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
▪️ Thursday’s sidelights sidebar
▪️ Upcoming pitching matchups
▪️ Subscribe to newsletter
▪️ Support Box-Toppers
Mariners pitcher Bryan Woo is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Thursday, Red Sox pitcher Tanner Houck rises to third place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Player of the Day
Woo struck out six over six scoreless innings, allowing two hits and no walks, in the 3-0 win over the Athletics.
Woo earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 7.0 for the season, 17th among all players and eighth among American League pitchers.
National League Player of the Day
Dodgers pitcher Michael Grove struck out three over two scoreless innings of middle relief, allowing one hit, no walks and picking up the win, in the 11-7 win over the Pirates.
Grove earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 2.7 for the season, 49th among NL pitchers.
National League Batter of the Day
Marcell Ozuna of the Braves homered and went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 5-2 win over the Nationals.
Ozuna earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 4.5 for the season, third among NL batters, behind Brenton Doyle of the Rockies (5.2) and Francisco Lindor of the Mets (4.9).
American League Batter of the Day
Trent Grisham of the Yankees hit a home run and a sacrifice fly in the 8-5 win over the Twins. Grisham went 1-for-3, scoring once and driving in three runs.
Rankings
Red Sox pitcher Tanner Houck rises from sixth to third place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday.
Houck (7IP 3H 2R 0BB 9K W in the 14-2 win over the White Sox) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 9.7 for the season. He trails Yankees pitcher Luis Gil (13.4 points) and Braves pitcher Chris Sale (9.7 points). (Though Sale and Houck both have 9.7 points in 2024, Sale ranks ahead because he has more 2023 points—8.7 vs. 2.0.)
Houck ranks second among AL pitchers behind Gil.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2024 Box-Toppers points (BTP) through Thursday, June 6:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luis Gil | pi sp | Yankees | 13.4 |
| 2 | Chris Sale | pi sp | Braves | 9.7 |
| 3 | Tanner Houck | pi sp | Red Sox | 9.7 |
| 4 | Ranger Suárez | pi sp | Phillies | 9.4 |
| 5 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 8.7 |
| 6 | Aaron Nola | pi sp | Phillies | 8.7 |
| 7 | Shota Imanaga | pi sp | Cubs | 8.7 |
| 8 | Tanner Bibee | pi sp | Guardians | 8.0 |
| 9 | George Kirby | pi sp | Mariners | 7.7 |
| 10 | Dylan Cease | pi sp | Padres | 7.7 |
Scoring
Woo earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Grove earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day.
Ozuna and Grisham 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) 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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Thursday’s sidelights sidebar
Top pitching matchup
▪️Pablo López, Twins18.4 Box-Toppers points over 2023-24, 8th among AL pitchers
▪️Marcus Stroman, Yankees
10.7 Box-Toppers points over 2023-24, 35th among AL pitchers
Result—NYY 8, MIN 5
Neither starter was Player of the Game.
López had -16.0 B-T game score in loss (4IP 4H 7R 6BB 4K L).
Stroman had -11.8 B-T game score (4IP 6H 5R 2BB 2K ND).
Player of the Game—Trent Grisham, Yankees (HR SF 1-3 R 3BI) 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:▪️+5.0—JP Sears, Athletics (6IP 3H 2R 2BB 8K L)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. SEA.
Player of the Game—Bryan Woo, Mariners (6IP 3H 0R 0BB 6K W) with +10.0 game score, also winning overall Player of the Day honors.
▪️+4.0—Mitch Garver, Mariners (HR 2-2 2R 2BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. OAK
Player of the Game—Teammate Bryan Woo (6IP 3H 0R 0BB 6K W) with +10.0 game score, also winning overall Player of the Day honors.
▪️+3.0—Ceddane Rafaela, Red Sox (4-6 R 4BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. CHW.
Player of the Game—Teammate Tanner Houck (7IP 3H 2R 0BB 9K W) with +9.0 game score.
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 303 total players Thursday, 88 pitchers-20.0—Jake Woodford, White Sox (4IP 10H 7R 3BB 3K L vs. BOS)
-16.0—Pablo López, Twins
-13.9—Cade Povich, Orioles
-12.9—Tim Hill, White Sox
-12.0—Ben Heller, Pirates
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 215 total batters Thursday-4.0—Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs 0-4 3K
-4.0—Julio Rodriguez, Mariners 0-4 3K
-4.0—Davis Schneider, Blue Jays 0-4 3K
-4.0—Dansby Swanson, Cubs 0-4 3K
Box-Toppers uses Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and other sources to compile this information.
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).| 6/6 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +10.0 | SEA 3, OAK 0 | Bryan Woo (W, 3‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| +9.0 | BOS 14, CHW 2 | Tanner Houck (W, 6‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 | ||
| +5.0 | TOR 6, BAL 5 | Yusei Kikuchi (W, 3‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| NL | +4.0 | LAD 11, PIT 7 | Michael Grove (W, 3‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| +3.2 | `COL 3, STL 2 | Jalen Beeks (H, 3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +3.1 | `KC 4, CLE 3 | Will M. Smith | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| BAT | +2.0 | ATL 5, WSH 2 | Marcell Ozuna DH | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| BAT | +2.0 | NYY 8, MIN 5 | Trent Grisham CF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +2.0 | CIN 8, CHC 4 | Tyler Stephenson C | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +1.1 | `ARI 4, SD 3 | Joe Mantiply | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.1 | 1 | 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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houck, Tanner 4342 | pi sp | bos al | 9.7 | 11.7 | 23.4 | 23.4 | +7.7 |
| Woo, Bryan 4842 | pi sp | sea al | 7.0 | 15.7 | 15.7 | 15.7 | -1.7 |
| Ozuna, Marcell 3190 | dh | atl nl | 4.5 | 12.0 | 31.0 | 61.2 | -3.0 |
| Kikuchi, Yusei 4136 | pi sp | tor al | 3.7 | 13.7 | 31.1 | 31.1 | -6.3 |
| Beeks, Jalen 4047 | pi mr cp | col nl | 3.0 | 4.0 | 8.7 | 10.7 | +2.0 |
| Grove, Michael 4774 | pi sp mr | lad nl | 2.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | +1.7 |
| Stephenson, Tyler 4384 | ca | cin nl | 2.0 | 3.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | +1.0 |
| Grisham, Trent 4246 | cf | nyy al | 1.5 | 4.0 | 13.5 | 13.5 | -1.0 |
| Smith, Will 3073 | pi mr cp | kc al | 1.0 | 4.0 | 16.0 | 29.7 | -2.0 |
| Mantiply, Joe 4585 | pi mr cp | ari nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | +1.0 |
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 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIL | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| DET | Olson, Reese 4861 | 2.0 | 9.4 | 9.4 | 9.4 |
| MIN | Ryan, Joe 4539 | 7.7 | 16.4 | 33.8 | 33.8 |
| PIT | Keller, Mitch 4230 | 5.0 | 18.0 | 25.0 | 25.0 |
| ATL | Sale, Chris 2806 | 9.7 | 18.4 | 31.4 | 163.0 |
| WSH | Irvin, Jake 4805 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| BAL | Irvin, Cole 4140 | 3.0 | 6.0 | 21.4 | 21.4 |
| TB | Civale, Aaron 4173 | 2.0 | 8.0 | 30.4 | 30.4 |
| LAD | Yamamoto, Yoshinobu 4964 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| NYY | Poteet, Cody 4405 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| CHC | Steele, Justin 4415 | 0.0 | 11.1 | 19.1 | 19.1 |
| CIN | Lodolo, Nick 4586 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| CLE | Allen, Logan T. 4789 | 2.0 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 |
| MIA | Weathers, Ryan 4388 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 6.7 | 6.7 |
| SF | Webb, Logan 4258 | 4.0 | 16.4 | 44.3 | 44.3 |
| TEX | Lorenzen, Michael 3479 | 2.0 | 10.7 | 17.7 | 25.2 |
| BOS | Criswell, Cooper 4840 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| CHW | Crochet, Garrett 4434 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 |
| SEA | Miller, Bryce 4797 | 6.7 | 19.8 | 19.8 | 19.8 |
| KC | Lynch, Daniel 4488 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 9.4 | 9.4 |
| COL | Gomber, Austin 3985 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 16.0 | 20.7 |
| STL | Lynn, Lance 2992 | 2.0 | 6.7 | 52.9 | 120.5 |
| HOU | Valdez, Framber 4048 | 2.0 | 12.0 | 41.4 | 43.4 |
| LAA | Canning, Griffin 4134 | 0.0 | 6.0 | 17.7 | 17.7 |
| ARI | Pfaadt, Brandon 4812 | 5.4 | 9.1 | 9.1 | 9.1 |
| SD | King, Michael 4549 | 4.0 | 13.0 | 18.7 | 18.7 |
| TOR | Bassitt, Chris 3413 | 5.0 | 25.1 | 62.9 | 68.9 |
| OAK | Harris, Hogan 4846 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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