s other Player of the Game winners (listed in the chart) 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).| 5/18 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +12.0 | NYY 6, CHW 1 | Luis Gil (W, 5‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 14 | |
| NL | +10.0 | LAD 4, CIN 0 | Walker Buehler (W, 1‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |
| +9.0 | `CHC 1, PIT 0 | Shota Imanaga | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | ||
| +7.0 | CLE 11, MIN 4 | Logan T. Allen (W, 5‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | ||
| BAT | +6.0 | SF 14, COL 4 | Luis Matos CF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 6 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.2 | KC 5, OAK 3 | Seth Lugo (W, 7‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.2 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 | ||
| +4.0 | MIA 10, NYM 9 (F/10) | Jazz Chisholm Jr. CF | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | DET 8, ARI 3 | Jack Flaherty (W, 1‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | ||
| +4.0 | `STL 7, BOS 2 | Miles Mikolas | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| +3.0 | MIL 4, HOU 2 | Trevor Megill (S, 6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| +3.0 | PHI 4, WSH 3 (F/10) | Gregory Soto (W, 1‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +2.0 | TEX 3, LAA 2 (F/13) | Yerry Rodríguez (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| +2.0 | TB 5, TOR 4 | Garrett Cleavinger (S, 3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| +1.2 | SEA 4, BAL 3 | Ryne Stanek (W, 2‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
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 2024 (’24). Also shown is their point total for this season and last (’23-24), the period 2019-2024 (’19-24) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2024 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2023 total (+/-).Back to top
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’24 | ’23‑24 | ’19‑24 | Career | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imanaga, Shota 4960 | pi sp | chi nl | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 | +8.7 |
| Gil, Luis 4498 | pi sp | nyy al | 7.7 | 7.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 | +7.7 |
| Lugo, Seth 3729 | pi sp | kc al | 7.4 | 13.8 | 22.8 | 31.8 | +1.0 |
| Flaherty, Jack 3971 | pi sp | det al | 3.0 | 7.0 | 35.2 | 48.3 | -1.0 |
| Allen, Logan T. 4789 | pi sp | cle al | 2.0 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 | -5.7 |
| Stanek, Ryne 4014 | pi cp mr | sea al | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | +1.0 |
| Megill, Trevor 4531 | pi cp mr | mil nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | +2.0 |
| Buehler, Walker 3943 | pi sp | lad nl | 1.7 | 1.7 | 44.5 | 59.6 | +1.7 |
| Matos, Luis E. 5006 | cf | sf nl | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | +1.5 |
| Mikolas, Miles 3034 | pi sp | stl nl | 1.0 | 7.7 | 22.8 | 37.2 | -5.7 |
| Chisholm, Jazz Jr. 4364 | cf | fla nl | 1.0 | 5.5 | 11.0 | 11.0 | -3.5 |
| Soto, Gregory 4371 | pi cp | phi nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 0.0 |
| Cleavinger, Garrett 5008 | pi cp | tb al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
| Rodriguez, Yerry 5007 | pi cp | tex 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 2024 (’24), this year and last year (’23-24), over a six-year period (’19-24) and their career point total.Back to top
| Game | Starter | ’24 | ’23-24 | ’19‑24 | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOS | Pivetta, Nick 3825 | 2.0 | 11.0 | 26.7 | 46.4 |
| STL | Liberatore, Matthew 4662 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| CHW | Flexen, Chris 4368 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 15.4 | 15.4 |
| NYY | Rodon, Carlos 3494 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 37.5 | 60.6 |
| SEA | Kirby, George 4595 | 5.7 | 19.4 | 30.8 | 30.8 |
| BAL | Burnes, Corbin 4029 | 3.7 | 15.4 | 56.6 | 59.6 |
| WSH | Williams, Trevor 3792 | 3.0 | 8.7 | 19.4 | 32.4 |
| PHI | Nola, Aaron 3569 | 6.0 | 18.0 | 62.1 | 107.7 |
| TB | Civale, Aaron 4173 | 2.0 | 8.0 | 30.4 | 30.4 |
| TOR | Manoah, Alek 4424 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 25.8 | 25.8 |
| MIN | Paddack, Chris 4093 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 29.5 | 29.5 |
| CLE | Bibee, Tanner 4792 | 5.0 | 13.7 | 13.7 | 13.7 |
| NYM | Manaea, Sean 3637 | 1.0 | 4.7 | 32.1 | 54.9 |
| MIA | Sanchez, Sixto 4335 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| MIL | Rea, Colin 3582 | 1.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 9.7 |
| HOU | Arrighetti, Spencer* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| OAK | Sears, JP 4627 | 3.0 | 7.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| KC | Singer, Brady 4337 | 4.0 | 9.0 | 27.7 | 27.7 |
| PIT | Keller, Mitch 4230 | 3.0 | 16.0 | 23.0 | 23.0 |
| CHC | Taillon, Jameson 3658 | 3.0 | 8.4 | 28.1 | 54.5 |
| LAA | Soriano, Jose 4884 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| TEX | Lorenzen, Michael 3479 | 1.0 | 9.7 | 16.7 | 24.2 |
| COL | Hudson, Dakota 4035 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 16.4 | 17.4 |
| SF | Hicks, Jordan 3991 | 2.7 | 5.7 | 9.7 | 11.7 |
| CIN | Greene, Hunter 4651 | 2.0 | 7.7 | 13.7 | 13.7 |
| LAD | Yamamoto, Yoshinobu 4964 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
| DET | Manning, Matt 4550 | 0.0 | 4.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 |
| ARI | Montgomery, Jordan 3814 | 0.0 | 10.4 | 30.5 | 36.5 |
| SD | Darvish, Yu 3003 | 4.7 | 11.7 | 61.7 | 135.7 |
| ATL | Elder, Bryce 4709 | 1.0 | 9.0 | 13.7 | 13.7 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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