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
▪️ Monday’s sidelights sidebar
▪️ Upcoming pitching matchups
▪️ Subscribe to newsletter
▪️ Support Box-Toppers
Guardians pitcher Joey Cantillo is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, pitching a perfect game into the seventh inning and winning his first career Player of the Game honor.
Cantillo struck out 10 over seven innings, allowing one run, two hits and no walks, in the 5-3 win over the White Sox.
Cantillo retired the first 20 batters he faced, not allowing a base runner until giving up a single to Andrew Benintendi of the White Sox with two outs in the seventh inning.
Cantillo earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, his first points of the season, and ranks 456th among all players, 119th among American League pitchers.
This is Cantillo’s Box-Toppers debut, his first career Player of the Game honor. Cantillo made his Major League debut July 28 and was playing in his sixth career game.
National League Player of the Day
Mets pitcher Tylor Megill struck out nine over six scoreless innings, allowing one hit and two walks, in the 3-2 win over the Blue Jays. Megill did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the Blue Jays took the lead after he exited.
Megill earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 2.7 for the season, 98th among NL pitchers.
American League Batter of the Day
Rob Refsnyder of the Red Sox hit two home runs, doubled and went 4-for-4, scoring twice and driving in five runs, in the 12-3 win over the Orioles.
National League Batter of the Day
Michael Busch of the Cubs homered, doubled and went 4-for-5, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 10-4 win over the Dodgers.
Notable
Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes has the most 2024 Box-Toppers points among the nine who earned Player of the Game honors Monday.
Skenes (6IP 6H R BB 9K W in the 3-2 win over the Marlins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 12.0 for the season, 22nd among all players and 10th among NL pitchers.
Skenes ranks second among all rookies, behind Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga, whose 18.7 Box-Toppers points is second among all players.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2024 Box-Toppers points (BTP) through Monday, Sept. 9:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 19.4 |
| 2 | Shota Imanaga | pi sp | Cubs | 18.7 |
| 3 | Tarik Skubal | pi sp | Tigers | 18.1 |
| 4 | Chris Sale | pi sp | Braves | 18.1 |
| 5 | Dylan Cease | pi sp | Padres | 17.4 |
| 6 | Luis Gil | pi sp | Yankees | 17.4 |
| 7 | Framber Valdez | pi sp | Astros | 14.4 |
| 8 | Bryce Miller | pi sp | Mariners | 13.7 |
| 9 | Aaron Nola | pi sp | Phillies | 13.4 |
| 10 | Bailey Ober | pi sp | Twins | 13.4 |
Also notable
Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez becomes the 42nd player to reach 10 Box-Toppers points in 2024 after earning Player of the Game honors Monday.
Sanchez (6IP 4H 0R BB 4K ND in the 2-1 win over the Rays) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.4 for the season, 39th among all players and 19th among NL pitchers.
This is Sanchez’s first season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points. Sanchez earned 4.0 points in 2023 with the Phillies, his only previous season earning points.
Scoring
Cantillo earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Megill earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day.
Refsnyder and Busch each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day.
All of Monday’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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Monday’s sidelights sidebar
Top pitching matchup
▪️Brady Singer, Royals10.0 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 20th among AL pitchers
▪️Carlos Rodón, Yankees
11.7 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 14th among AL pitchers
Result—NYY 10, KC 4
Neither starter was Player of the Game.
Singer had -6.0 B-T game score in loss (5IP 5H 3R 3BB 3K ND).
Rodón had +1.0 B-T game score (6IP 6H 4R 3ER BB 9K ND).
Player of the Game—Austin Wells, Yankees (HR 2B 2-5 R 4BI) with +2.0 B-T 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:▪️+4.0—Salvador Perez, Royals (HR 4-4 R 3BI)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. NYY.
Player of the Game—Austin Wells, Yankees (HR 2B 2-5 R 4BI) with +2.0 game score.
▪️+4.0—Ryne Stanek, Mets (1IP 0H 0R 0BB 3K W)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. TOR.
Player of the Game—Teammate Tylor Megill (6IP H 0R 2BB 9K ND) with +12.0 game score.
▪️+3.2—Charlie Morton, Braves (6.2IP 6H R 2BB 7K L)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. CIN.
Player of the Game—Nick Martinez, Reds (7IP 2H 0R BB 5K W) with +9.0 game score.
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 264 total players Monday, 76 pitchers-12.0—James McArthur, Royals (0IP 3H 4R BB 0K L vs. NYY)
-11.8—Burch Smith, Orioles
-11.0—Walker Buehler, Dodgers
-9.0—Chris Stratton, Royals
-7.0—David Festa, Twins
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 186 total batters Monday-5.0—Jarren Duran, Red Sox 0-5 3K
-5.0—Will Smith, Dodgers 0-5 2K
-5.0—Andrés Giménez, Guardians 0-5 K
-4.0—Eloy Jiménez, Orioles 0-4 3K
-4.0—Korey Lee, White Sox 0-4 3K
-4.0—Royce Lewis, Twins 0-4 3K
-4.0—Michael Massey, Royals 0-4 3K
-4.0—Daulton Varsho, Blue Jays 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).| 9/9 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +13.0 | CLE 5, CHW 3 | Joey Cantillo (W, 1‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | |
| NL | +12.0 | `NYM 3, TOR 2 | Tylor Megill | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | |
| +9.0 | CIN 1, ATL 0 | Nick Martinez (W, 8‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | ||
| BAT | +7.0 | BOS 12, BAL 3 | Rob Refsnyder RF | 4 | 2 | 4 | 5 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +6.0 | PIT 3, MIA 2 | Paul Skenes (W, 10‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | ||
| +6.0 | LAA 6, MIN 2 | José Suarez (S, 1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| BAT | +5.0 | CHC 10, LAD 4 | Michael Busch 1B | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +5.0 | `PHI 2, TB 1 | Cristopher Sánchez | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| +2.0 | NYY 10, KC 4 | Austin Wells C | 5 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ |
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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skenes, Paul 5005 | pi sp | pit nl | 12.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | +12.0 |
| Sanchez, Cristopher 4850 | pi sp | phi nl | 10.4 | 14.4 | 14.4 | 14.4 | +6.4 |
| Martinez, Nick 3430 | pi mr sp | cin nl | 6.7 | 14.1 | 19.1 | 25.8 | -0.7 |
| Busch, Michael 4981 | 1b | chi nl | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | +3.5 |
| Megill, Tylor 4464 | pi sp | nym nl | 2.7 | 6.7 | 18.4 | 18.4 | -1.3 |
| Refsnyder, Rob 4422 | lf rf | bos al | 2.5 | 3.5 | 8.0 | 8.0 | +1.5 |
| Wells, Austin 5098 | ca | nyy al | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | +2.5 |
| Cantillo, Joey 5106 | pi sp | cle al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| Suarez, Jose 4425 | pi cp sp | ana al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 17.4 | 17.4 | 0.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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A Box-Toppers look at Tuesday’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COL | Blalock, Bradley* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| DET | Montero, Keider 5057 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
| MIA | Oller, Adam 4719 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| PIT | Mlodzinski, Carmen 4894 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| TB | Bradley, Taj 4780 | 10.4 | 15.4 | 15.4 | 15.4 |
| PHI | Suarez, Ranger 4228 | 10.4 | 14.1 | 29.1 | 29.1 |
| ATL | Lopez, Reynaldo 3712 | 10.8 | 11.8 | 32.3 | 40.0 |
| WSH | Gore, MacKenzie 4582 | 4.0 | 11.0 | 15.7 | 15.7 |
| KC | Lugo, Seth 3729 | 12.1 | 18.5 | 27.5 | 36.5 |
| NYY | Stroman, Marcus 3327 | 3.0 | 10.7 | 34.4 | 65.2 |
| NYM | Peterson, David 4347 | 3.0 | 6.0 | 16.0 | 16.0 |
| TOR | Bassitt, Chris 3413 | 6.7 | 26.8 | 64.6 | 70.6 |
| BAL | Suarez, Albert 3870 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 |
| BOS | Crawford, Kutter 4660 | 5.7 | 11.4 | 15.4 | 15.4 |
| LAA | Canning, Griffin 4134 | 3.0 | 9.0 | 20.7 | 20.7 |
| MIN | Lopez, Pablo 4028 | 11.7 | 25.1 | 57.2 | 58.9 |
| CLE | Lively, Ben 3903 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 7.0 |
| CHW | Cannon, Jonathan 5036 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| CIN | Lowder, Rhett* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| STL | Pallante, Andre 4656 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 |
| OAK | Bido, Osvaldo 4882 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| HOU | Arrighetti, Spencer 5022 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 |
| SD | Darvish, Yu 3003 | 6.7 | 13.7 | 63.7 | 137.7 |
| SEA | Kirby, George 4595 | 11.7 | 25.4 | 36.8 | 36.8 |
| TEX | Eovaldi, Nathan 2928 | 12.0 | 21.7 | 46.8 | 81.3 |
| ARI | Gallen, Zac 4171 | 8.7 | 25.4 | 59.8 | 59.8 |
| MIL | Civale, Aaron 4173 | 5.4 | 11.4 | 33.8 | 33.8 |
| SF | Birdsong, Hayden 5063 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| CHC | Imanaga, Shota 4960 | 18.7 | 18.7 | 18.7 | 18.7 |
| LAD | Yamamoto, Yoshinobu 4964 | 6.4 | 6.4 | 6.4 | 6.4 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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