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
▪️ Sunday’s sidelights sidebar
▪️ Upcoming pitching matchups
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▪️ Support Box-Toppers
Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to second place in season player rankings.
Wheeler struck out nine over eight scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk, in the 6-0 win over the Mariners.
Wheeler earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 15.7 for the season. He ranks second overall and second among National League pitchers, 1.7 points behind Dylan Cease of the Padres (17.4 points).
American League Player of the Day
Rays pitcher Tyler Alexander struck out five over 4 1/3 scoreless innings of middle relief, allowing two hits and one walk.
Alexander came on in relief with two outs in the first inning after Rays opening pitcher Hunter Bigge was pulled after facing five batters.
Alexander earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 4.7 for the season, 47th among AL pitchers and first among AL middle relievers.
American League Batter of the Day
Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles homered and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in two runs, in the 9-5 win over the Guardians.
National League Batter of the Day
Joc Pederson of the Diamondbacks hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-5, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 6-5 win over the Pirates.
Pederson earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 5.0 for the season, 10th among NL batters.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2024 Box-Toppers points (BTP) through Sunday, Aug. 4:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dylan Cease | pi sp | Padres | 17.4 |
| 2 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 15.7 |
| 3 | Tarik Skubal | pi sp | Tigers | 14.4 |
| 4 | Luis Gil | pi sp | Yankees | 14.4 |
| 5 | Shota Imanaga | pi sp | Cubs | 13.7 |
| 6 | Chris Sale | pi sp | Braves | 12.4 |
| 7 | Tanner Bibee | pi sp | Guardians | 12.0 |
| 8 | George Kirby | pi sp | Mariners | 11.7 |
| 9 | Tanner Houck | pi sp | Red Sox | 11.4 |
| 10 | Seth Lugo | pi sp | Royals | 11.1 |
Scoring
Wheeler earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Alexander earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day.
Henderson and Pederson each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day.
All of Sunday’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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Sunday’s sidelights sidebar
Top pitching matchup
▪️Zack Wheeler, Phillies13.7 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 4th
▪️Logan Gilbert, Mariners
10.0 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 15th
Result—PHI 6, SEA 0
Wheeler was Player of the Game (8IP 2H 0R BB 9K W) with +14.0 B-T game score.
Gilbert had +7.0 B-T game score in loss (6IP 4H R 0BB 7K L).
Wheeler earns 2.0 B-T points as Player of the Day, giving him 15.7 for 2024, rising to second among all players.
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—Spencer Arrighetti, Astros (6IP 5H R 2BB 12K L)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. TB.
Player of the Game—Tyler Alexander, Rays (4.1IP 2H 0R BB 5K W) with +6.1 game score.
▪️+7.0—Logan Gilbert, Mariners (6IP 4H R 0BB 7K L)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. PHI.
Player of the Game—Zack Wheeler, Phillies (8IP 2H 0R BB 9K W) with +14.0 game score.
▪️+4.0—Brant Hurter, Tigers (3IP 2H 0R 0BB 3K ND)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. KC.
Player of the Game—MJ Melendez, Royals (HR 1-1 R 3BI) with +4.0 game score.
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 457 total players Sunday, 145 pitchers-19.8—Chris Flexen, White Sox (1.2IP 7H 8E 6ER 3BB 3K L vs. MIN)
-11.0—Miles Mikolas, Cardinals
-10.0—Noah Davis, Rockies
-10.0—Gavin Williams, Guardians
-9.9—Max Fried, Braves
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 312 total batters Sunday-5.0—Jesús Sánchez, Marlins 0-5 3K
-5.0—Nick Senzel, White Sox 0-5 3K
-5.0—Oneil Cruz, Pirates 0-5 3K
-5.0—Rob Refsnyder, Red Sox 0-5 2K
-5.0—Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees 0-5 K
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).| 8/4 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +14.0 | PHI 6, SEA 0 | Zack Wheeler (W, 11‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 8.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | |
| +8.0 | MIA 7, ATL 0 | Edward Cabrera (W, 2‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | ||
| +6.2 | SD 10, COL 2 | Matt Waldron (W, 7‑9) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | ||
| AL | +6.1 | TB 1, HOU 0 | Tyler Alexander (W, 5‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 4.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |
| +6.0 | SF 8, CIN 2 | Robbie Ray (W, 2‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 | ||
| +4.1 | NYY 4, TOR 3 (F/10) | Mark Leiter Jr. (W, 3‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | +4.0 | BAL 9, CLE 5 | Gunnar Henderson SS | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.0 | BOS 7, TEX 2 | Wilyer Abreu RF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | MIN 13, CHW 7 | Royce Lewis 3B | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | KC 3, DET 2 | MJ Melendez PH‑LF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.2 | CHC 6, STL 2 | Justin Steele (W, 3‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
| +3.0 | WSH 4, MIL 3 | Mitchell Parker (W, 6‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | ||
| +3.0 | LAA 3, NYM 2 | Griffin Canning (W, 4‑10) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 8 | ||
| +3.0 | LAD 3, OAK 2 | Alex Vesia (W, 2‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| BAT | +2.0 | ARI 6, PIT 5 | Joc Pederson DH | 5 | 2 | 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 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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheeler, Zack 3204 | pi sp | phi nl | 15.7 | 30.4 | 75.9 | 99.3 | +1.0 |
| Waldron, Matt 4946 | pi sp | sd nl | 6.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | +5.0 |
| Steele, Justin 4415 | pi sp | chi nl | 5.0 | 16.1 | 24.1 | 24.1 | -6.1 |
| Pederson, Joc 3621 | dh | ari nl | 5.0 | 8.0 | 26.4 | 36.4 | +2.0 |
| Parker, Mitchell 4982 | pi sp | dc nl | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | +5.0 |
| Alexander, Tyler 4196 | pi mr | tb al | 4.7 | 7.4 | 17.4 | 17.4 | +2.0 |
| Abreu, Wilyer 4911 | rf | bos al | 4.5 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | +3.0 |
| Henderson, Gunnar 4739 | ss | bal al | 4.0 | 11.5 | 14.7 | 14.7 | -3.5 |
| Melendez, MJ 4615 | lf ph | kc al | 3.5 | 7.5 | 12.0 | 12.0 | -0.5 |
| Ray, Robbie 3502 | pi sp | sf nl | 2.7 | 2.7 | 44.5 | 78.9 | +2.7 |
| Canning, Griffin 4134 | pi sp | ana al | 2.0 | 8.0 | 19.7 | 19.7 | -4.0 |
| Leiter, Mark Jr. 3834 | pi mr cp | nyy al | 2.0 | 5.0 | 8.0 | 10.7 | -1.0 |
| Lewis, Royce 4606 | 3b dh | min al | 1.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | -3.0 |
| Cabrera, Edward 4641 | pi sp mr | fla nl | 1.0 | 4.7 | 11.1 | 11.1 | -2.7 |
| Vesia, Alex 4504 | pi mr | lad nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | +1.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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A Box-Toppers look at Monday’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYM | Manaea, Sean 3637 | 6.0 | 9.7 | 37.1 | 59.9 |
| STL | Pallante, Andre 4656 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 |
| ARI | Gallen, Zac 4171 | 6.0 | 22.7 | 57.1 | 57.1 |
| CLE | Allen, Logan T. 4789 | 3.0 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 |
| CIN | Martinez, Nick 3430 | 4.7 | 12.1 | 17.1 | 23.8 |
| MIA | Munoz, Roddery 4994 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| SF | Webb, Logan 4258 | 7.0 | 19.4 | 47.3 | 47.3 |
| WSH | Corbin, Patrick 3027 | 2.0 | 9.1 | 36.2 | 94.4 |
| HOU | Brown, Hunter 4729 | 9.0 | 19.1 | 20.1 | 20.1 |
| TEX | Heaney, Andrew 3515 | 5.0 | 16.4 | 37.8 | 52.5 |
| MIN | Festa, David 5067 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| CHC | Hendricks, Kyle 3386 | 3.0 | 8.0 | 36.1 | 76.6 |
| BOS | Paxton, James 3280 | 6.0 | 11.0 | 25.1 | 66.9 |
| KC | Singer, Brady 4337 | 9.0 | 14.0 | 32.7 | 32.7 |
| CHW | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| OAK | Sears, JP 4627 | 6.7 | 10.7 | 15.7 | 15.7 |
| PHI | Nola, Aaron 3569 | 9.7 | 21.7 | 65.8 | 111.4 |
| LAD | Glasnow, Tyler 3948 | 10.7 | 23.1 | 53.5 | 59.5 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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