Red Sox' Jon Lester shuts down Cardinals in World Series Game 1, tops players for Wednesday, Oct. 23

Jon Lester shut out the Cardinals for 7 2/3 innings and led the Red Sox to a Game 1 World Series win to earn Wednesday's Box-Toppers Player of the Day honors.

Lester struck out eight, walked only one and allowed five hits in the 8-1 win. The Red Sox take a one-game-to-zero lead over the Cardinals in the best-of-seven series. 

Lester had 12.7 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 34th overall. He was also Player of the Game in the first game of the American League Division Series against the Rays.

 Coming Thursday: The World Series resumes Thursday in Boston. Here is the pitching match-up:

World Series Game 2, Red Sox lead Cardinals 1-0

Cardinals: Michael Wacha, 3.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 361st overall. However, the rookie has earned Player of the Game honors for the Cardinals three times already this postseason (twice in the National League Championship Series), more than any other player.

Red Sox: John Lackey, 6.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 148th overall. Lackey was Player of the Day in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series vs. the Tigers.

In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason. 

Related story:  Box-Toppers previews 2013 World Series in this post from Oct. 21.

Top 6 players in World Series Game 1  

Here are the top six Red Sox players in Wednesday's World Series Game 1, ranked from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score (how game score is calculated). Jon Lester, who had a Box-Toppers game score of 9.2 was Player of the Game (POG). David Ortiz was the highest-scoring batter, going 2-for-3 with a two-run homer, amassing a Box-Toppers game score of 4.0.

1023	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
POG	9.2	Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Jon Lester (W, 1-0)	7.2	5	0	0	1	8
	4.0	Red Sox	David Ortiz DH	3	2	2	3	0	0	1	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.1	Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Junichi Tazawa	0.1	0	0	0	0	1
	1.0	Red Sox	Dustin Pedroia 2B	4	2	2	1	0	0	1	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Red Sox	Daniel Nava PH, LF	1	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	0.0	Red Sox	Mike Napoli 1B	4	0	1	3	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0

Box-Toppers recalls 2004's postseason, when Cards-Red Sox also met in World Series

With the Red Sox and the Cardinals matched up against each other for the fourth time in World Series history, let's take a Box-Toppers look back to the last time they faced off, in the 2004 Fall Classic. 

With nine years of separation, there aren't a lot of returning players from the previous Cards-Sox title bout—in fact, only two: 

• Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz.
• Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina.

Ortiz had 10.7 Box-Toppers points during the 2004 regular season, his best at the time and was Player of the Game in two postseason contests—once in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series against the Yankees and once in Game 1 of the World Series against the Cardinals. This season, Ortiz had 12.4 Box-Toppers points and has already been Player of the Game in Game 2 of the ALCS vs. the Tigers.

Molina was in his first year with the Cardinals in 2004 and had only 1.0 Box-Toppers point. He was playing behind then-starting catcher (now Cardinals manager) Mike Matheny. This season, Molina has 4.0 Box-Toppers points. 

One other current Cardinal player did play a prominent role in 2004's postseason. Carlos Beltran, then of the Astros, was twice Player of the Game during the National League Division series, as the Astros defeated the Braves, three games to two. The Astros lost to the Cardinals in the NLCS, four games to three. 

The 2004 postseason was also notable because it was the first and only time a team with a 3-0 game deficit in a best-of-seven series came back to win it 4-3. That was the Red Sox, beating the Yankees in the ALCS, sparked by Ortiz' Game 4 performance. Ortiz hit a walk-off, 12th-inning, two-run home run to beat the Yankees 6-4. The Sox then trailed that series three games to one.

The 2004 postseason was also notable because it was the first time the Red Sox had won the World Series since 1918—a span of 86 years. The Red Sox went on to sweep the Cardinals in the Fall Classic. Then-Cards stars like Albert Pujols, who contributed to St. Louis wins in the first two rounds of the postseason, were shut out from even once earning Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors during the World Series. However, Ortiz was joined by three other arguably legendary Red Sox as Player of the Game in the other three World Series victories: 

• Game 1: Ortiz, who has 126.4 Box-Toppers points for his career, ranked 24th all-time (since 1995 when Box-Toppers record-keeping began).
• Game 2: Pitcher Curt Schilling, who had 21.0 Box-Toppers points in 2004 and has 194.1 since 1995, ranked third on the all-time (since 1995) list.  
• Game 3: Pitcher Pedro Martinez, who had 17.1 Box-Toppers points in 2004 and has 244.8 since 1995, ranked second on the all-time (since 1995) list, behind only Randy Johnson (278.8). 
• Game 4: Pitcher Derek Lowe, who had a career-low 1.0 Box-Toppers point in 2004, but has 91.5 for his career, ranked 82nd on the all-time list. 

2004 League Division Series Box-Toppers results 

Here are Box-Toppers Players of the Games for each of the league division series games played in 2004. Games are listed by day. The Red Sox beat the Angels 3-0. The Yankees beat the Twins 3-1. The Cardinals beat the Dodgers 3-1. The Astros beat the Braves 3-2.

2004	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Oct 5
MLB	2.0	Red Sox	Manny Ramirez lf	5	2	2	3	0	1				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
NL	2.0	Cardinals	Larry Walker rf	4	2	2	2	0	2				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Twins		0	0	0	0	0	0			Johan Santana (W, 1-0)	7.0	9	0	0	1	5
Oct 6
MLB	5.0	Astros	Carlos Beltran cf	3	3	3	2	0	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
AL	3.1	Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Keith Foulke (S, 1)	1.1	0	0	0	0	2
BAT	3.0	Yankees	Alex Rodriguez 3b	6	2	4	3	0	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
Oct 7
MLB	4.0	`Braves		0	0	0	0	0	0			John Smoltz	3.0	0	0	0	2	3
BAT	3.0	Cardinals	Edgar Renteria ss	4	3	3	1	0	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
Oct 8
MLB	4.0	`Red Sox		0	0	0	0	0	0			Bronson Arroyo	6.0	3	2	2	2	7
BAT	1.0	Yankees	Derek Jeter ss	5	0	3	3	0	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
Oct 9
MLB	7.0	Dodgers		0	0	0	0	0	0			Jose Lima (W, 1-0)	9.0	5	0	0	1	4
NL	3.0	Astros		0	0	0	0	0	0			Brad Lidge (S, 1)	1.0	0	0	0	0	2
BAT	2.0	Yankees	Ruben Sierra dh	4	1	2	3	1	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
Oct 10
MLB	3.0	Cardinals	Albert Pujols 1b	4	1	2	4	1	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Braves	Adam LaRoche 1b	3	1	1	3	1	1				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
Oct 11
MLB	7.0	Astros	Carlos Beltran cf	5	3	4	5	0	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0

2004 League Championship Series Box-Toppers results 

Here are Box-Toppers Players of the Games for each of the league championship series games played in 2004. The Red Sox beat the Yankees 4-3. The Cardinals beat the Astros 4-3.

2004	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Oct 12
MLB	5.0	Yankees	Hideki Matsui lf	5	2	3	5	0	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
Oct 13
MLB	4.0	Yankees	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jon Lieber (W, 1-0)	7.0	3	1	1	1	3
NL	3.0	Cardinals	Albert Pujols 1b	3	2	2	2	2	1				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
Oct 14
MLB	3.0	Cardinals	Scott Rolen 3b	4	2	2	3	0	1				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
Oct 16
MLB	9.0	Yankees	Hideki Matsui lf	6	5	5	5	0	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
NL	5.0	Astros	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Brad Lidge (S, 2)	2.0	1	0	0	1	5
Oct 17
MLB	4.0	Astros	Lance Berkman, RF	2	1	2	3	2	0
AL	2.0	Red Sox	David Ortiz, DH	5	1	2	4	1	1
Oct 18
MLB	9.0	`Astros										Brandon Backe	8.0	1	0	0	2	4
AL	5.0	Red Sox										Tim Wakefield (W,1-0)	3.0	1	0	0	1	4
Oct 19
MLB	5.0	Red Sox										Curt Schilling (W,2-1)	7.0	4	1	1	0	4
Oct 20
MLB	5.0	Red Sox	Johnny Damon cf	6	2	3	6	0	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
NL	4.0	Cardinals		0	0	0	0	0	0			Julian Tavarez (W, 2-1)	2.0	0	0	0	0	2
Oct 21
MLB	4.0	Cardinals		0	0	0	0	0	0			Jeff Suppan (W, 2-1)	6.0	3	2	1	2	6

2004 World Series Box-Toppers results 

Here are Box-Toppers Players of the Games for each of the World Series games played in 2004. The Red Sox beat the Cardinals 4-0.

2004	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Oct 23
MLB	4.0	Red Sox	David Ortiz, DH	3	1	2	4	2	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
Oct 24
MLB	4.0	Red Sox		0	0	0	0	0	0			Curt Schilling (W, 1-0)	6.0	4	1	0	1	4
Oct 26
MLB	8.0	Red Sox		0	0	0	0	0	0			Pedro Martinez (W, 1-0)	7.0	3	0	0	2	6
Oct 27
MLB	7.0	Red Sox		0	0	0	0	0	0			Derek Lowe (W, 1-0)	7.0	3	0	0	1	4

In the first column of each chart, the designation MLB indicates Player of the Day, AL or NL indicates Player of the Day in the opposite league and BAT indicates the player was the top batter of the day in his league. Usually, top players of the game receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point, top batters in the league receive 1.5, top players in the league receive 1.7 and top overall players receive 2.0. However, postseason Box-Toppers points are not counted in regular season Box-Toppers totals.

` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Game 1 Preview: Cardinals, Red Sox bring out their aces to open World Series

Game 1 of the World Series Wednesday features the pitching aces of both the Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals. 

Adam Wainwright starts for the Cardinals and Jon Lester starts for the Red Sox in the first of the best-of-seven series beginning in Boston. 

Both players are their team's overall leader in Box-Toppers points.  Wainwright has 20.2 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking second among all players. Lester has 12.7 Box-Toppers points, ranking 34th overall.

For more on the World Series, see Box-Toppers preview of the Cardinals-Red Sox match-up. 

Box-Toppers is set up to determine the players who most help their team win the most games. Top players from the winning team of each game are determined by a formula using standard box score statistics. In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason. 

Kershaw leads Box-Toppers 2013 All-Star teams, Nationals have most team members

The Box-Toppers All-Star teams for the 2013 regular season are led by overall top player, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw.

The Washington Nationals have the most representatives of any team, with four players.

The All-Star teams are comprised of the players with the highest Box-Toppers point totals by position in each league. In addition to the batters—eight in the National League and nine (including the designated hitter) in the American League—are the top four starting pitchers in each league, the top player who was predominately a middle-reliever and the top closing pitcher.

Kershaw was Box-Toppers Player of the Season, the top overall player, with 21.7 Box-Toppers points. The top four overall players were starting pitchers from the NL. Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer is the top AL player with 18.1 points, ranked fifth overall. 

The top AL batter is Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera with 16.9 points, ranked eighth overall. The top NL batter is Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt with 13.7 points, ranked 22nd overall.

Four Nationals players made the list, more than any other team: 

• Shortstop Ian Desmond with 5.5 Box-Toppers points, ranked 163rd overall.
• Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman with 9.2 points, ranked 66th.
• Catcher Wilson Ramos, 7.5 points, ranked 101st.
• Outfielder Bryce Harper, the third-ranked outfielder, with 9.4 points, ranked 65th overall. 

Only two members of both leagues' All-Star teams are still active this season, playing in the World Series: 

• AL designated hitter David Ortiz of the Red Sox has 12.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked 36th overall.
• NL starting pitcher Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals has 20.2 Box-Toppers points, ranked second overall. 

Box-Toppers is set up to determine the players who most help their team win the most games. Top players from the winning team of each game are determined by a formula using standard box score statistics. These top players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game. Among each day's top players, bonus points are awarded for the top players and batters of the day in each league. Players accumulate points through the season to provide a data point for comparison, such as determining which players are most worthy as All-Stars.  

End-of-season 2013 Box-Toppers All-Star teams 

Here are the Box-Toppers All-Stars by position for both leagues. It includes players with the highest Box-Toppers points (BTP) by position in each league. Also included is the players' overall rank among all players.

	AL	Team	BTP	Rank		NL	Team	BTP	Rank
1B	Davis, Chris 2478	Orioles	12.7	32		Goldschmidt, Paul 2935	D-Backs	13.7	22
2B	Cano, Robinson 2092	Yankees	12.5	35		Murphy, Daniel 2589	Mets	8.5	79
SS	Lowrie, Jed 2437	Athletics	8.0	90		Desmond, Ian 2673	Nationals	5.5	163
3B	Cabrera, Miguel 1776	Tigers	16.9	8		Zimmerman, Ryan 2180	Nationals	9.2	66
CA	Arencibia, J.P. 2781	Blue Jays	5.5	158		Ramos, Wilson 2904	Nationals	7.5	101
OF	Soriano, Alfonso 1445	Yankees	12.9	28		Cuddyer, Michael 1826	Rockies	11.5	40
OF	Raburn, Ryan 2340	Indians	9.5	62		Gonzalez, Carlos 2460	Rockies	11.0	43
OF	Jones, Adam 2347	Orioles	8.0	86		Harper, Bryce 3011	Nationals	9.4	65
DH	Ortiz, David	Red Sox	12.4	36
SP	Scherzer, Max 2588	Tigers	18.1	5		Kershaw, Clayton 2494	Dodgers	21.7	1
SP	Sanchez, Anibal 2187	Tigers	17.1	7		Wainwright, Adam 2150	Cardinals	20.2	2
SP	Masterson, Justin 2462	Indians	16.4	10		Greinke, Zack 1871	Dodgers	19.4	3
SP	Sale, Chris 2806	White Sox	16.1	12		Fernandez, Jose 3147	Marlins	19.0	4
MR	Chen, Bruce 1170	Royals	6.4	129		Collmenter, Josh 2863	D-Backs	8.0	89
CP	Holland, Greg 2906	Royals	11.0	37		Kimbrel, Craig 2825	Braves	12.7	31

BTP: Box-Toppers points

What are those numbers after players' names?

Cardinals-Red Sox World Series features two highly ranked, evenly matched teams

The 2013 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox features two highly ranked and evenly matched teams. 

The Cardinals are ranked third in Box-Toppers Power Rankings with 122.4 Box-Toppers points. The Red Sox are close behind in fourth, with 121.7. So only 0.7 points separate them, which is less than one Box-Toppers Player of the Game honor (worth 1.0 point). 

Both teams also tied with the best regular-season winning percentage in baseball (.599, both with 97 wins). Both teams knocked off teams just ahead of them in Box-Toppers Power Rankings in their respective league championship series, both in six games. The Cardinals beat the second-ranked Dodgers (122.7 Box-Toppers points) and the Red Sox beat the top-ranked Tigers (123.4).

The best-of-seven World Series begins Wednesday in Boston. 

Below are position-by-position match-ups of each player likely in the starting line-up for both teams (we have taken the liberty of inserting Cardinals first baseman Allen Craig into the designated hitter spot), along with the four most likely starting pitchers, the team's top closer and an extra pitcher. Also listed are each player's Box-Toppers points earned in 2013, along with their overall rank among players for the season.

If you simply add together the Box-Toppers points of these 15 key players from each team, the Cardinals have 109 points and the Red Sox 96.2.

If you compare them position-by-position, the Red Sox have more players with higher Box-Toppers points totals. The Red Sox have the edge in eight positions, the Cardinals in seven.

The Red Sox batters tend to have better Box-Toppers points totals than Cardinals batters. Comparing position-by-position, the Red Sox batters beat Cardinals batters in Box-Toppers points by 6-3.

However, the Cardinals tend to have superior pitching when it comes to Box-Toppers points totals, starting with their ace Adam Wainwright, who has 20.2 regular season Box-Toppers points and is ranked second among all players (Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers ranks first). Three Cardinals pitchers rank in the top 20 in Box-Toppers points for the season—Wainwright, Lance Lynn (16.1 points, ranked 11th) and Shelby Miller (15.4 points, ranked 17th). Interestingly, Miller was not in the rotation for the NLCS, bumped in favor of rookie Michael Wacha, who though he has only 3.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, has earned Player of the Game honors for the Cardinals three times already this postseason (twice in the NLCS), more than any other player. 

The Red Sox top player in Box-Toppers rankings is pitcher Jon Lester with 12.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 34th overall. Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz has 12.4 Box-Toppers points and is ranked 36th overall, fifth among all AL batters.

The Cardinals were the top-ranked team in Box-Toppers weekly power rankings reports from May 9 to July 25, 11 straight times. They remained top NL team for four more weeks until they were passed by the Dodgers Sept. 5 and remained the second-ranked NL team for the remainder of the season.

The Red Sox were the top-ranked AL team in Box-Toppers points for seven weeks, from May 30 to July 14. They were top overall team in Power Rankings on Aug. 1, but fell back during August. In September through the end of the season, they were consistently the second-ranked AL team in Box-Toppers points, behind the Tigers. 

In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason.

World Series player comparisons 

Likely starting players for the Red Sox and Cardinals listed by position with their Box-Toppers point total (BTP) for the 2013 regular season and their overall player rank among all players

	Red Sox	BTP	Rank		Cardinals	BTP	Rank
1B	Mike Napoli	5.0	170		Matt Adams	5.0	198
2B	Dustin Pedroia	3.5	286		Matt Carpenter	7.5	100
SS	Stephen Drew	6.0	143		Pete Kozma	2.5	408
3B	Xander Bogaerts	0.0	--*		David Freese	5.5	154
CA	Jarrod Saltalamacchia	4.5	228		Yadier Molina	4.0	253
CF	Jacob Ellsbury	5.5	161		Jon Jay	5.5	162
LF	Jonny Gomes	6.0	156		Matt Holliday	6.5	121
RF	Shane Victorino	4.5	224		Carlos Beltran	2.5	378
DH	David Ortiz	12.4	36		Allen Craig	5.0	173
SP	Jon Lester	12.7	34		Adam Wainwright	20.2	2
SP	Clay Buchholz	11.1	41		Lance Lynn	16.1	11
SP	Jake Peavy	8.0	84		Joe Kelly	4.0	264
SP	John Lackey	6.0	148		Michael Wacha	3.0	361
CP	Koji Uehara	6.0	149		Trevor Rosenthal	6.0	147
PI	Felix Doubront	5.0	179		Shelby Miller	15.4	17

* Xander Bogaerts, who made his Major League debut Aug. 20, has yet to earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors and so has no Box-Toppers points. Players do not appear in Box-Toppers player rankings until they have earned Player of the Game honors at least once in their career. Bogaerts is expected to start in place of Will Middlebrooks, who earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point and is ranked 573rd.

Shane Victorino slam lifts Red Sox into World Series, tops players Saturday, Oct. 19

Shane Victorino's grand slam put the Red Sox into the World Series and made him Saturday's Box-Toppers Player of the Day. 

Victorino's seventh-inning slam led the Boston Red Sox to a 5-2 win over the Detroit Tigers in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series. The Red Sox win the best-of-seven series four games to two and will face the National League Champion St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series beginning Wednesday in Boston.

Victorino had 4.5 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 224th among all players. 

As in Game 2 of the series, Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer seemed on track to be Player of the Game when a Tigers reliever allowed a grand slam. In Game 2 on Sunday, David Ortiz hit a game-tying grand slam. And in Game 6, Victorino hit a go-ahead slam after Scherzer was pulled. Before Scherzer was pulled in the seventh inning, he struck out eight. 

The Tigers, now eliminated, were Box-Toppers top-ranked team at the end of the season, with 123.4 Box-Toppers points. The Red Sox were the fourth-ranked team with 121.7 Box-Toppers points. They now face the third-ranked team, the Cardinals, in the World Series. The Cardinals had 122.4 points.

There are no games Sunday, Monday or Tuesday.  

 Coming soon: Box-Toppers previews the World Series between the Cardinals and the Red Sox.

In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason. 

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

1019	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	3.0	Red Sox	Shane Victorino RF	3	1	1	4	0	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0

Top 6 players in ALCS Game 6

Here are the top six Red Sox players in Saturday's American League Championship Series Game 6, ranked from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score (how game score is calculated). Shane Victorino, who had a Box-Toppers game score of 3.0 was Player of the Game (POG).

1019	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
POG	3.0	Red Sox	Shane Victorino RF	3	1	1	4	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Red Sox	Xander Bogaerts 3B	1	2	1	0	2	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Koji Uehara (S, 5)	1.0	1	0	0	0	2
	2.0	Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Craig Breslow (H, 4)	1.0	0	0	0	0	1
	0.2	Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Brandon Workman	1.2	2	0	0	0	1
	0.1	Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Junichi Tazawa (W, 1-0)	0.1	0	0	0	0	0

Michael Wacha hurls Cardinals into World Series, beats Dodgers in NLCS, tops players for Friday, Oct. 18

Michael Wacha pitched the Cardinals into the World Series, dominating the Dodgers in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series, earning Friday's Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Wacha pitched seven shutout innings and gave up only two hits in the 9-0 win over the Dodgers, to win the NLCS for the Cardinals four games to two. 

It is the second time during the NLCS and the third time during the postseason that the rookie Wacha has earned Player of the Game honors. In the regular season, he only earned Player of the Game honors twice—both times in September—earning 3.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 361st overall.

By contrast, the Dodgers starter Friday, Clayton Kershaw, is Box-Toppers Player of the Season, earning 21.7 Box-Toppers points, more than any other player. However, Kershaw lasted only four innings, gave up 10 hits and seven runs. Wacha also outdueled him in Game 2 of the series.

Of course, with the Dodgers eliminated from the postseason, it means that Box-Toppers' preseason pick for World Series champion will not come to fruition. On paper—or rather in Box-Toppers' database—the Dodgers looked like the most dominant going into the 2013 season. But early on, they languished and seemed doomed for the NL West basement. However, in June, they began winning and by July were finally among Box-Toppers' top 10 teams and topped all teams for two weeks in September. They finished the season as Box-Toppers' second-ranked team, just behind the Tigers.

Coming Saturday: The American League Championship Series resumes Saturday in Boston. Here is the pitching match-up:

ALCS Game 6, Red Sox lead Tigers 3-2

Tigers: Max Scherzer, 18.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked fifth overall (see the Top 10 Player ranking list on the home page)

Red Sox: Clay Buchholz, 11.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked 41st overall

This is a rematch of Game 2 of the series, won by the Red Sox, 6-5.

In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason. 

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

1018	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	9.0	Cardinals		0	0	0	0	0	0			Michael Wacha (W, 3-0)	7.0	2	0	0	1	5

Top 6 players in NLCS Game 6

Here are the top six Cardinals players in Friday's National League Championship Series Game 6, ranked from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score (how game score is calculated). Michael Wacha, who had a Box-Toppers game score of 9.0 was Player of the Game (POG). Carlos Beltran was top batter with a Box-Toppers game score of 2.0. 

1018	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
POG	9.0	Cardinals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Michael Wacha (W, 3-0)	7.0	2	0	0	1	5
	3.0	Cardinals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Carlos Martinez	1.0	0	0	0	0	2
	2.0	Cardinals	Carlos Beltran RF	4	1	3	2	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Cardinals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Trevor Rosenthal	1.0	0	0	0	0	1
	1.0	Cardinals	Shane Robinson CF, RF	4	1	2	2	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Cardinals	Matt Adams 1B	3	1	2	1	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0

Red Sox' closer Koji Uehara shuts down Tigers in ALCS Game 5, tops players for Thursday, Oct. 17

Red Sox closer Koji Uehara shut down the Tigers for 1 2/3 innings in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series and is Thursday's Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Uehara struck out two and allowed no hits or runs, earning the save, as the Red Sox beat the Tigers 4-3 to take a three-games-to-two lead in the best-of-seven ALCS. Game 6 is in Boston Saturday. 

Uehara had 6.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 149th overall. 

 Coming Friday: The National League Championship Series resumes Friday in St. Louis. Here is the pitching match-up:

NLCS Game 6, Cardinals lead Dodgers 3-2

Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw, 21.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked first overall (see the Top 10 Player Ranking list on the home page)

Cardinals: Michael Wacha, 3.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 361st overall

This is a rematch of Game 2 of the series, won by the Cardinals, 1-0. Wacha was Player of the Game. 

In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason. 

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

1017	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	3.2	Red Sox		0	0	0	0	0	0			Koji Uehara (S, 4)	1.2	0	0	0	0	2

Adrian Gonzalez, top player for Wednesday, Oct. 16, keeps Dodgers alive in NLCS; Austin Jackson top player in Tigers' ALCS win

Adrian Gonzalez hit two home runs to keep the Dodgers alive in the National League Championship Series and is Wednesday's Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Gonzalez, who also went 3-for-4 and scored three times, led the Dodgers to a 6-4 win over the Cardinals in Game 5 of the NLCS. The Cardinals now lead the best-of-seven series three games to two as the series returns to St. Louis for Game 6 on Friday.

Gonzalez had 5.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 175th among all players. 

Meanwhile, Austin Jackson of the Tigers is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in the American League Championship Series Game 4. Jackson went 2-for-2, walked twice and drove in two runs in the 7-3 win over the Red Sox, to tie the best-of-seven ALCS at two games apiece. Game 5 is Thursday in Detroit.

Jackson had 1.0 Box-Toppers point during the regular season, ranking 576th overall. 

Coming Thursday: The American League Championship Series continues Thursday. Here is the pitching match-up:

ALCS Game 5, Red Sox at Tigers, series tied 2-2

Red Sox: Jon Lester, 12.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 34th overall

Tigers: Anibal Sanchez, 17.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked seventh overall (see the Top 10 Player Ranking list on the home page)

In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason. 

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

1016	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	4.0	Dodgers	Adrian Gonzalez 1B	4	3	3	2	0	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
AL	3.0	Tigers	Austin Jackson CF	2	1	2	2	2	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0

Red Sox' Lackey, Cards' Holliday top players in LCS games for Tuesday, Oct. 15

John Lackey, who threw 6 2/3 shutout innings and struck out eight, leading the Red Sox to win Game 3 of the American League Championship Series, is Tuesday's Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

The Red Sox won 1-0 to take a two-games-to-one lead in the best-of-seven ALCS series. 

Lackey had 6.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 148th among all players. 

Meanwhile, Matt Holliday of the Cardinals is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in the National League Championship Series Game 4. Holliday hit a two-run home run and went 2-for-4 in the Cardinals 4-2 win over the Dodgers. The Cardinals take a three-games-to-one lead over the Dodgers in the NLCS.

Holliday had 6.5 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 121st among all players. 

Coming Wednesday: Both League Championship Series continue Wednesday. Here are the pitching match-ups:

NLCS Game 5, Cardinals lead Dodgers 3-1

Cardinals: Joe Kelly, 4.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 264th overall

Dodgers: Zack Greinke, 19.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked third overall (see the Top 10 Player Ranking list on the home page)

While the pitching match-up in the game favors Greinke, the best pitcher hasn't always guaranteed a team's victory in this series. In fact, in the first three games of the series, the top three pitchers in Box-Toppers Player Rankings started games and in each game, his team lost:

• Greinke picked up a no-decision in the Dodgers' Game 1 loss.
• Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (21.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked first) picked up the loss in Game 2.
• Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright (20.2 Box-Toppers points, ranked second) picked up the loss in Game 3.

ALCS Game 4, Red Sox lead Tigers 2-1

Red Sox: Jake Peavy, 8.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 84th overall

Tigers: Doug Fister, 6.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 113th overall

In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason. 

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

1015	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	10.2	Red Sox		0	0	0	0	0	0			John Lackey (W, 2-0)	6.2	4	0	0	0	8
NL	1.0	Cardinals	Matt Holliday LF	4	1	2	2	0	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0

Dodgers' Hyun-Jin Ryu tops players in NLCS Game 3 win, Monday, Oct. 14

Hyun-Jin Ryu, who threw seven shutout innings and gave up only three hits to lead the Dodgers to a Game 3 National League Championship Series win over the Cardinals, is Monday's Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

The Dodgers won the game 3-0 and now trail the best-of-seven NLCS against the Cardinals two games to one. 

Ryu had 9.7 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranked 61st overall.

So far in the series, the top three players in Box-Toppers points player rankings have started games, but each time, his team has lost the game: 

• In Game 1, Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke started, but the Cardinals won 3-2 in 13 innings. Greinke, who picked up a no-decision in the game, had 19.4 Box-Toppers points for the season, ranked third overall.
• In Game 2, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw started, but the Cardinals won 1-0. Kershaw picked up the loss. Kershaw had 21.7 Box-Toppers points for the season, ranked first.
• In Game 3, Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright started, but the Dodgers won 3-0. Wainwright, who also picked up the loss, had 20.2 Box-Toppers points for the season, ranked second. 

Coming Tuesday: Both League Championship Series continue Tuesday. Here are the pitching match-ups:

ALCS Game 3, Red Sox at Tigers, series tied 1-1

Red Sox: John Lackey, 6.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 148th overall

Tigers: Justin Verlander, 10.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 53rd overall

NLCS Game 4, Cardinals lead Dodgers 2-1

Cardinals: Lance Lynn, 16.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked 11th overall

Dodgers: Ricky Nolasco, 9.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 60th overall

In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason. 

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

1014	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	7.0	Dodgers		0	0	0	0	0	0			Hyun-Jin Ryu (W, 1-0)	7.0	3	0	0	1	4

David Ortiz' grand slam leads Red Sox to tie ALCS 1-1, tops players for Sunday, Oct. 13

David Ortiz of the Red Sox, who hit a game-tying grand slam in the American League Championship Game 2, is Sunday's Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Ortiz hit the grand slam with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning to tie the game against the Tigers at 5-5. The Red Sox won with a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth by Jarrod Saltalamacchia to win the game 6-5, tying the best-of-seven series at one game each. 

Ortiz earned 12.4 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 36th among all players, fifth among all AL batters.

Ortiz spoiled the night for Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer, who struck out 13 and gave up only two hits and one run over seven innings and seemed on track to be Player of the Day.

Coming Monday: The National League Championship Series continues with Game 3 in Los Angeles. Here is the pitching match-up:

NLCS Game 3, Cardinals lead Dodgers 2-0

Cardinals: Adam Wainwright, 20.2 Box-Toppers points, ranked second overall (see the Top 10 Player ranking list on the home page)

Dodgers: Hyun-Jin Ryu, 9.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 61st overall

In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason. 

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

1013	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	3.0	Red Sox	David Ortiz DH	3	1	1	4	1	2				0.0	0	0	0	0	0

Anibal Sanchez (6IP 0H 12K) leads Tigers in Game 1 ALCS win; Wacha tops players in Cards' Game 2 NLCS win for Saturday, Oct. 12

Tigers pitcher Anibal Sanchez, who gave up no hits over six innings and struck out 12, is Saturday's Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Sanchez led the Tigers to a 1-0 win over the Red Sox in Game 1 of the best-of-seven American League Championship Series. Five Tigers pitchers combined to give up only one Red Sox hit—and that came with one out in the ninth inning. 

Sanchez threw 116 pitches over six innings, walking six batters. Sanchez had 17.1 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranked seventh overall.

Meanwhile, Cardinals pitcher Michael Wacha is Box-Toppers National League Player of the Day, pitching 6 2/3 shutout innings and striking out eight in the 1-0 win over the Dodgers. The Cardinals now have a two games to zero lead over the Dodgers in the best-of-seven National League Championship Series.

Wacha had 3.0 Box-Toppers points for the season, ranked 361st overall. It is the second time this postseason Wacha has earned Player of the Game honors. He was also Player of the Day Oct. 7 in Game 4 of the NL Division Series against the Pirates. (If Box-Toppers points were kept during the postseason, Wacha would have 3.7 points in the past two games, more than his entire regular season total.) Wacha outdueled Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw, who with 21.7 Box-Toppers points, was top player for the season.

Pitchers naturally dominated Box-Toppers game scores in Saturday's two LCS games since the minimum possible number of runs were scored in both games—both games were 1-0 shutouts. 

Coming Sunday: The American League Championship Series continues with Game 2 in Boston. Here is the pitching match-up:

ALCS Game 2, Tigers lead Red Sox 1-0

Tigers: Max Scherzer, 18.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked fifth overall (see the Top 10 Player ranking list on the home page)

Red Sox: Clay Buchholz, 11.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked 41st overall

In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason. 

Top player from each game 

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

1012	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	12.0	Tigers		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Anibal Sanchez (W, 1-1)	6.0	0	0	0	6	12
NL	8.2	Cardinals		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Michael Wacha (W, 2-0)	6.2	5	0	0	1	8

Cardinals' PH Descalso tops players with walk-off run in 13-inning NLCS Game 1 win, Friday, Oct. 11

Pinch hitter Daniel Descalso, who singled and scored the walk-off run in the bottom of the 13th inning as the Cardinals won Game 1 of the National League Championship Series is Friday's Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Descalso only had a Box-Toppers game score of 1.0, but it was still more than his Cardinals teammates in the 3-2 win over the Dodgers, allowing the Cardinals to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. 

Descalso had 2.7 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 367th among all players. 

Coming Saturday: All four remaining playoff teams are in action Saturday in the league championship series. Here are pitching match-ups:

ALCS Game 1, Tigers at Red Sox

Tigers: Anibal Sanchez, 17.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked seventh overall (see the Top 10 Player ranking list on the home page)

Red Sox: Jon Lester, 12.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 34th overall

NLCS Game 2, Cardinals lead Dodgers 1-0

Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw, 21.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked first overall (see the Top 10 Player ranking list on the home page)

Cardinals: Michael Wacha, 3.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 361st overall

In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason. 

Top player from each game 

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

1011	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	1.0	Cardinals	Daniel Descalso PH	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	0		0.0	0	0	0	0	0

ALCS Preview: Tigers, with 3 best AL players in Box-Toppers rankings, may have slight edge on Red Sox

The American League Championship Series beginning Saturday features Box-Toppers' top-ranked AL teams and Box-Toppers' three best AL players—who all happen to be Detroit Tigers.

The Tigers may have a slight edge over the Boston Red Sox as they prepare to face off in the best-of-seven series beginning in Boston.

The Tigers were No. 1 in Box-Toppers Team Rankings at the close of the season with 123.4 Box-Toppers points. The Red Sox ranked fourth overall (second in the AL) with 121.7 points. However, the Red Sox had the better actual winning percentage (.599 vs. .574), giving them home-field advantage for the series. The Red Sox were tied for the best win-loss record in baseball. The Tigers had the sixth-best record—third in the AL, behind the Red Sox and Athletics.

The Tigers beat the Athletics in the American League Division series, three games to two. The Athletics had 115.3 Box-Toppers points for the season, ranked eighth overall. The Red Sox beat the Rays in their ALDS, three games to one. The Rays had 119.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked fifth.

The Tigers have the top three AL players in Box-Toppers points for the season:

• Pitcher Max Scherzer has 18.1 Box-Toppers points and is ranked fifth among all Major League players (see the Player Rankings Top 10 list on the home page).
• Pitcher Anibal Sanchez has 17.1 Box-Toppers points and is ranked seventh among all players.
• Third baseman Miguel Cabrera has 16.9 Box-Toppers points, leads among all Major League batters and is the only batter in the Player Rankings Top 10, in eighth place overall.

The Red Sox top player in Box-Toppers rankings is pitcher Jon Lester with 12.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 34th overall. Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz has 12.4 Box-Toppers points and is ranked 36th overall, fifth among all AL batters.

Below are position-by-position match-ups of each player likely in the starting line-up for both teams, along with the four most likely starting pitchers, the team's top closer and an extra pitcher. Also listed are each player's Box-Toppers points earned in 2013, along with their overall rank among players for the season.

If you simply add together the Box-Toppers points of these 15 key players from each team, the Tigers have 104 points and the Red Sox 97.2.

If you compare them position-by-position, the Tigers also have more players with higher Box-Toppers points totals. The Tigers have the edge in eight positions, the Red Sox in seven.

The Red Sox have more highly ranked batters than the Tigers. In a position-by-position match-up of the starting nine, the Red Sox have Box-Toppers-superior players in six positions, the Tigers in three (though one of the three is at third base, where Miguel Cabrera beats Will Middlebrooks 16.9 Box-Toppers points to 1.0).

The Tigers dominate pitching match-ups in each category except closer, where Red Sox pitcher Koji Uehara has 6.0 Box-Toppers point while Tigers pitcher Joaquin Benoit has 1.0.

Coming Saturday: Here is the pitching match-up for Game 1 of the AL Championship Series:

ALCS Game 1, Tigers at Red Sox

Tigers: Anibal Sanchez, 17.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked seventh overall (see the Top 10 Player ranking list on the home page)

Red Sox: Jon Lester, 12.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 34th overall

In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason.

AL Championship Series player comparisons 

Likely starting players for the Red Sox and Tigers listed by position with their Box-Toppers point total (BTP) for the 2013 regular season and their overall player rank among all players

	Red Sox	BTP	Rank		Tigers	BTP	Rank
1B	Mike Napoli	5.0	170		Prince Fielder	8.5	78
2B	Dustin Pedroia	3.5	286		Omar Infante	4.5	221
SS	Stephen Drew	6.0	143		Jhonny Peralta	3.0	347
3B	Will Middlebrooks	1.0	573		Miguel Cabrera	16.9	8
CA	Jarod Saltalamacchia	4.5	228		Alex Avila	3.0	334
CF	Jacob Ellsbury	5.5	161		Austin Jackson	1.0	576
LF	Jonny Gomes	6.0	156		Don Kelly	0.0	885
RF	Shane Victorino	4.5	224		Torii Hunter	4.0	248
DH	David Ortiz	12.4	36		Victor Martinez	4.2	235
SP	Jon Lester	12.7	34		Max Scherzer	18.1	5
SP	Clay Buchholz	11.1	41		Anibal Sanchez	17.1	7
SP	Jake Peavy	8.0	84		Justin Verlander	10.0	53
SP	John Lackey	6.0	148		Doug Fister	6.7	113
CP	Koji Uehara	6.0	149		Joaquin Benoit	1.0	628
PI	Felix Doubront	5.0	179		Rick Porcello	6.0	139

NLCS Preview: Cardinals-Dodgers features 2 top-ranked NL Box-Toppers teams, top 3 overall players—Kershaw, Wainwright, Greinke

The National League Championship Series beginning Friday features the top two NL teams in Box-Toppers Team Rankings and the top three players in overall Box-Toppers points.

Game 1 of the best-of-seven series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Dodgers begins in St. Louis. The Dodgers just edged out the Cardinals as top NL team in Box-Toppers points for the season with 122.7 (second place overall, behind the Detroit Tigers). The Cardinals were in second in the NL (third overall) with 122.4. 

The Cardinals had the best actual winning percentage in the NL (.599). The Dodgers were in fourth (.568), behind the Cardinals, Braves and Pirates. 

The Cardinals prevailed over the Pirates in the National League Division Series. The Pirates had 115.6 Box-Toppers points for the season, ranked seventh overall. The Dodgers beat the Braves in their NLDS. The Braves had 111.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 11th overall. 

The NLCS between the Cardinals and Dodgers features the top three players in Box-Toppers Player Rankings for the season:

• Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw has 21.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked first in player rankings.
• Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright has 20.2 points, ranked second. 
• Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke has 19.4 points, ranked third. 

In addition, Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn and Shelby Miller are both in the top 10 in Box-Toppers points among NL pitchers. Lynn ranks seventh with 16.1 points and Miller ranks ninth with 15.4. 

Below are position-by-position match-ups of each player likely in the starting line-up for both teams, along with the four most likely starting pitchers, the team's top closer and an extra pitcher. Also listed are each player's Box-Toppers points earned in 2013, along with their overall rank among players for the season.

If you simply add together the Box-Toppers points of these 14 key players from each team, the Cardinals have 103.7 points and the Dodgers 98.7.

If you compare them position-by-position, the Cardinals have more players with higher Box-Toppers points totals. The Cardinals have the edge in seven positions, the Dodgers in six and they tie in one position (both first basemen Matt Adams and Adrian Gonzalez have 5.0 Box-Toppers points).

In general, the Cardinals edge the Dodgers among batters, with more offensive players with higher Box-Toppers points—in fact, Hanley Ramirez is the only Dodger batter with a higher Box-Toppers point total (5.0) than his Cardinals shortstop counterpart Pete Kozma (2.5).

All three likely starting outfielders for the Dodgers have Box-Toppers point totals of 2.0 or less, meaning they were very rarely the key contributor to Dodgers wins. Carl Crawford was Player of the Game twice during the season earning 2.0 Box-Toppers points. Rookie sensation Yasiel Puig was NL Batter of the Day in his second career game June 4, earning 1.5 points, his only points of the season. And Skip Schumaker, though he appeared in 125 games, did not earn Player of the Game honors during the season, earning 0.0 Box-Toppers points.

To be fair, Dodgers pitchers were often the key contributor to the team's wins, with higher Box-Toppers game scores and earning Player of the Game honors. In fact, Dodgers pitchers have a slight edge over the Cardinals, with two of the three top overall players in Box-Toppers points (Kershaw and Greinke). The Dodgers' closer, Kenley Jansen has more Box-Toppers points than Cardinals closer Trevor Rosenthal (9.7 to 6.0).

So: The Dodgers have the overall higher Box-Toppers Team Ranking. The Cardinals have a better winning percentage. The Dodgers have a slight edge in pitching. The Cardinals have a seeming clear edge among batters. The Dodgers have the edge in the pitching match-up in Game 1. The Cardinals have home-field advantage. Baseball's best three players this season (by Box-Toppers measures) will be in action. It promises to be a great series. 

Coming Friday: Here is the pitching match-up for Game 1 of the NL Championship Series:

NLCS Game 1, Dodgers at Cardinals

Dodgers: Zack Greinke, 19.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked third overall (see the Top 10 Player ranking list on the home page)

Cardinals: Joe Kelly, 4.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 264th overall

In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason. 

NL Championship Series player comparisons 

Likely starting players for the Cardinals and Dodgers listed by position with their Box-Toppers point total (BTP) for the 2013 regular season and their overall player rank among all players

	Cardinals	BTP	Rank		Dodgers	BTP	Rank
1B	Matt Adams	5.0	198		Adrian Gonzalez	5.0	175
2B	Matt Carpenter	7.5	100		Mark Ellis	3.5	295
SS	Pete Kozma	2.5	408		Hanley Ramirez	5.0	177
3B	David Freese	5.5	154		Juan Uribe	3.0	323
CA	Yadier Molina	4.0	253		A.J. Ellis	2.5	387
CF	Jon Jay	5.5	162		Skip Schumaker	0.0	920
LF	Matt Holliday	6.5	121		Carl Crawford	2.0	450
RF	Carlos Beltran	2.5	378		Yasiel Puig	1.5	542
SP	Adam Wainwright	20.2	2		Clayton Kershaw	21.7	1
SP	Lance Lynn	16.1	11		Zack Greinke	19.4	3
SP	Joe Kelly	4.0	264		Hyun-Jin Ryu	9.7	61
SP	Michael Wacha	3.0	361		Ricky Nolasco	9.7	60
CP	Trevor Rosenthal	6.0	147		Kenley Jansen	9.7	59
PI	Shelby Miller	15.4	17		Chris Capuano	6.0	134

Justin Verlander (8IP 2H 0R 10K) leads Tigers to eliminate A's in ALDS, tops players for Thursday, Oct. 10

Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander, who flirted with a no-hitter and led Detroit to win the American League Division Series over the Athletics, is Thursday's Player of the Day.

Verlander gave up only two hits, no runs and struck out 10 over eight innings in the 3-0 win over the Athletics. He did not give up his first hit until two out in the seventh inning.

The Tigers won the series over the Athletics three games to two to move onto the best-of-seven American League Championship Series against the Red Sox, beginning Saturday in Boston. The Tigers are the top-ranked team in Box-Toppers points with 123.4. The Athletics rank eighth with 115.3.

Verlander had 10.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 53rd overall. In 2012, he led all players in Box-Toppers points with 24.8.

The four remaining teams in the playoffs are also the four top teams in Box-Toppers Team Power Rankings: 

1. Tigers, 123.4 Box-Toppers points
2. Dodgers, 122.7 Box-Toppers points
3. Cardinals, 122.4 Box-Toppers points
4. Red Sox,  121.7 Box-Toppers points

The Cardinals will face the Dodgers beginning Friday in the best-of-seven NL Championship Series. 

Coming Friday: Check back Friday for a Box-Toppers preview of the NLCS. Find out how the starters from each team stack up against each other in Box-Toppers points. Who's the best left fielder? Carlos Beltran or Yasiel Puig? Which team has the best pitchers in terms of Box-Toppers points?

In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason. 

Top player from each game 

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

1010	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	15.0	Tigers		0	0	0	0	0	0			Justin Verlander (W, 1-0)	8.0	2	0	0	1	10

Adam Wainwright leads Cardinals in NLDS series win, tops players for Wednesday, Oct. 9

Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright, who helped seal his team's berth in the National League Championship Series, is Wednesday's Player of the Day.

Wainwright gave up one run and pitched a complete game in the 6-1 win over the Pirates, leading the St. Louis Cardinals to a 3-2 NL Division Series win. 

This is the second time this postseason that Wainwright has earned Player of the Game honors. He was also Player of the Game in the Cardinals win in Game 1 of the series. Wainwright had 20.2 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranked second overall (see the Top 10 Player Ranking list on the home page).

The Cardinals will face the Dodgers beginning Friday in the best-of-seven NL Championship Series. 

Coming Thursday: The League Division Series conclude Thursday with Game 5 of the ALDS series between the Tigers and Athletics. The pitching match-ups are the same as in Game 2 of the series (won by the Athletics 1-0):

ALDS Game 5, Tigers at Athletics, series tied 2-2

Tigers: Justin Verlander, 10.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 53rd overall

Athletics: Sonny Gray, 4.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 272nd overall

In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason. 

Top player from each game 

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

1009	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	4.0	Cardinals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Adam Wainwright (W, 2-0)	9.0	8	1	1	1	6

Red Sox' Craig Breslow tops players in Tuesday, Oct. 8's ALDS playoff games

Red Sox pitcher Craig Breslow is Player of the Day in Tuesday's two American League Division Series playoff games.

Breslow struck out four over 1 2/3 innings of middle relief in the 3-1 win over the Rays, as the Red Sox won the ALDS three games to one.  Breslow had 1.0 Box-Toppers point during the regular season, ranking 632nd overall.

The Boston Red Sox will face the winner of the Tigers-Athletics ALDS in the best-of-seven AL Championship Series beginning Saturday.

Jhonny Peralta of the Tigers earned Player of the Game honors in the other ALDS game. Peralta homered, drove in three runs and went 2-for-3 in the 8-6 win over the Athletics to tie that ALDS at 2-2. Peralta had 3.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 347th overall. He was suspended for the final 50 games of the regular season for violating baseball's performance-enhancing drug policy.

Coming Wednesday: One National League Division Series continues Wednesday with the decisive game five, featuring two starting pitchers who have both earned Player of the Game honors already in the series. The pitching match-up:

NLDS Game 5, Pirates at Cardinals, series tied 2-2

Pirates: Gerrit Cole, 4.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 211th overall. Cole was also Player of the Game in the Pirates win in Game 2 of the series.

Cardinals: Adam Wainwright, 20.2 Box-Toppers points, ranked second overall (see the Top 10 Player Ranking list on the home page). Wainwright was also Player of the Game in the Cardinals win in Game 1 of the series.

In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason. 

Top player from each game 

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

1008	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	4.2	Red Sox		0	0	0	0	0	0			Craig Breslow (W, 1-0)	1.2	1	0	0	0	4
BAT	3.0	Tigers	Jhonny Peralta LF	3	1	2	3	0	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0

Cards' Michael Wacha tops players in Monday, Oct. 7's playoff games

Cardinals pitcher Michael Wacha is Monday's Player of the Day among the four League Division Series playoff games.

Wacha gave up only one hit—a solo home run—over 7 1/3 innings and struck out nine in the 2-1 win over the Pirates to tie the National League Division series 2-2. Wacha had a no-hitter going into the eighth inning when he gave up the home run to Pedro Alvarez. 

Wacha had 3.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 361st overall. However, he didn't make his Box-Toppers debut until Sept. 8 (the first time he earned Player of the Game honors) and on Sept. 24, he was Box-Toppers Player of the Day, when he was one out away from a no-hitter against the Nationals.

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw earned Player of the Game honors in the other NLDS game. Kershaw, Box-Toppers 2013 Player of the Season, had not been scheduled to start Monday but opted to make his first career start on short rest (he last started Thursday, Oct. 3). He pitched six innings and struck out six in the 4-3 win to eliminate the Braves in the NLDS series 3-1. Kershaw earned a no-decision because he left with the game tied 2-2.

Kershaw had 21.7 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, the most of any player. The Dodgers advance to the best-of-seven NL Championship Series against either the Pirates or the Cardinals beginning Friday. 

Jose Lobaton of the Rays is American League Player of the Day. Lobaton hit a walk-off homer in the 5-4 win over the Red Sox. The Rays trail the series 2-1 but force a Game Four. Lobaton had 3.5 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 299th overall.

Coco Crisp of the Athletics is Player of the Game in the other ALDS game. Crisp was 3-for-4 in the 6-3 win over the Tigers. The Athletics lead the series 2-1. Crisp had 4.0 Box-Toppers points for the season, ranking 255th overall.

 Coming Tuesday: Both American League Division Series continue Tuesday. Here are the pitching match-ups:

ALDS Game 4, Athletics lead Tigers 2-1

Athletics: Dan Straily, 7.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 96th overall

Tigers: Doug Fister, 6.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 113th overall

ALDS Game 4, Red Sox lead Rays 2-1

Red Sox: Jake Peavy, 8.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 84th overall

Rays: Jeremy Hellickson, 6.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 136th overall

In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason. 

Top player from each game 

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

1007	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	11.1	Cardinals		0	0	0	0	0	0			Michael Wacha (W, 1-0)	7.1	1	1	1	2	9
	6.0	`Dodgers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Clayton Kershaw	6.0	3	2	0	1	6
AL	2.0	Rays	Jose Lobaton C	1	1	1	1	0	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Athletics	Coco Crisp CF	4	1	3	1	0	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0

` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.