Dodgers' Kershaw tops players for Tuesday, May 26; Rangers' Fielder, Player of the Game 4 times in 5 days, rises to 8th in player rankings

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw is Tuesday’s Player of the Day.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of May 26.  

	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	9.7
2	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	8.0
3	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	7.0
4	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	7.0
5	Miller, Shelby 3134	pi sp	atl nl	7.0
6	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	6.7
7	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	6.7
8	Fielder, Prince 2029	dh	tex al	6.5
9	Harper, Bryce 3011	lf rf	dc nl	6.5
10	Price, David 2593	pi sp	det al	6.4

What are those numbers after players' names?

Also Tuesday, Prince Fielder of the Rangers earned Player of the Game honors for the second straight day—and fourth time in five days—rising into Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings. Two other players who earned Player of the Game honors Tuesday also rose in Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings for the season—Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom and Tigers pitcher David Price.

Player of the Day—Kershaw pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits and striking out 10, in the 8-0 win over the Braves.

Kershaw rises to 21st place among all players in Box-Toppers points since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. He now has 137.6 career Box-Toppers points and passes Bartolo Colon (136.4) on that list. He trails 20th-place player Andy Pettitte (138.5).

Kershaw led all players in 2014 with 31.5 Box-Toppers points, the fourth-highest single-season total in 20 seasons of Box-Toppers record keeping. Tuesday marked the first time this season he earned overall Player of the Day honors, something he did eight times last year. However, despite his high point total last season, he is not that far off his 2014 pace. At this point last season, he had 5.0 Box-Toppers points and had earned Player of the Day honors twice. With the 2.0 Box-Toppers points he earned Tuesday for being Player of the Day, he has 4.0 points this season and ranks 14th among NL pitchers.

American League Player of the Day—Josh Donaldson of the Blue Jays hit two home runs, including a walk-off, three-run homer in the 10-9 win over the White Sox. Donaldson also doubled and went 4-for-4, scoring five times and driving in four.

National League Batter of the Day—Randal Grichuk of the Cardinals homered and went 2-for-3, driving in two runs, in the 6-4 win over the Diamondbacks.

American League Batter of the Day—There is no separate AL Batter of the Day Tuesday since the overall AL Player of the Day was a batter (Josh Donaldson of the Blue Jays).

Notable—Prince Fielder of the Rangers earned Player of the Game honors for the second time in as many days and the fourth time in five days, rising into Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings.

Fielder (3R-HR 2B 3-5 in the 4-3 win over the Indians) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 6.5 for the season, rising to eighth place among all players. Fielder, who Monday rose to lead all AL batters in Box-Toppers points for 2015, now ranks ahead of all batters in baseball this season, passing Bryce Harper of the Nationals, who also has 6.5 points this season. (Harper ranks behind Fielder because he had fewer Box-Toppers points in 2014. Fielder had 1.0 point in 2014, Harper had 0.0.)

Fielder has earned 5.0 Box-Toppers points in the past five days:

• On May 22, he was Player of the Game (1.0 point)
• On May 23, he was AL Batter of the Day (1.5 points)
• On May 25, he was AL Batter of the Day (1.5 points)
• On May 26, he was Player of the Game (1.0 point)

Fielder has earned all 6.5 of his points in the past 14 days. He was AL Batter of the Day on May 13, the first time this season he earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors.

Rankings—Two other player rose in Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings after they earned Player of the Game honors Tuesday:

• Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom rose to sixth place (7.1IP 6H 2R 9K ND in the 5-4, 10-inning win over the Phillies), earning 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 6.7 for the season. He ranks fourth among NL pitchers.
• Tigers pitcher David Price rose to 10th place (7IP 5H 0R W in the 1-0 win over the Athletics), earning 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 6.4 for the season. He ranks third among AL pitchers.

Debut—Reds pitcher Michael Lorenzen made his Box-Toppers debut Tuesday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Lorenzen (7IP 2H R ND in the 2-1 win over the Rockies) made his Major League debut April 29 and was playing in his sixth career game. He is the 3,479th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Kershaw earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Donaldson earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Grichuk earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day. All of Tuesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

5/26	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	13.0	Dodgers	Clayton Kershaw (W, 3-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	4	0	0	0	10
AL	9.0	Blue Jays	Josh Donaldson 3B	4	5	4	4	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	7.1	Yankees	Adam Warren (W, 3-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.1	2	1	1	0	5
	6.1	`Mets	Jacob deGrom	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.1	6	2	2	0	9
	6.0	Mariners	Kyle Seager 3B	5	2	3	6	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	6.0	`Padres	Odrisamer Despaigne	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	5	0	0	0	5
	4.0	Tigers	David Price (W, 4-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	5	0	0	1	3
	3.2	Pirates	Jeff Locke (W, 3-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		5.2	4	0	0	4	6
	3.0	Twins	Mike Pelfrey (W, 4-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	5	1	1	1	4
	3.0	`Cubs	Kyle Hendricks	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	4	1	1	2	4
	3.0	`Reds	Michael Lorenzen	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	2	1	1	3	3
	3.0	Astros	Luke Gregerson (S, 13)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	2
	2.0	Rangers	Prince Fielder DH	5	1	3	3	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
BAT	2.0	Cardinals	Randal Grichuk CF	3	1	2	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.1	`Giants	Sergio Romo	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.1	1	0	0	0	1
		`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Royals' Ventura tops players for Tuesday, May 19; Giants' Hudson earns Box-Toppers points for 17th straight season

Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura is Tuesday’s Player of the Day.

Also Tuesday, Colby Rasmus of the Astros rose to 10th place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season, taking the lead among American League batters and Giants pitcher Tim Hudson earned a Box-Toppers point for the 17th straight season, tying him for the longest current consecutive streak.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of May 19.  

	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	8.7
2	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	7.0
3	Miller, Shelby 3134	pi sp	atl nl	7.0
4	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	6.7
5	Harper, Bryce 3011	lf rf	dc nl	6.5
6	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	6.0
7	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	6.0
8	Harang, Aaron 1599	pi sp	phi nl	5.1
9	Hamels, Cole 2135	pi sp	phi nl	5.0
10	Rasmus, Colby 2608	lf rf cf	hou al	5.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Ventura pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits and striking out six, in the 3-0 win over the Reds.

National League Player of the Day—Padres pitcher James Shields struck out 11 over seven innings, allowing two runs, in the 4-3 win over the Cubs. Shields did not pick up the win in the game because he exited with the score tied 2-2.

National League Batter of the Day—A.J. Pollock of the Diamondbacks hit a pinch-hit, two-run, go-ahead home run in the 4-2 win over the Marlins.

American League Batter of the Day—Jimmy Paredes of the Orioles homered and went 2-for-5, driving in four runs, in the 9-4 win over the Mariners.

Rankings—Colby Rasmus of the Astros rose to 10th place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season, taking the lead among AL batters, after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday.

Rasmus (HR 2B 2-4 2R 2BI in the 6-4 win over the Athletics) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 5.0 for the season. Rasmus has the same 2015 Box-Toppers point total as Eric Hosmer of the Royals, but wins the tie-breaker because he had more points in 2014—3.2 vs. 2.5.

Streak—Giants pitcher Tim Hudson has now earned Box-Toppers points for 17 straight seasons, tied for the longest currently active streak. Hudson was Player of the Game Tuesday in the 2-0 win over the Dodgers (6.1IP 0R W) and earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, his first of the season.

In addition, with his point Tuesday, Hudson now has 154.0 for his career and rises to 13th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. Hudson passes Barry Bonds (153.2) on that list, though it should be noted Bonds played nine seasons before Box-Toppers record keeping began and so would likely have many more career Box-Toppers points.

Hudson’s 17-season streak of earning at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point ties him with Torii Hunter of the Twins for the longest active streak. (Hunter has 3.5 Box-Toppers points this season.) The record for most consecutive seasons with at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point is 19, held by Jason Giambi (1995-2013). (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995.) One other active player had Box-Toppers points in 16 straight seasons as of 2014 and also has a chance to extend that to 17 straight seasons in 2015—Carlos Beltran of the Yankees.

Hudson earned his first Box-Toppers points in 1999 with the Athletics. His best year was 2001 with the Athletics, when he had 18.8 Box-Toppers points, ranked first among AL pitchers. In 2014, he had 8.7 Box-Toppers points with the Giants.

His 154.0 career Box-Toppers points ranks him 13th among all players since 1995, just behind Mike Mussina (155.6). His career total ranks 10th among all pitchers since 1995 and first among active pitchers currently in the NL, ahead of Bartolo Colon of the Mets (136.4).

Debuts—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Tuesday, the first time in their career they earned Player of the Game honors:

• Randal Grichuk of the Cardinals (3B 2-2B 3-5 R 3BI in the 10-2 win over the Mets) made his Major League debut April 28, 2014, and was playing in his 57th career game. He is the 3,474th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
• Clint Robinson of the Nationals (PH 2B 1-1 R BI in the 8-6 win over the Yankees) made his Major League debut June 8, 2012, and was playing in his 40th career game. He is the 3,475th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Ventura earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Shields earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Pollock and Paredes each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Tuesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

5/19	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	9.0	Royals	Yordano Ventura (W, 3-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	4	0	0	0	6
NL	7.0	`Padres	James Shields	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	6	2	2	1	11
	5.1	Indians	Trevor Bauer (W, 3-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.1	4	1	1	3	7
	4.0	Brewers	Jimmy Nelson (W, 2-4)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	3	1	1	4	5
BAT	3.0	Dbacks	A.J. Pollock PH, CF	1	1	1	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.2	`Twins	Blaine Boyer (H, 7)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.2	0	0	0	0	1
	2.0	Cardinals	Randal Grichuk RF	5	1	3	3	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
BAT	2.0	Orioles	Jimmy Paredes DH	5	1	2	4	0	2		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Astros	Colby Rasmus CF, LF	4	2	2	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Nationals	Clint Robinson PH	1	1	1	1	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Red Sox	Wade Miley (W, 3-4)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	7	2	2	1	7
	2.0	Angels	Hector Santiago (W, 3-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	4	2	1	3	5
	2.0	Rays	Brad Boxberger (S, 11)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	1
	1.1	Giants	Tim Hudson (W, 2-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.1	5	0	0	2	2
	1.0	Rockies	Nick Hundley C	4	1	2	2	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
		`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Brewers' Kyle Lohse (8IP 0R 8K) tops players for Friday, May 15

Brewers pitcher Kyle Lohse is Friday’s Player of the Day.

Also Friday, two players with more than 100 career Box-Toppers points earned Player of the Game honors, including last year’s Box-Toppers points leader, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of May 15.  

	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	8.7
2	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	6.0
3	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	6.0
4	Harang, Aaron 1599	pi sp	phi nl	5.1
5	Miller, Shelby 3134	pi sp	atl nl	5.0
6	Hosmer, Eric 2886	1b	kc al	5.0
7	Harper, Bryce 3011	lf rf	dc nl	5.0
8	Heston, Chris 3437	pi sp	sf nl	5.0
9	Cabrera, Miguel 1776	1b	det al	4.7
10	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	4.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Lohse pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out eight, in the 7-0 win over the Mets.

American League Player of the Day—Lorenzo Cain of the Royals drove in five runs, while going 3-for-4 with two doubles and two runs, in the 12-1 win over the Yankees.

National League Batter of the Day—Brandon Belt of the Giants hit a three-run home run and a double, going 3-for-5 with three runs and four RBIs, in the 10-2 win over the Reds.

American League Batter of the Day—There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Friday since a batter (Lorenzo Cain of the Royals) was the overall AL Player of the Day.

Notable—Two players with more than 100 career Box-Toppers points earned Player of the Game honors Friday;

• Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw now has 135.6 career Box-Toppers points and ranks 22nd among all players since Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995.

Kershaw (6.2IP 3R 10K W in the 6-4 win over the Rockies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 2.0 for the season. Last year, Kershaw led all players with 31.5 Box-Toppers points, the fourth-highest single-season total since 1995. Still, Kershaw is not far off his 2014 pace—at this time last year, Kershaw had only 3.0 Box-Toppers points, only 1.0 more than he has this season.

Kershaw trails Bartolo Colon (136.4) for 21st place among all players since 1995. His career 135.6 Box-Toppers points puts him at 16th among all pitchers since 1995 and third among all active pitchers currently in the NL (behind Colon and Giants pitcher Tim Hudson—153.0).

• Angels pitcher Jered Weaver now has 118.4 career Box-Toppers points and moves up to 36th place among all players since 1995, passing Justin Verlander (118.2) and Carlos Delgado (117.7) on that list.

Weaver (7.1IP 3H R W in the 3-1 win over the Orioles) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 3.0 for the season.

Weaver’s 118.4 career Box-Toppers points puts him at 24th place among all pitchers since 1995 and fourth among active pitchers currently in the AL—behind CC Sabathia (173.3), Johan Santana (166.6) and Felix Hernandez (152.0).

Debut—Todd Cunningham of the Braves made his Box-Toppers debut Friday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Cunningham (2B 3-4 2R BI in the 5-2 win over the Marlins) made his Major League debut July 30, 2013, and was playing in his ninth career game. He is the 3,468th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Lohse earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Cain earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Belt earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day. All of Friday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

5/15	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	13.0	Brewers	Kyle Lohse (W, 3-4)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	2	0	0	1	8
AL	6.0	Royals	Lorenzo Cain CF	4	2	3	5	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
BAT	5.0	Giants	Brandon Belt 1B	5	3	3	4	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	5.0	Nationals	Jordan Zimmermann (W, 3-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	6	0	0	1	6
	4.1	Angels	Jered Weaver (W, 2-4)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.1	3	1	1	1	3
	4.0	Indians	Michael Brantley CF, LF	3	2	3	2	2	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.2	Dodgers	Clayton Kershaw (W, 2-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.2	4	3	3	3	10
	3.0	Tigers	Yoenis Cespedes LF	5	2	3	3	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Cubs	Kris Bryant 3B	4	2	1	4	2	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Phillies	Freddy Galvis SS	2	2	1	2	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Braves	Todd Cunningham LF	4	2	3	1	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Astros	Jose Altuve 2B	4	1	2	3	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	White Sox	Adam LaRoche DH	3	1	1	3	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	`Mariners	J.A. Happ	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	5	1	1	1	3
	1.0	Twins	Brian Dozier 2B	3	1	1	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
		`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Braves' Miller tops players for Tuesday, May 5; Pujols earns Box-Toppers points for 15th straight season

Braves pitcher Shelby Miller is Tuesday’s Player of the Day.

Miller pitched a complete game, three-hit shutout, striking out eight, in the 9-0 win over the Phillies.

American League Player of the Day—Rangers pitcher Wandy Rodriguez struck out eight over eight innings, allowing one run on three hits, in the 7-1 win over the Astros.

American League Batter of the Day—Eric Hosmer of the Royals hit a three-run homer, a triple and drove in four runs, in the 5-3 win over the Indians.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of May 5.  

	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	7.7
2	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	6.0
3	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	5.0
4	Cabrera, Miguel 1776	1b	det al	4.7
5	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	4.7
6	Gray, Sonny 3259	pi sp	oak al	4.7
7	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	4.7
8	Stanton, Giancarlo 2737	rf	fla nl	4.5
9	Cueto, Johnny 2400	pi sp	cin nl	4.4
10	Bumgarner, Madison 2753	pi sp	sf nl	4.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

National League Batter of the Day—Matt Carpenter of the Cardinals hit a game-tying three-run homer and drove in four total runs, in the 7-4 win over the Cubs.

Streak—Albert Pujols of the Angels has now earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point for 15 straight seasons. He was Player of the Game Tuesday in the 5-4 win over the Mariners (HR 2-3 2R 2BI) and earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, his first of the season.

Pujols earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2001 with the Cardinals. He led all NL batters in Box-Toppers points in five different seasons, the most times a batter has led his league in Box-Toppers points (since record keeping began in 1995). Here are the seasons he led NL batters, all with the Cardinals:

• 2003—16.5 Box-Toppers points
• 2004—15.9
• 2008—15.2
• 2009—16.7 (his best overall season)
• 2010—15.4

In 2014, Pujols had 7.5 Box-Toppers points with the Angels, fourth among AL designated hitters.

Pujols has 168.3 career Box-Toppers points, seventh among all players since Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995. He trails Roy Halladay (170.7) for sixth place. Pujols ranks second among all batters on that list (behind only Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees with 182.8).

Notables—Two other players with more than 100 career Box-Toppers points also earned Player of the Game honors Tuesday:

• Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon now has 136.4 career Box-Toppers points and ranks 21st among all players since 1995 (trailing Andy Pettitte with 138.5). Colon ranks 15th among pitchers on that list and second among active pitchers currently in the NL (behind Tim Hudson of the Giants with 153.0).

Colon was Player of the Game Tuesday in the Mets 3-2 win over the Orioles (7.2IP R 9K W) and earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 3.0 for the season.

• Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke now has 129.7 career Box-Toppers points and ranks 27th among all players since 1995. With Tuesday’s point, he passes Trevor Hoffman (129.4) on that list. Greinke ranks 18th among pitchers on that list and is fifth among active pitchers currently in the NL.

Greinke was Player of the Game Tuesday in the Dodgers 8-2 win over the Brewers (7.2IP 2H R 7K W) and earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 4.0 for the season, putting him in 11th place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season.

Scoring—Miller earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Rodriguez earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Hosmer and Carpenter each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Sunday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

5/5	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	13.0	Braves	Shelby Miller (W, 4-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		9.0	3	0	0	1	8
AL	10.0	Rangers	Wandy Rodriguez (W, 1-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	3	1	1	1	8
	9.2	Dodgers	Zack Greinke (W, 5-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.2	2	1	0	2	7
	8.2	Mets	Bartolo Colon (W, 5-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.2	6	1	1	0	9
	8.1	Athletics	Jesse Chavez (W, 1-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.1	4	1	0	1	7
	8.0	Yankees	Michael Pineda (W, 4-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	5	0	0	1	6
	6.0	Giants	Ryan Vogelsong (W, 1-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	3	0	0	2	4
	5.0	Red Sox	Rick Porcello (W, 3-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	8	0	0	0	6
	3.1	Marlins	Mat Latos (W, 1-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.1	2	1	1	5	6
BAT	3.0	Royals	Eric Hosmer 1B	4	1	2	4	0	2		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Angels	Albert Pujols 1B	3	2	2	2	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
BAT	3.0	Cardinals	Matt Carpenter 3B	3	1	1	4	1	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Reds	Marlon Byrd LF	5	1	2	4	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	White Sox	Jeff Samardzija (W, 2-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	7	2	2	1	7

Mariners' Felix Hernandez (7IP 10K) tops players in Monday, April 6's opening day

Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez is Monday’s Player of the Day on baseball’s opening day of the season.

Hernandez struck out 10 over seven innings, allowing one run, in the 4-1 win over the Angels.

Hernandez had a Box-Toppers game score of +12, tied with Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz, who was Player of the Game in the 8-0 win over the Phillies. However, Hernandez won the tie-breaker to earn Player of the Day because he had more strikeouts than Buchholz (10 vs. nine).

Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto is National League Player of the Day. Cueto struck out 10 over seven scoreless innings in the 5-2 win over the Pirates. Cueto picked up a no-decision and did not earn the win because after he exited the game, the Pirates tied the score.

Cueto also had a Box-Toppers game score of +12, tied with Hernandez, but Hernandez beat Cueto on a tie-breaker to earn Player of the Day because he earned the win in his game, while Cueto earned a no-decision.

Nolan Arenado of the Rockies is NL Batter of the Day. Arenado homered, doubled and went 3-for-4 with four RBIs in the 10-0 win over the Brewers.

Alex Rios of the Royals is American League Batter of the Day. Rios homered, drove in three and went 3-for-4 in the 10-1 win over the White Sox.

Notables: Opening day often features baseball’s top aces, the top-of-the-rotation pitchers who were among Box-Toppers leaders in the previous season. Monday featured starts from last year’s top seven pitchers in Box-Toppers player rankings. However, only three earned Player of the Game honors. Here is how those seven players fared, listed in order of their 2014 Box-Toppers player ranking:

1. Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers—31.5 Box-Toppers points in 2014.

Monday—6IP 6H 3R 2BB 9K ND, Box-Toppers game score +1 in 6-3 win over Padres. (Jimmy Rollins, Box-Toppers game score +2 was Dodgers Player of the Game.)

2. Corey Kluber, Indians—25.8 Box-Toppers points in 2014.

Monday—7.1IP 3H 2R 2BB 7K L, Box-Toppers game score +5.1 in 2-0 loss to Astros. (Dallas Keuchel of Astros, Box-Toppers game score +5 was Player of the Game.)

3. Madison Bumgarner, Giants—22.6 Box-Toppers points in 2014.

Monday—7IP 6H R BB 3K W, Box-Toppers game score +1 in 5-4 win over Diamondbacks. (Angel Pagan, Box-Toppers game score +2 was Giants Player of the Game.)

4. Johnny Cueto, Reds—22.4 Box-Toppers points in 2014.

Monday—Cueto earned NL Player of the Day honors, see details above.

5. Max Scherzer, Nationals—22.1 Box-Toppers points in 2014 (with Tigers).

Monday—7.2 IP 4H 3R 2BB 8K L, Box-Toppers game score +6.2 in 3-1 loss to Mets. (Bartolo Colon of the Mets, Box-Toppers game score of +8.0 was Player of the Game.)

6. Felix Hernandez, Mariners—20.8 Box-Toppers points in 2014.

Monday—Hernandez earned overall Player of the Day honors, see details above.

7. David Price, Tigers—19.1 Box-Toppers points in 2014.

Monday—8.2 IP 5H 0R 5K W, Box-Toppers game score +8.2 in 4-0 win over Twins. (Price earned Player of the Game honors.)

Also notable: Devon Travis of the Blue Jays (HR 1-2 2R BI in the 6-1 win over the Yankees) made his Box-Toppers debut, the first time he has earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors. Travis is the 3,436th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995. He is the first player to make his debut in the 2015 season.

Hernandez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Cueto earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Arenado and Rios each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Monday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

406	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	12.0	Mariners	Felix Hernandez (W, 1-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	2	1	1	1	10
	12.0	Red Sox	Clay Buchholz (W, 1-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	3	0	0	1	9
NL	12.0	`Reds	Johnny Cueto	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	4	0	0	1	10
	9.0	Athletics	Sonny Gray (W, 1-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	1	0	0	1	3
	8.2	Tigers	David Price (W, 1-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.2	5	0	0	0	5
	8.0	Mets	Bartolo Colon (W, 1-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	3	1	1	1	8
BAT	6.0	Rockies	Nolan Arenado 3B	4	3	3	4	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	5.0	Astros	Dallas Keuchel (W, 1-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	3	0	0	3	4
BAT	3.0	Royals	Alex Rios RF	4	1	3	3	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Braves	Jason Grilli (S, 1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	2
	2.0	Giants	Angel Pagan CF	4	1	3	2	1	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Dodgers	Jimmy Rollins SS	4	1	2	3	1	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Blue Jays	Devon Travis 2B	2	2	1	1	2	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.2	Orioles	Chris Tillman (W, 1-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.2	4	1	1	3	4
		`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Marlins' Eovaldi, Orioles' Hardy top players for Friday, Aug. 8

Marlins pitcher Nathan Eovaldi is Friday’s Player of the Day. Eovaldi pitched eight scoreless innings and struck out six in the 2-1 win over the Reds.

J.J. Hardy of the Orioles is American League Player of the Day. Hardy homered twice, going 2-for-3, with two runs and four RBIs, in the 12-2 win over the Cardinals.

Rickie Weeks of the Brewers is National League Batter of the Day. Weeks hit a three-run homer and scored twice in the 9-3 win over the Dodgers.

Notables: Braves pitcher Craig Kimbrel rises to 19th place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday. Kimbrel (1IP 0R 2K Sv in the 7-6 win over the Nationals), earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.0 for the season. He ranks seventh among NL pitchers.

Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon rises to 21st place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday. Colon (8IP R 6K W in the 5-4 win over the Phillies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.7 for the season. He is the 24th player this season to earn 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points. He ranks eighth in Box-Toppers points among NL pitchers. It is the seventh time in his career he has earned at least 10.0 Box-Toppers points in a single season. He has 133.4 career Box-Toppers points, ranking 21st among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began.

Eovaldi receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Hardy receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Weeks receives 1.5 for being NL Batter of the Day.

All of Friday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed Friday, click here.

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

808	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	8.0	Marlins	Nathan Eovaldi (W, 6-6)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	5	0	0	1	6
AL	6.0	Orioles	J.J. Hardy SS	3	3	2	4	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	6.0	Mets	Bartolo Colon (W, 11-9)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	6	1	1	0	6
	6.0	Pirates	Vance Worley (W, 5-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	5	1	1	1	7
BAT	5.0	Brewers	Rickie Weeks PH, 2B	1	2	1	3	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	5.0	Dbacks	Chase Anderson (W, 7-4)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	4	1	1	1	6
	4.0	Yankees	Carlos Beltran DH	5	2	2	5	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.2	Tigers	Al Alburquerque (W, 3-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.2	0	0	0	0	2
	3.0	Astros	Robbie Grossman RF	3	1	3	2	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Royals	Billy Butler 1B	3	1	2	3	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Mariners	Hisashi Iwakuma (W, 10-6)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	5	1	1	0	3
	3.0	`Rays	Chris Archer	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	5	2	1	1	6
	3.0	Braves	Craig Kimbrel (S, 33)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	2
	2.0	Athletics	Coco Crisp DH	3	1	1	3	1	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	0.0	Red Sox	Mike Napoli 1B	3	1	1	1	1	2		-	-	-	-	-	-

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

Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw (8IP 0R 8K) tops players for Tuesday, June 24, rises to 2nd in Box-Toppers points

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, Tuesday’s Player of the Day, rises to second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings.

Kershaw pitched eight scoreless innings and struck out eight in the 2-0 win over the Royals. He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 12.7 for the season, rising from sixth to second among all players (see the updated top 10 player list on the home page). He is also in second place among National League pitchers, behind overall Box-Toppers points leader Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals (13.0 points).

Kershaw and Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon had identical Box-Toppers game scores Tuesday of 9.0. However, Kershaw won Player of the Day honors on a tie-breaker—he allowed no runs, while Colon allowed one.

White Sox pitcher Jose Quintana is American League Player of the Day. Quintana struck out eight over six innings, allowing one run, in the 4-2 win over the Orioles.

Justin Morneau of the Rockies is NL Batter of the Day. Morneau drove in six runs, while going 3-for-5 with a homer, in the 10-5 win over the Cardinals.

Dioner Navarro of the Blue Jays is AL Batter of the Day. Navarro hit a three-run homer and went 3-for-4 in the 7-6 win over the Yankees.

Kershaw receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Quintana receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Morneau and Navarro each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Tuesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed Tuesday, click here.

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

624	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	9.0	Dodgers	Clayton Kershaw (W, 8-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	6	0	0	1	8
	9.0	Mets	Bartolo Colon (W, 8-5)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	4	1	1	1	8
	9.0	Cubs	Jake Arrieta (W, 4-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	3	2	2	0	9
BAT	6.0	Rockies	Justin Morneau 1B	5	2	3	6	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	5.0	Padres	Jesse Hahn (W, 3-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	4	2	2	1	8
AL	4.0	White Sox	Jose Quintana (W, 4-7)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	6	1	1	3	8
	4.0	Tigers	Drew Smyly (W, 4-6)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	5	1	0	1	5
BAT	3.0	Blue Jays	Dioner Navarro C	4	1	3	3	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Mariners	Kyle Seager 3B	4	1	2	4	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Angels	Mike Trout CF	2	2	1	2	2	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	`Nationals	Jordan Zimmermann	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	6	2	2	2	9
	2.0	Braves	Craig Kimbrel (S, 22)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	1
	1.0	Dbacks	Ender Inciarte CF	7	2	4	2	1	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.0	Phillies	Marlon Byrd RF	4	2	1	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	0.0	Pirates	Russell Martin C	4	1	2	1	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-

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

Mets' Colon, Mariners' Fernandez top players for Wednesday, May 28

Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon is Wednesday’s Player of the Day. Colon pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings and struck out nine in the 5-0 win over the Pirates.

Colon earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 128.4 for his career, moving him into 24th place on Box-Toppers “all-time” list (record keeping began in 1995). He is just ahead of Vladimir Guerrero (128.3 Box-Toppers points).

Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez is American League Player of the Day. Hernandez gave up one run over 8 2/3 innings and struck out nine in the 3-1 win over the Angels.

Hernandez earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 7.1 for the season, moving into eighth place on Box-Toppers season player rankings (see the updated top 10 list on the home page). He is in third place among AL pitchers.

Hernandez also has 129.6 Box-Toppers points for his career, in 21st place on the “all-time” list (record keeping began in 1995), moving past Trevor Hoffman (129.4) and David Ortiz (128.9).

A.J. Pollock of the Diamondbacks is National League Batter of the Day. Pollock doubled twice, went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs in the 12-6 win over the Padres.

Chris Carter of the Astros is AL Batter of the Day. Carter hit two homers and drove in four runs in the 9-3 win over the Royals.

Notable: Athletics pitcher Scott Kazmir rose to 10th place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday (see the updated top 10 list on the home page). Kazmir (CG 1R 8K W in the 3-1 win over the Tigers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 6.7 for the season. He is in fourth place among AL pitchers.

Colon receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Hernandez receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Pollock and Carter each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

528	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	10.1	Mets	Bartolo Colon (W, 4-5)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.1	5	0	0	1	9
AL	9.2	Mariners	Felix Hernandez (W, 7-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.2	4	1	1	2	9
	9.0	Athletics	Scott Kazmir (W, 6-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		9.0	6	1	1	0	8
	7.1	Red Sox	John Lackey (W, 6-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.1	8	0	0	0	9
	6.0	`Giants	Tim Lincecum	-	-	-	-	-	-		5.0	0	0	0	4	5
	5.1	`White Sox	Hector Noesi	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.1	5	1	1	0	5
BAT	4.0	Dbacks	A.J. Pollock CF	4	3	3	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
BAT	4.0	Astros	Chris Carter DH	4	2	2	4	1	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	4.0	Brewers	Khris Davis LF	3	2	2	3	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	4.0	`Blue Jays	Liam Hendriks	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	3	2	2	0	5
	4.0	`Rangers	Joe Saunders	-	-	-	-	-	-		5.0	5	0	0	2	6
	3.0	Yankees	Jacoby Ellsbury CF	5	2	3	3	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Phillies	Ryan Howard 1B	4	1	2	4	1	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Reds	Homer Bailey (W, 5-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	5	2	2	1	6
	2.0	Marlins	Casey McGehee 3B	5	2	4	1	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-

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

Indians' Corey Kluber (CG 1R 11K) tops players for Thursday, April 24

Indians pitcher Corey Kluber is Thursday’s Player of the Day. Kluber pitched a complete game, striking out 11 and allowing only one run in the 5-1 win over the Royals.

Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon is National League Player of the Day. Colon struck out eight over seven innings, allowing only one run, in the 4-1 win over the Cardinals.

Josh Donaldson of the Athletics is American League Batter of the Day. Donaldson homered twice, went 3-for-4 and drove in four runs in the 10-1 win over the Astros.

Carlos Ruiz of the Phillies is NL Batter of the Day. Ruiz went 3-for-3 with two doubles and drove in two runs in the 7-3 win over the Dodgers.

Notable: Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia, in fifth place on Box-Toppers all-time player rankings (record keeping began in 1995) received his first Player of the Game honor since May 31, 2013. Sabathia (6IP 8K W in 14-5 win vs. Red Sox) received 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 173.3 for his career. He is just behind Alex Rodriguez (fourth place, 179.3) on the all-time list and just ahead of Roy Halladay (sixth place, 170.7). Albert Pujols (10th place, 161.3) joined the all-time top 10 earlier this week.

Kluber receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Colon receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Donaldson and Ruiz each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Thursday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

424	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	15.0	Indians	Corey Kluber (W, 2-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		9.0	4	1	0	0	11
NL	9.0	Mets	Bartolo Colon (W, 2-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	4	1	1	0	8
	6.2	Dbacks	Mike Bolsinger (W, 1-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.2	4	1	0	2	7
BAT	6.0	Athletics	Josh Donaldson 3B	4	3	3	4	2	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
BAT	4.0	Phillies	Carlos Ruiz C	3	2	3	2	2	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	4.0	Tigers	Max Scherzer (W, 2-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	7	2	2	1	10
	4.0	Yankees	CC Sabathia (W, 3-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	3	2	2	3	8
	3.0	Twins	Kurt Suzuki C	4	1	3	3	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Reds	Tony Cingrani (W, 2-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	6	1	1	2	7
	2.0	Orioles	David Lough LF	4	3	3	0	1	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	`Padres	Joaquin Benoit	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	1	0	0	0	2

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

Retired saves king Mariano Rivera ranks as 2nd-best all-time closer in Box-Toppers points

One in a series

Box-Toppers’ Stick-A-Fork-In-Them series looks at 14 players whose careers are done or may be done. Included is a look at how they have fared in Box-Toppers points over their careers, reflecting their impact on the game over time. This is the seventh of the series:

7. Mariano Rivera

Mariano Rivera, considered the greatest closing pitcher of all time, is only the second-best closer in career Box-Toppers points.

Mariano Rivera

Here are Mariano Rivera's Box-Toppers statistics. The third column shows his Box-Toppers points (BTP) per season. The final column shows his All-Star Selections, his Box-Toppers key season rankings and his standing in key postseason awards voting.

Year	Team	BTP	Notes
1995	nyy al	3.0
1996	nyy al	8.4	BTP-77, BTP-AL pi-11, CYA-3, MVP-12
1997	nyy al	5.0	AS, MVP-25
1998	nyy al	4.0
1999	nyy al	8.0	AS, BTP-82, BTP-AL pi-13, CYA-3, MVP-14
2000	nyy al	4.0	AS
2001	nyy al	12.0	AS, BTP-30, BTP-AL pi-8, MVP-11
2002	nyy al	4.0	AS
2003	nyy al	6.0	MVP-27
2004	nyy al	5.0	AS, BTP-189, BTP-AL pi-37, CYA-3, MVP-9
2005	nyy al	11.0	AS, BTP-37, BTP-AL pi-9, CYA-2, MVP-9
2006	nyy al	4.0	AS, MVP-26
2007	nyy al	12.0	BTP-27, BTP-AL pi-11
2008	nyy al	14.0	AS, BTP-17, BTP-AL pi-8, CYA-5
2009	nyy al	8.0	AS, BTP-84, BTP-AL pi-18, MVP-14
2010	nyy al	7.0	AS
2011	nyy al	6.0	AS, CYA-8
2012	nyy al	0.0
2013	nyy al	5.0	AS
Total		126.4	BTP-25, BTP-pi-16

AS All-star selection
BTP Finish among all players in Box-Toppers points
BTP-AL pi Finish among all AL pitchers in BTP
CYA Finish in league Cy Young Award voting
MVP Finish in league Most Valuable Player Award voting

Source: Information for player awards comes from Baseball-Reference.com

Rivera retired amid great fanfare at the end of the 2013 season at the age of 43. He recorded more saves than any other pitcher with 652. He helped the New York Yankees, the team with which he spent his entire 19-season career, win five World Series championships, earning World Series Most Valuable Player once (in 1999) and American League Championship Series MVP once (in 2003).

And yet, despite all this, Rivera trails one other closing pitcher in all-time Box-Toppers points. Rivera recorded 126.4 Box-Toppers points, ranking 25th among all players and 16th among all pitchers. But ahead of him, with 129.4 Box-Toppers points, ranking 21st among all players and 14th among all pitchers is Trevor Hoffman.

Hoffman, who pitched primarily for the San Diego Padres and the Milwaukee Brewers from 1993 to 2010, has 601 career saves—he was passed by Rivera in 2011. And even though Rivera was only 3.0 Box-Toppers points from tying him, Hoffman would likely have a higher point total since his career began before Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995—Hoffman picked up 25 of his career saves in 1993 and 1994.

More about the comparison of Rivera and Hoffman ahead, but first a look back at the career of Rivera, who finished among the top 10 in AL pitchers in Box-Toppers points for a season three times during his career. Here are some career highlights:

• In 1996, he had 8.4 Box-Toppers points and finished third in AL Cy Young Award voting. (Pat Hentgen of the Blue Jays won the award—he had 10.0 Box-Toppers points that season, fifth among AL pitchers.)

• In 1999, he had 9.0 Box-Toppers points and finished third in AL Cy Young voting. (Pedro Martinez of the Red Sox won the award—he had 31.4 Box-Toppers points, the most of any AL pitcher.)

• In 2001, he had 12.0 Box-Toppers points, ranking eighth among AL pitchers. (He received no Cy Young votes.)

• In 2004, he had 5.0 Box-Toppers points and finished third in AL Cy Young voting. (Johan Santana of the Minnesota Twins won the award—he had 26.8 Box-Toppers points, the most of any player that season.)

• In 2005, he had 11.0 Box-Toppers points, ranking ninth among AL pitchers and finishing second in Cy Young voting, his highest finish ever. (Bartolo Colon of the Angels won the award—he had 9.4 Box-Toppers points that year, ranking 13th among AL pitchers.)

• In 2007, he had 12.0 Box-Toppers points, ranking 11th among AL pitchers. (He received no Cy Young votes.)

• In 2008, he had a career-high-for-a-season 14.0 Box-Toppers points, ranking eighth among AL pitchers and finishing fifth in Cy Young voting. (Cliff Lee of the Indians won the award —he had 15.0 Box-Toppers points, ranking sixth among AL pitchers.)

• In 2011, he had 6.0 Box-Toppers points and finished eighth in Cy Young voting. (Justin Verlander of the Tigers won the award—he had 24.4 Box-Toppers points, first among AL pitchers.)

Rivera had four seasons with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points. He had 17 straight seasons in which he earned at least one Box-Toppers point. That streak was cut short in 2012, when he was injured for the season in May and earned no Box-Toppers points that year. He came back from that injury in 2013 to earn 5.0 Box-Toppers points in his final season.

Rivera vs. Hoffman

Trevor Hoffman

Here are Trevor Hoffman's Box-Toppers statistics. The third column shows his Box-Toppers points (BTP) per season. The final column shows his All-Star Selections, his Box-Toppers key season rankings and his standing in key postseason awards voting.

Year	Team	BTP	Notes
1993	fla nl/sd nl	*
1994	sd nl	*
1995	sd nl	9.0	BTP-42, BTP-NL pi-8
1996	sd nl	14.7	BTP-12, BTP-NL pi-5, CYA-5, MVP-22
1997	sd nl	14.0	BTP-17, BTP-Nl pi-7
1998	sd nl	11.0	AS, BTP-31, BTP-NL pi-12, CYA-2, MVP-7
1999	sd nl	7.0	AS, BTP-111, BTP-NL pi-27, CYA-6, MVP-28
2000	sd nl	11.0	AS, BTP-30, BTP-NL pi-8
2001	sd nl	12.0	BTP-29, BTP-NL pi-13
2002	sd nl	8.0	AS, BTP-88, BTP-NL pi-30
2003	sd nl	0.0
2004	sd nl	8.7	BTP-65, BTP-NL pi-22
2005	sd nl	7.0	MVP-17
2006	sd nl	7.0	AS, BTP-115, BTP-NL pi-33, CYA-2, MVP-10
2007	sd nl	3.0	AS
2008	sd nl	9.0	BTP-69, BTP-NL pi-27
2009	mil nl	7.0	AS
2010	mil nl	1.0
Total		129.4	BTP-21, BTP-pi-14

* Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995. Hoffman appeared in 67 games in 1993 and 47 games in 1994, recording 25 of his 601 career saves.

AS All-star selection
BTP Finish among all players in Box-Toppers points
BTP-NL pi Finish among all NL pitchers in BTP
CYA Finish in league Cy Young Award voting
MVP Finish in league Most Valuable Player Award voting

Source: Information for player awards comes from Baseball-Reference.com

So why does Rivera have fewer Box-Toppers points than Hoffman?

First: Box-Toppers measures which player most contributes to a team’s win. While Rivera was with the Yankees, there was a cavalcade of stars who made contributions who regularly edged out Rivera to earn Player of the Game honors (and thus, Box-Toppers points)—Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez, Andy Pettitte, CC Sabathia, Jason Giambi … the names roll off the tongue and are among all-time career leaders in Box-Toppers points. But Hoffman did not have as many stars around him (his San Diego teammate Jake Peavy is the only one that comes to mind at present) and so the competition among team members to earn Box-Toppers points was less, allowing Hoffman to, perhaps, put up bigger numbers.

In addition, it’s simply harder for a closer to accumulate a lot of Box-Toppers points. When they pitch only one inning, it is hard for them to amass a large enough Box-Toppers game score in comparison with their teammates. For a closer to earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors, they almost have to dominate their inning, striking out the side and allowing no hits, while their teammates either completely fail or make only minor contributions to the win. The closer may only win Player of the Game honors because the starting pitcher got shelled and no batter had a decent hitting line.

Box-Toppers doesn’t give credence to the so-called “clutch” or late-inning situation in which most closers find themselves. In the view of the Box-Toppers statistic, the first inning is as important as the ninth and the first game is as important as the 162nd. So, a closer who pitches one inning and faces just three batters may do it well and may give his team an emotional boost, but it is hard for him to compete statistically with the pitcher who goes seven innings or the batter who makes four plate appearances and gets three hits.

Given all those obstacles, it is really remarkable that Rivera and Hoffman could accumulate so many points over their careers—for comparison here are the next highest-ranked closers on the all-time Box-Toppers points list:

• Billy Wagner (1996-2010), 108.7, ranked 44th overall.

• Troy Percival (1995-2009), 80.7, ranked 102nd overall.

• Rob Nen (1993-2004), 66.0, ranked 157th overall.

Given his status as “saves king” and his reputation for postseason dominance, it may be true to say Rivera is the greatest closer of all time. But it can also be fair to say that Hoffman is actually the closer who contributed most often to his teams’ wins.

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.

Coming next in the series: Roy Oswalt

Previously in the series: Alex Rodriguez, Roy Halladay, Manny Ramirez, Johan Santana, Jim Thome, Derek Jeter

Johan Santana, Box-Toppers' dominant player in mid-2000s, attempting comeback after injury

One in a series

Box-Toppers’ Stick-A-Fork-In-Them series looks at 14 players whose careers are done or may be done. Included is a look at how they have fared in Box-Toppers points over their careers, reflecting their impact on the game over time. This is the fourth of the series:

4. Johan Santana

Johan Santana was Box-Toppers’ dominant player in the mid-2000s as he led all players in Box-Toppers points three consecutive years and all American League pitchers for four straight years.

Santana, 34, missed the entire 2013 season after re-injuring his shoulder and undergoing surgery. He missed the 2011 season with a similar injury and there are questions whether he will be able to continue pitching. He is currently an unsigned free agent.

Johan Santana

Here are Johan Santana's Box-Toppers statistics. The third column shows his Box-Toppers points (BTP) per season. The final column shows his All-Star Selections, his Box-Toppers key season rankings and his standing in Cy Young and Most Valuable Player Award voting.

Year	Team	BTP	Notes
2000	min al	0.0
2001	min al	1.7
2002	min al	10.0
2003	min al	10.7	CYA-7
2004	min al	26.8	BTP-1, CYA-1, MVP-6
2005	min al	24.1	AS, BTP-1, CYA-3
2006	min al	25.7	AS, BTP-1, CYA-1, MVP-7
2007	min al	18.1	AS, CYA-5, BTP-4, BTP-AL pi-1
2008	nym nl	15.4	BTP-9, BTP-NL pi-5, CYA-3, MVP-14
2009	nym nl	11.4
2010	nym nl	12.0
2011	nym nl	0.0
2012	nym nl	10.7
2013	nym nl	0.0
Total		166.6	BTP-8, BTP-pi-6

AS All-star selection
BTP Finish among all players in Box-Toppers points
BTP-AL pi Finish among all AL pitchers in BTP
BTP-NL pi Finish among all NL pitchers in BTP
CYA Finish in league Cy Young Award voting
MVP Finish in league Most Valuable Player Award voting

Source: Information for player awards comes from Baseball-Reference.com

Santana has 166.6 Box-Toppers points, putting him in eighth place among players on Box-Toppers’ “all-time” rankings (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995) and sixth among all pitchers. At the end of 2013, he ranked third among all active pitchers, behind CC Sabathia (172.3) and Roy Halladay (170.7), who announced his retirement in December.

Santana’s Box-Toppers numbers suggest he should have won four straight American League Cy Young Awards while pitching for the Minnesota Twins from 2004 through 2007, however, he only won two. He led all players in Box-Toppers points in 2004, 2005 and 2006 and led all AL pitchers in points in 2007:

• In 2004, his best season, he earned 26.8 Box-Toppers points, more than any other player that year, won the Cy Young Award and also finished sixth in AL Most Valuable Player voting. (Vladimir Guerrero of the Angels was voted MVP. He had 14.4 Box-Toppers points, fifth among all AL players.)

• In 2005, Santana had 24.1 Box-Toppers points, more than any other player that season. However, he finished third in AL Cy Young voting. (Bartolo Colon of the Angels won the Cy Young—he had 9.4 Box-Toppers points that year, ranking 13th among AL pitchers.)

• In 2006, Santana had 25.7 Box-Toppers points, again more than any other player that year, winning the AL Cy Young Award and finishing seventh in AL MVP voting. (Twins teammate Justin Morneau was voted MVP—he had 12.2 Box-Toppers points, seventh among all AL batters.)

• In 2007, Santana had 18.1 Box-Toppers points, the most of any AL pitcher and the fourth most of any player. However, he finished fifth in AL Cy Young voting, with only one vote. (CC Sabathia of the Cleveland Indians won the award—he had 13.1 Box-Toppers points, fourth among AL pitchers.)

Santana moved to the New York Mets in 2008 and while he finished fifth among National League pitchers and ninth among all players in Box-Toppers points with 15.4, he has never again equalled the success he had over the previous four years with the Twins.

However, when he has been healthy and active, he has surpassed 10.0 Box-Toppers points each season—he has 10 such seasons in his 14-year career. He surpassed 15.0 points in five seasons and scored more than 20.0 points in three seasons. 

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.

Coming next in the series: Jim Thome

Previously in the series: Alex Rodriguez, Roy Halladay, Manny Ramirez

Dodgers' Kershaw secures 2013 Box-Toppers Player of the Season crown; Braves' Medlen tops players for Friday, Sept. 27

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw secured his spot as Box-Toppers 2013 Player of the Season Friday, while Braves pitcher Kris Medlen was Player of the Day.

Kershaw, who earned Player of the Game honors in Friday's 11-0 win against the Rockies, now has 21.7 Box-Toppers points. He has been atop Box-Toppers player rankings since Sept. 21 and with only two games left in the season, it is wildly unlikely any other player can catch him (see the updated top 10 list on the home page). 

Kershaw now leads the second-place player, teammate Zack Greinke (19.4), by 2.3 Box-Toppers points, so even if Greinke earns Player of the Day honors in his final start Saturday against the Rockies, he can only earn 2.0 Box-Toppers points and would have 21.4—not enough to catch Kershaw.

This is the second time Kershaw has earned Box-Toppers Player of the Season honors. He was also top player in 2011, when he had 26.1 Box-Toppers points.  He was top National League player in Box-Toppers points in 2012 with 20.8.

Kershaw (6IP 0R 8K W in win vs. Rockies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, putting him at 21.7 for the season.

Medlen, Friday's top player, pitched eight shutout innings, gave up only two hits and struck out seven in the 1-0 win over the Phillies. Medlen earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 11.0 for the season, putting him in 42nd place in Box-Toppers player rankings. 

Royals pitcher James Shields is American League Player of the Day. Shields struck out 10 over seven innings in the 6-1 win over the White Sox. 

Jayson Werth of the Nationals is NL Batter of the Day. Werth hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-2 with two walks in the 8-4 win over the Diamondbacks. 

Jonny Gomes of the Red Sox is AL Batter of the Day. Gomes homered and went 3-for-4 in the 12-3 win over the Orioles. 

Notables: Three other players who earned Player of the Game honors Friday are among the top 50 in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season: 

• Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn rises to 11th place. He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game (6IP 0R 9K W in 7-0 win vs. Cubs), giving him 16.1 for the season.
• Athletics pitcher Bartolo Colon rises to 25th place. He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game (6IP 8K W in 8-2 win vs. Mariners), giving him 13.1 for the season.
• Pirates pitcher A.J. Burnett rises to 49th place. He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game (8IP 1R 6K W in 4-1 win vs. Reds), giving him 10.4 for the season.

 Coming Saturday: Two pitchers in Box-Toppers player rankings top 10 are scheduled to start Saturday:

• Zack Greinke of Dodgers is scheduled to start against the Rockies. Greinke is ranked second in player rankings with 19.4 Box-Toppers points. 
• Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals is scheduled to start against the Cubs. Wainwright is ranked third in player rankings with 19.2 Box-Toppers points.

Medlen receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Shields receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Werth and Gomes each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Friday's other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

927	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	11.0	Braves	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Kris Medlen (W, 15-12)	8.0	2	0	0	2	7
	11.0	Cardinals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Lance Lynn (W, 15-10)	6.0	4	0	0	0	9
AL	10.0	Royals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			James Shields (W, 13-9)	7.0	4	1	1	1	10
	10.0	Dodgers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Clayton Kershaw (W, 16-9)	6.0	4	0	0	0	8
	6.0	Pirates	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			A.J. Burnett (W, 10-11)	8.0	5	1	1	1	6
	6.0	Athletics	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Bartolo Colon (W, 18-6)	6.0	3	2	2	1	8
	6.0	Yankees	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Adam Warren (W, 3-2)	5.0	2	0	0	1	4
BAT	5.0	Nationals	Jayson Werth RF	2	2	2	3	2	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	3.0	Giants	Juan Perez CF	4	2	3	2	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
BAT	3.0	Red Sox	Jonny Gomes LF	4	3	3	1	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	3.0	Indians	Drew Stubbs CF	4	3	2	2	1	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	3.0	Rangers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Neal Cotts (W, 7-3)	1.0	0	0	0	0	2
	2.0	Blue Jays	Moises Sierra RF	3	1	2	2	1	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Brewers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jim Henderson (S, 28)	1.0	0	0	0	0	1
	2.0	`Marlins	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Chad Qualls (H, 15)	1.0	0	0	0	0	1

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

Nats' Jordan Zimmermann (CG 2H 0R 9K) tops players for Friday, Sept. 20

Nationals pitcher Jordan Zimmermann is Friday's Player of the Day and rises to 17th place in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Zimmermann pitched a complete-game, two-hit shutout, striking out nine, in the 8-0 win over the Marlins. Zimmermann earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 14.7 for the season. 

Athletics pitcher Bartolo Colon is American League Player of the Day. Colon pitched six shutout innings, striking out eight, in the 11-0 win over the Twins. Colon earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 12.7 for the season, putting him in 33rd place in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Torii Hunter of the Tigers is AL Batter of the Day. Hunter went 4-for-5 and drove in three runs in the 12-5 win over the White Sox.

Chris Johnson of the Braves is National League Batter of the Day. Johnson homered, went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs in the 9-5 win over the Cubs. 

Notables: Two other players who earned Player of the Game honors Friday are among the top 50 in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season: 

• Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester rises to 30th place. He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game (7IP 1R 8K W in the 6-3 win vs. Blue Jays), giving him 12.7 for the season.
• Royals pitcher Ervin Santana rises to 46th place. He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game (7.1IP 1R ND in 2-1 win vs. Rangers), giving him 10.4 for the season.

Also: Neither of the two pitchers on Box-Toppers player rankings top 10 list who started Friday earned Box-Toppers points:

• Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer (17.1 Box-Toppers points, sixth place overall, first among AL players) started against the White Sox. Though he won his 20th game, his Box-Toppers game score was -4.0 and Torii Hunter (4-5 3RBI) was Player of the Game for the Tigers.
• Pirates pitcher Francisco Liriano (16.7 Box-Toppers points, ninth place overall) started against the Reds. Though he pitched well (8IP 2R 7K), his team lost to the Reds, 6-5. He received a no-decision.

Coming Saturday: Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw is in position to take the Box-Toppers points lead Saturday as he starts against the Padres. Kershaw has 18.7 Box-Toppers points for the season, in third place overall. He trails overall leader Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals, with 19.2 Box-Toppers points.

Zimmermann receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Colon receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Hunter and Johnson each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Friday's other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

920	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	15.0	Nationals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jordan Zimmermann (W, 19-8)	9.0	2	0	0	1	9
	9.2	Padres	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Robbie Erlin (W, 3-3)	7.2	4	0	0	1	7
AL	8.0	Athletics	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Bartolo Colon (W, 17-6)	6.0	5	0	0	1	8
	6.0	Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jon Lester (W, 15-8)	7.0	5	1	1	2	8
	6.0	`Angels	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Matt Shoemaker	5.0	2	0	0	2	5
	4.1	Indians	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Bryan Shaw (S, 1)	1.1	0	0	0	0	3
BAT	4.0	Tigers	Torii Hunter RF	5	2	4	3	1	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	3.2	`Rays	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jake Odorizzi	3.2	1	0	0	1	2
	3.1	`Royals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Ervin Santana	7.1	5	1	1	1	4
BAT	3.0	Braves	Chris Johnson 3B	4	2	3	2	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Cardinals	Matt Adams 1B	5	1	3	3	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Mets	Daniel Murphy 2B	5	3	3	1	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Yankees	Alex Rodriguez DH	4	1	1	4	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Rockies	Troy Tulowitzki SS	3	1	2	2	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Reds	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			J.J. Hoover (W, 5-5)	1.0	0	0	0	0	1

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

Giants' Brandon Belt (6RBI) tops players for Saturday, Sept. 14; Rays' Moore rises to 10th in Box-Toppers player rankings

Brandon Belt of the Giants is Saturday's Player of the Day, while Rays pitcher Matt Moore rises to 10th place in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Belt homered, drove in six runs, scored four times and went 5-for-6 in the 19-3 win over the Dodgers.

Moore rose to 10th place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday (see the updated top 10 list on the home page). Moore (3IP 0R 5K ND in 7-0 win vs. Twins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 16.1 for the season, only 0.3 points behind American League pitching leader Justin Masterson of the Indians (16.4).

Athletics pitcher Bartolo Colon is AL Player of the Day. Colon pitched eight scoreless innings, striking out seven, in the 1-0 win over the Rangers. Colon earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 10.4 for the season, putting him in 44th place in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Moises Sierra of the Blue Jays is AL Batter of the Day. Sierra doubled and drove in two runs in the 4-3 win over the Orioles. 

Notables: Two other players who earned Player of the Game honors Saturday are among the top 40 in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season: 

• Indians pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez rises to 31st place. He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game (8.1IP 1R 8K W in 8-1 win vs. White Sox), giving him 11.8 for the season.
• Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester rises to 32nd place. He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game (8IP 1R 5K W in 5-1 win vs. Yankees), giving him 11.7 for the season. 

Belt receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Colon receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Sierra receives 1.5 for being AL Batter of the Day.

All of Saturday's other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

914	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	9.0	Giants	Brandon Belt 1B	6	4	5	6	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	8.0	Marlins	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Henderson Alvarez (W, 4-4)	7.0	4	0	0	0	5
AL	7.0	Athletics	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Bartolo Colon (W, 16-6)	8.0	7	0	0	1	7
	7.0	Mariners	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			James Paxton (W, 2-0)	6.0	2	0	0	2	5
	6.1	Braves	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Kris Medlen (W, 14-12)	7.1	4	0	0	2	5
	6.0	Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jon Lester (W, 14-8)	8.0	3	1	1	2	5
	5.2	Royals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Ervin Santana (W, 9-9)	6.2	5	0	0	1	5
	5.1	Indians	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Ubaldo Jimenez (W, 12-9)	8.1	8	1	1	1	8
	5.0	Reds	Shin-Soo Choo CF	3	3	2	3	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	5.0	Mets	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Daisuke Matsuzaka (W, 1-3)	7.0	2	1	1	1	3
	4.0	Pirates	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Gerrit Cole (W, 8-7)	7.0	5	1	1	3	7
	4.0	`Rays	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Matt Moore	3.0	1	0	0	3	5
	2.0	Diamondbacks	Aaron Hill 2B	5	1	3	3	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
BAT	2.0	Blue Jays	Moises Sierra RF	2	1	1	2	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Angels	Chris Iannetta C	4	1	2	2	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	0.0	Phillies	Carlos Ruiz C	5	0	2	3	0	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.

Wainwright, Colon top players for Tuesday, April 23

Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright is Tuesday's Player of the Day. Wainwright pitched 8 1/3 shutout innings and struck out nine in the 2-0 win over the Nationals.

Athletics pitcher Bartolo Colon is American League Player of the Day. Colon pitched seven shutout innings and struck out seven in the 13-0 win over the Red Sox.​

Mark Ellis of the Dodgers is National League Batter of the Day. Ellis hit two homers and went 4-for-5 in the 7-2 win over the Mets.​

Howie Kendrick of the Angels is American League Batter of the Day. Kendrick hit two homers, including a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ​11th, to beat the Rangers, 5-4.

Wainwright receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Day. Colon receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Ellis receives 1.5 points for NL Batter of the Day. Kendrick receives 1.5 points for NL  Batter of the Day.

All of Tuesday's other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point:

423	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	0			Adam Wainwright (W, 4-1)	8.1	5	0	0	1	9
AL	10.0	Athletics	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Bartolo Colon (W, 3-0)	7.0	3	0	0	1	7
	8.0	Pirates	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jeff Locke (W, 2-1)	6.0	2	0	0	2	6
	5.1	`Cubs	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Carlos Villanueva	8.1	3	2	2	2	6
BAT	5.0	Dodgers	Mark Ellis 2B	5	2	4	4	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	4.1	`Diamondbacks	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Patrick Corbin	7.1	6	2	2	0	7
BAT	4.0	Angels	Howie Kendrick 2B	5	2	3	4	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	4.0	Twins	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Glen Perkins (S, 6)	1.0	0	0	0	0	3
	3.0	Yankees	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			David Robertson (W, 1-0)	1.0	0	0	0	0	2
	3.0	Astros	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jose Veras (S, 2)	1.0	0	0	0	0	2
	2.0	Marlins	Rob Brantly C	5	0	3	4	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Braves	Juan Francisco 3B	5	2	2	3	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Orioles	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jim Johnson (S, 8)	1.0	1	0	0	0	2
	2.0	Braves	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Craig Kimbrel (S, 8)	1.0	1	0	0	0	2
	2.0	Brewers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jim Henderson (S, 5)	1.0	0	0	0	1	2

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