Bucs top team rankings for 2nd week. Royals, with hot week, rise past Blue Jays to take lead among AL teams.
Read MoreDiamondbacks' Anderson tops players for Friday, Aug. 7; Mets' deGrom extends Box-Toppers player rankings lead
Diamondbacks pitcher Chase Anderson is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Friday, Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom extended his lead in Box-Toppers player rankings and Athletics pitcher Sonny Gray rose to third place—first place among American League pitchers—in Box-Toppers points.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of Aug. 7.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 17.4 |
| 2 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 16.0 |
| 3 | Gray, Sonny 3259 | pi sp | oak al | 15.8 |
| 4 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 15.4 |
| 5 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | tor al | 15.1 |
| 6 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 15.0 |
| 7 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 14.4 |
| 8 | Harvey, Matt 3075 | pi sp | nym nl | 14.4 |
| 9 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | lad nl | 14.0 |
| 10 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 13.7 |
Player of the Day—Anderson pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out seven and allowing four hits, in the 2-0 win over the Reds.
American League Player of the Day—Athletics pitcher Sonny Gray pitched a complete game, allowing one run and five hits, striking out five, in the 3-1 win over the Astros.
Gray earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 15.8 for the season. He rises to third place in Box-Toppers season player rankings and first among AL pitchers, passing previous leader Felix Hernandez of the Mariners (15.4).
American League Batter of the Day—Torii Hunter of the Twins hit a go-ahead ninth-inning homer in the 10-9 win over the Indians. Hunter also doubled and went 3-for-5, scoring three times and driving in three runs.
Hunter earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 115.9 for his career, rising to 43rd place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. With his point Friday, Hunter passes Tim Lincecum (115.0) on the “all-time” list. He trails 42nd-place player Todd Helton (116.4). Hunter’s 115.9 career Box-Toppers points ranks fifth among active AL batters.
Hunter also has 8.0 Box-Toppers points this season and ranks third among AL batters behind Mike Trout of the Angels (10.0) and Lorenzo Cain of the Royals (8.2).
National League Batter of the Day—Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies hit a go-ahead, eighth-inning grand slam in the 5-4 win over the Nationals. Gonzalez went 2-for-4 in the game.
Gonzalez earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 8.0 for the season and ranks fourth among NL batters.
Rankings—Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom extended his lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.
deGrom (6.1IP 6H 2R 7K ND in the 4-3 win over the Rays) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 17.4 for the season. He has led players in Box-Toppers points since July 26.
Notable—Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates rose to second place among NL batters in Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Friday. McCutchen (2B 2-3 2R BI in the 10-inning 5-4 win over the Dodgers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 8.5 for the season. He ranks 32nd among all players. McCutchen trails overall NL batting leader Randal Grichuk of the Cardinals (9.5 Box-Toppers points).
Debuts—Two players made their Box-Toppers debuts Friday, the first time in their careers they earned Player of the Game honors:
- Rusney Castillo of the Red Sox (3-5 3R BI in the 7-2 win over the Tigers) made his Major League debut Sept. 17, 2014, and was playing in his 47th career game. He is the 3,552nd player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
- Phillies pitcher Hector Neris (1IP H 0R 2K W in the 4-3, 12-inning win over the Padres) made his Major League debut Aug. 5, 2014, and was playing in his 12th career game. He is the 3,553rd player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Anderson earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Gray earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Hunter and Gonzalez each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s 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
| 8/7 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 8.0 | Dbacks | Chase Anderson (W,5-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |
| AL | 7.0 | Athletics | Sonny Gray (W,12-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |
| 6.0 | Cardinals | Carlos Villanueva (S,2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | Twins | Torii Hunter, RF | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.1 | `Mets | Jacob deGrom | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Rockies | Carlos Gonzalez, RF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Angels | C.J. Cron, PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.2 | Cubs | Hector Rondon (S,18) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | Red Sox | Rusney Castillo, RF | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Braves | Nick Markakis, RF | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Pirates | Andrew McCutchen, CF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Royals | Edinson Volquez (W,11-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 2.0 | Phillies | Hector Neris (W,2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1.0 | Mariners | Hisashi Iwakuma (W,3-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 1.0 | Blue Jays | Roberto Osuna (S,9) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 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. | ||||||||||||||||
St. Louis Cardinals maintain team Box-Toppers points lead at All-Star break
Redbirds remain top team six times in a row. Royals reclaim AL top spot. Mets were hottest team of recent days.
Read MoreReds' Leake tops players for Friday, July 10; Angels' Trout regains Box-Toppers points lead among AL batters
Reds pitcher Mike Leake is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Friday, Mike Trout of the Angels earned American League Batter of the Day honors and regained the top spot among AL batters in season Box-Toppers points.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of July 10.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 14.4 |
| 2 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 14.0 |
| 3 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 13.4 |
| 4 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | det al | 13.1 |
| 5 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 12.4 |
| 6 | Archer, Chris 3194 | pi sp | tb al | 12.0 |
| 7 | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | pit nl | 12.0 |
| 8 | Martinez, Carlos 3371 | pi sp | stl nl | 11.7 |
| 9 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | lad nl | 11.0 |
| 10 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 10.7 |
Player of the Day—Leake pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out 10, in the 1-0 win over the Marlins.
American League Player of the Day—Indians pitcher Danny Salazar allowed one unearned run over 8 2/3 innings, striking out eight, in the 5-1 win over the Athletics.
National League Batter of the Day—Justin Maxwell of the Giants hit two doubles and a triple, going 4-for-4, scoring three times and driving in two runs, in the 15-2 win over the Phillies.
American League Batter of the Day—Mike Trout of the Angels hit two home runs and went 3-for-5, driving in four runs, in the 7-3 win over the Mariners.
Trout earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 9.0 for the season and regains the Box-Toppers points lead among AL batters, passing previous leader Lorenzo Cain of the Royals (8.2 Box-Toppers points). Trout’s 9.0 Box-Toppers points ranks 15th among all players this season.
Friday was the third straight day there was a change in Box-Toppers points leaders among AL batters. On Wednesday, Trout took the lead among AL batters with 7.5 Box-Toppers points, passing Prince Fielder of the Rangers (7.5 points). But on Thursday, Trout lost the lead when he was passed by Cain. Friday, Trout regained the lead as AL Batter of the Day.
Debut—Twins pitcher J.R. Graham made his Box-Toppers debut Friday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Graham (3IP 2H 0R 4K ND in the 8-6 win over the Tigers) made his Major League debut April 6 and was playing in his 24th career game. He is the 3,530th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Leake earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Salazar earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Maxwell and Trout each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s 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
| 7/10 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 14.0 | Reds | Mike Leake (W,6-5) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| 13.0 | Mets | Noah Syndergaard (W,4-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 13 | ||
| AL | 9.2 | Indians | Danny Salazar (W,8-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | |
| BAT | 5.0 | Giants | Justin Maxwell, LF | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | `Twins | J.R. Graham | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | Angels | Mike Trout, CF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | Rays | Erasmo Ramirez (W,8-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 4.0 | `White Sox | Carlos Rodon | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | ||
| 4.0 | Royals | Greg Holland (S,18) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 3.2 | Yankees | Michael Pineda (W,9-5) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 3.1 | Rangers | Wandy Rodriguez (W,6-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||
| 3.0 | Pirates | Neil Walker, 2B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Dodgers | Andre Ethier, PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | `Rockies | Gonzalez Germen | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 1.0 | Orioles | Chris Parmelee, PH-1B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
Dodgers' Greinke tops players for Thursday, July 9; Mariners' Hernandez regains Box-Toppers points lead
Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to ninth in player rankings.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of July 9.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 14.4 |
| 2 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 14.0 |
| 3 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 13.4 |
| 4 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | det al | 13.1 |
| 5 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 12.4 |
| 6 | Archer, Chris 3194 | pi sp | tb al | 12.0 |
| 7 | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | pit nl | 12.0 |
| 8 | Martinez, Carlos 3371 | pi sp | stl nl | 11.7 |
| 9 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | lad nl | 11.0 |
| 10 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 10.7 |
Also Thursday, Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez rose to the top of Box-Toppers player rankings and two other players—David Price and Carlos Martinez—rose in the top 10 players list. Plus, Lorenzo Cain of the Royals earned American League Batter of the Day honors for the second straight day and now leads AL batters in Box-Toppers points for the season.
Player of the Day—Greinke pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out eight, in the 6-0 win over the Phillies.
Greinke earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 11.0 for the season and rises to ninth in Box-Toppers player rankings, fifth among National League pitchers. He is the 10th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points.
Greinke also rose to 22nd place among all players in Box-Toppers points since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. With his 2.0 points Thursday, Greinke now has 136.7 career Box-Toppers points and passes Bartolo Colon (136.4) on the “all-time” list. He now trails 21st-ranked player Andy Pettitte (138.5). Greinke ranks 16th among all pitchers since 1995 and fifth among active pitchers.
American League Player of the Day—White Sox pitcher Jeff Samardzija pitched a complete-game, four-hit shutout, striking out five, in the 2-0 win over the Blue Jays.
American League Batter of the Day—Lorenzo Cain of the Royals hit a two-run homer and scored twice in the 8-3 win over the Rays.
Cain earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 8.2 for the season and moving him to first place among AL batters. He passes Mike Trout of the Angels (7.5 Box-Toppers points) who only rose to the top spot Wednesday. Cain ranks 20th among all players.
This was the second straight day Cain earned AL Batter of the Day honors—he was also the league’s top batter in the Royals win Wednesday over the Rays.
National League Batter of the Day—There is no NL Batter of the Day for Thursday because no NL batter earned Player of the Game honors.
Rankings—Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez regained the top spot in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday.
Hernandez (7IP 5H 0R 6K W in the 7-2 win over the Angels) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 14.4 for the season. He passes previous leader, Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer (14.0 Box-Toppers points).
Hernandez led in Box-Toppers points for more than two months when Scherzer passed him on June 26 with 14.0 points.
Hernandez now has 157.7 career Box-Toppers points, maintaining his rank of 12th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. He trails 11th-place player John Smoltz (160.9). Hernandez ranks ninth among pitchers since 1995 and second among active pitchers, behind CC Sabathia (175.3).
Also, two other players rose in Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday:
- Tigers pitcher David Price rose to fourth place. Price (8IP 5H 2R 8K W in the 4-2 win over the Twins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 13.1 for the season. He ranks second among AL pitchers, behind Hernandez.
- Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez rose to eighth place. Martinez (7.1IP 4H 0R 8K W in the 4-1 win over the Pirates) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.7 for the season. He ranks fourth among NL pitchers.
Notable—Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez earned his first Player of the Game honor in more than a year after his return from Tommy John surgery. Fernandez (7IP 6H 0R 9K W in the 2-0 win over the Reds) last earned Player of the Game honors April 29, 2014, when he was Box-Toppers Player of the Day. At that point in the 2014 season, Fernandez had 7.0 Box-Toppers points to lead all players. But injury and the surgery cut his season short. Fernandez had 19.0 Box-Toppers points in 2013, ranked fourth among all players and fourth among NL pitchers.
Scoring—Greinke earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Samardzija earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Cain earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day. All of Thursday’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.
(Note: Our usual Friday weekly team and player rankings reports will be postponed until Monday because of the All-Star break.)
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 7/9 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 15.0 | Dodgers | Zack Greinke (W,8-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| 10.0 | Marlins | Jose Fernandez (W,2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | ||
| 9.1 | Cardinals | Carlos Martinez (W,10-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | ||
| AL | 9.0 | White Sox | Jeff Samardzija (W,6-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |
| 7.2 | Yankees | Masahiro Tanaka (W,5-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 6.0 | Tigers | David Price (W,9-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 8 | ||
| 6.0 | Mariners | Felix Hernandez (W,11-5) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 3.0 | Rockies | John Axford (S,15) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| BAT | 2.0 | Royals | Lorenzo Cain, CF | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1.0 | Indians | Ryan Raburn, DH | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Mets' deGrom tops players for Wednesday, July 8, rises to 3rd in player rankings; Trout rises to top AL batters in Box-Toppers points
Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to third place in Box-Toppers player rankings.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of July 8.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 14.0 |
| 2 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 13.4 |
| 3 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 13.4 |
| 4 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 12.4 |
| 5 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | det al | 12.1 |
| 6 | Archer, Chris 3194 | pi sp | tb al | 12.0 |
| 7 | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | pit nl | 12.0 |
| 8 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 10.7 |
| 9 | Martinez, Carlos 3371 | pi sp | stl nl | 10.7 |
| 10 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | cin nl | 9.8 |
Also Wednesday, Mike Trout of the Angels earned Player of the Game honors for the second straight day and now leads American League batters in Box-Toppers points for the season. Plus, two players with more than 100 career Box-Toppers points earned Player of the Game honors—Clayton Kershaw and David Ortiz.
Player of the Day—deGrom pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out 10, in the 4-1 win over the Giants.
deGrom earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 13.4 for the season, rising to third place in player rankings. He ranks second among National League pitchers behind overall leader Max Scherzer of the Nationals (14.0 Box-Toppers points).
American League Player of the Day—Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer struck out nine over eight innings, allowing two runs on six hits, in the 4-2 win over the Astros.
National League Batter of the Day—Carlos Gomez of the Brewers hit two home runs and went 2-for-3, driving in four runs, in the 6-5 win over the Braves.
American League Batter of the Day—Lorenzo Cain of the Royals homered, doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 9-7 win over the Rays.
Rankings—Mike Trout of the Angels rose to top AL batters in Box-Toppers points for the season after earning Player of the Game honors for the second straight day Wednesday.
Trout (2HR 2-3 2R 2BI in the 3-2 win over the Rockies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 7.5 for the season, rising to first place among AL batters. He passes previous leader Prince Fielder of the Rangers, who also has 7.5 Box-Toppers points, but Trout beats Fielder on a tiebreaker because he had more Box-Toppers points in 2014 (8.5 vs. 1.0). Trout ranks 27th among all players.
Trout was also Player of the Game in Tuesday’s win over the Rockies.
Streak—David Ortiz of the Red Sox has now earned Box-Toppers points for 16 straight seasons after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.
Ortiz (2-R HR 2B 2-4 2R 2BI in the 6-3 win over the Marlins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, his first of the season.
Ortiz earned his first Box-Toppers point in 1997 with the Twins, but earned no points in 1999. His 16-year streak started in 2000 with the Twins. Ortiz has led American League batters in Box-Toppers points in two seasons, both with the Red Sox. In 2005, he had 14.7 Box-Toppers points and in 2006, his best season, he had 16.7 Box-Toppers points. In 2014, he had 7.0 Box-Toppers points with the Red Sox.
Ortiz has 134.4 career Box-Toppers points and ranks 24th among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. He trails 23rd-place player Zack Greinke (134.7). Ortiz ranks seventh among all batters since 1995 and ranks third among active batters, behind Alex Rodriguez (185.3 Box-Toppers points) and Albert Pujols (171.3).
Notable—Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw now has 142.6 career Box-Toppers points, 20th-most among players since 1995, after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.
Kershaw (CG 0R 8H 13K W in the 5-0 win over the Phillies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 9.0 for the season, ranking seventh among NL pitchers this season.
Kershaw trails 19th-place player on Box-Toppers’ “all-time” list, Jim Thome (146.7 Box-Toppers points). Kershaw’s 142.6 career Box-Toppers points ranks 14th among pitchers since 1995 and fourth among active pitchers.
Debut—Jefry Marte of the Tigers made his Box-Toppers debut Wednesday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Marte (HR 2B 2-4 2R 2BI in the 5-4 win over the Mariners) made his Major League debut July 5 and was playing in his third career game. He is the 3,529th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—deGrom earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Bauer earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Gomez and Cain each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Wednesday’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
| 7/8 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 15.0 | Mets | Jacob deGrom (W,9-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| 14.0 | Dodgers | Clayton Kershaw (W,6-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | ||
| AL | 7.0 | Indians | Trevor Bauer (W,8-5) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 | |
| BAT | 5.0 | Brewers | Carlos Gomez, CF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 4.0 | Royals | Lorenzo Cain, CF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | Pirates | Deolis Guerra (W,2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | Dbacks | A.J. Pollock, CF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Yankees | Mark Teixeira, 1B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Angels | Mike Trout, CF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Twins | Tommy Milone (W,5-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||
| 2.0 | Red Sox | David Ortiz, 1B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Tigers | Jefry Marte, 1B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | White Sox | Adam Eaton, CF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Cardinals | Pete Kozma, PR-2B | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
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 |
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. | ||||||||||||||||
Athletics' Scott Kazmir (7IP H 0R 10K) tops players for Wednesday, April 8
Athletics pitcher Scott Kazmir is Wednesday’s Player of the Day.
Kazmir pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out 10, in the 10-0 win over the Rangers.
National League Player of the Day—Phillies pitcher Aaron Harang pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out eight, in the 4-2 win over the Red Sox.
National League Batter of the Day—Adrian Gonzalez of the Dodgers hit three home runs and drove in four in the 7-4 win over the Padres.
American League Batter of the Day—Lorenzo Cain of the Royals hit a two-run homer and went 3-for-4 in the 7-5 win over the White Sox.
Debut—Giants pitcher Chris Heston made his Box-Toppers debut Wednesday, marking the first time he earned Player of the Game honors. Heston struck out five over six innings in the 5-2 win over the Diamondbacks. Heston is the 3,437th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Streak—Angels closing pitcher Huston Street has now earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point for 11 straight seasons. Street was Player of the Game in the 5-3 win over the Mariners after allowing no runs and no hits and striking out one in the ninth inning. Street began his 11-year streak in 2005, scoring 4.0 Box-Toppers points that season with the Athletics. His best years were 2006 and 2008, also both with the A’s, when he scored 8.0. The fewest points he earned in a season prior to this year was 1.0 in 2013 with the Padres. He had 5.0 points in 2014 with both the Padres and the Angels. He has 47.0 career Box-Toppers points, ranking 22nd among closing pitchers since 1995.
Kazmir earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Harang earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Gonzalez and Cain each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Wednesday’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
| 408 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 14.0 | Athletics | Scott Kazmir (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | |
| 12.1 | Indians | Carlos Carrasco (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 11.2 | Rays | Jake Odorizzi (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | ||
| NL | 11.1 | Phillies | Aaron Harang (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | |
| 8.0 | Cubs | Jake Arrieta (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | ||
| 7.2 | Tigers | Anibal Sanchez (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | ||
| BAT | 7.0 | Dodgers | Adrian Gonzalez 1B | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | Giants | Chris Heston (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Royals | Lorenzo Cain CF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Nationals | Jordan Zimmermann (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 3.0 | `Braves | Shelby Miller | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2.0 | Yankees | Jacoby Ellsbury CF | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Rockies | Wilin Rosario PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Reds | J.J. Hoover (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2.0 | Angels | Huston Street (S, 2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 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. | ||||||||||||||||
How impressive was Madison Bumgarner in postseason? Of 32 total playoff games, he was top player in five
How impressive was Madison Bumgarner’s postseason performance?
The ace starting pitcher earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors five times in the Giants’ World Series-winning playoff run. That means he was top player in 15 percent of the 32 postseason games played. He was top player in 29 percent of the 17 postseason games the Giants played. He was top player in 42 percent of the 12 postseason games the Giants won. And he was top player in 71 percent of the seven games in which he appeared.
By comparison, Bumgarner earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors 15 times in his 33 regular season starts. Bumgarner ranked third among all players in regular season Box-Toppers points with 22.6 (see Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings), so his regular season was pretty impressive. But if he were to maintain his pace this October throughout a regular season, he would have something like 45.0 Box-Toppers points for a season. That would shatter the all-time record for Box-Toppers points in a single season of 33.7 set by Randy Johnson in both 2000 and 2002. (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995).
See a recap of who earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors in all 32 of the 2014 postseason games in the chart below. Bumgarner’s five top player honors are highlighted in red text.
Bumgarner’s five Player of the Game honors were far and away the most by any player in the 2014 postseason. Four other players were each Player of the Game twice during the postseason:
• Travis Ishikawa of the Giants: In National League Championship Series Game 3 and Game 5.
• Yusmeiro Petit of the Giants: In NL Division Series Game 2 and NLCS Game 4.
• Wade Davis of the Royals: In American League Championship Series Game 1 and World Series Game 3.
• Lorenzo Cain of the Royals: In ALCS Game 2 and World Series Game 6.
Nineteen players each earned Player of the Game honors once during the 2014 postseason.
Bumgarner also had the highest Box-Toppers game score of any Player of the Game in all 32 postseason games. On Oct. 1, in the NL Wild Card Game, Bumgarner had a Box-Toppers game score of +14.0—he pitched a complete game 8-0 shutout over the Pirates, striking out 10.
Bumgarner also had the second-highest Box-Toppers game score of the postseason’s 32 Players of the Game (+13.0 in his World Series Game 5 shutout of the Royals, 5-0). In fact, Bumgarner had five of the 10 highest Box-Toppers game scores of all 2014 postseason Player of the Game honorees (see the chart of the top 10 at the bottom of the post).
Three of Bumgarner’s five Player of the Game honors came during the World Series as the Giants defeated the Royals four games to three.
Wade Davis had the highest Box-Toppers game score for a Player of the Game honoree among Royals players in the postseason. His game score of +6.0 in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series ranks as 10th-highest in the 2014 postseason among Player of the Game honorees.
Pitchers monopolized the top 10 chart for highest Box-Toppers game score among Player of the Game honorees. The highest game score among batters was +3.0 by Hunter Pence of the Giants when he was Player of the Game in World Series Game 4.
The lowest Box-Toppers game score to win Player of the Game honors was +1.0 by Travis Ishikawa in Game 3 of the NLCS. The second-lowest Box-Toppers game score to win Player of the Game honors was +2.0 by Oscar Taveras of the Cardinals, who hit a pinch-hit home run in Game 2 of the NLCS. Taveras was killed in a car accident Oct. 26, 12 days after the game.
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.
Box-Toppers Player of the Game for each 2014 postseason game
Listings below are chronological, starting from the first Wild Card Game on Sept. 30 to the final World Series Game on Oct. 29—32 games in all (out of a total of 43 possible games if all series went the distance). On days where more than one game was played, players are listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score. There is a different background color for each postseason round—Wild Card round in yellow, League Division Series round in green, League Championship Series round in blue and World Series in red. Madison Bumgarner’s name is highlighted in red text in his five Player of the Game postseason honors.
| Date | Round | Score | Team | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9/30 | ALWC | 2.0 | Royals | Eric Hosmer 1B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 10/1 | NLWC | 14.0 | Giants | Madison Bumgarner (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| 10/2 | ALDS | 3.0 | Orioles | Nelson Cruz DH | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 10/2 | ALDS | 3.0 | Royals | Greg Holland (S, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 10/3 | ALDS | 4.0 | `Royals | Yordano Ventura | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
| 10/3 | NLDS | 3.2 | Giants | Jake Peavy (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | |
| 10/3 | NLDS | 3.0 | Cardinals | Matt Carpenter 3B | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 10/3 | ALDS | 3.0 | Orioles | Delmon Young PH | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 10/4 | NLDS | 10.0 | `Dodgers | Zack Greinke | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |
| 10/4 | NLDS | 9.0 | Giants | Yusmeiro Petit (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | |
| 10/5 | ALDS | 8.1 | Orioles | Bud Norris (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | |
| 10/5 | ALDS | 3.0 | Royals | Norichika Aoki RF | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 10/6 | NLDS | 7.0 | Cardinals | John Lackey (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |
| 10/6 | NLDS | 3.0 | Nationals | Doug Fister (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | |
| 10/7 | NLDS | 3.2 | `Giants | Ryan Vogelsong | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| 10/7 | NLDS | 2.0 | Cardinals | Matt Adams 1B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 10/10 | ALCS | 6.0 | Royals | Wade Davis (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 10/11 | NLCS | 9.2 | Giants | Madison Bumgarner (W, 2-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | |
| 10/11 | ALCS | 2.0 | Royals | Lorenzo Cain CF, RF | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 10/12 | NLCS | 2.0 | Cardinals | Oscar Taveras PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 10/14 | ALCS | 3.0 | `Royals | Kelvin Herrera (H, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 10/14 | NLCS | 1.0 | Giants | Travis Ishikawa LF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 10/15 | NLCS | 5.0 | Giants | Yusmeiro Petit (W, 2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| 10/15 | ALCS | 4.1 | Royals | Jason Vargas (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | |
| 10/16 | NLCS | 2.0 | Giants | Travis Ishikawa LF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 10/21 | WS | 6.0 | Giants | Madison Bumgarner (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
| 10/22 | WS | 3.0 | Royals | Omar Infante 2B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 10/24 | WS | 3.0 | `Royals | Wade Davis (H, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 10/25 | WS | 3.0 | Giants | Hunter Pence RF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 10/26 | WS | 13.0 | Giants | Madison Bumgarner (W, 2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| 10/28 | WS | 3.0 | Royals | Lorenzo Cain CF, RF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 10/29 | WS | 7.0 | Giants | Madison Bumgarner (S, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
Most dominating Players of the Game in 2014 postseason
Here are the top 10 Box-Toppers game scores for 2014 postseason Player of the Game honorees, representing the most dominating performances in the 32 playoff games. Madison Bumgarner of the Giants had the highest Box-Toppers game score of any Player of the Game in the 2014 postseason (+14.0) and also had five of the top 10 game scores among 2014 postseason Player of the Game honorees.
| Date | Round | Score | Team | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10/1 | NLWC | 14.0 | Giants | Madison Bumgarner (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| 10/26 | WS | 13.0 | Giants | Madison Bumgarner (W, 2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| 10/4 | NLDS | 10.0 | `Dodgers | Zack Greinke | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |
| 10/11 | NLCS | 9.2 | Giants | Madison Bumgarner (W, 2-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | |
| 10/4 | NLDS | 9.0 | Giants | Yusmeiro Petit (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | |
| 10/5 | ALDS | 8.1 | Orioles | Bud Norris (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | |
| 10/6 | NLDS | 7.0 | Cardinals | John Lackey (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |
| 10/29 | WS | 7.0 | Giants | Madison Bumgarner (S, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 10/21 | WS | 6.0 | Giants | Madison Bumgarner (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
| 10/10 | ALCS | 6.0 | Royals | Wade Davis (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
Madison Bumgarner earns Box-Toppers Player of the Game for third time in World Series, leading Giants to title in Game 7, Wednesday, Oct. 29
Madison Bumgarner won Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors Wednesday for the third time in this World Series and led the Giants to its third title in five years.
Bumgarner, who pitched five scoreless innings of relief, allowing two hits, striking out four and earning the save, is top player in the decisive Game 7. The Giants beat the Royals in the game 3-2 and won the series 4-3. The Giants previously won the World Series in 2010 and 2012.
Bumgarner had a Box-Toppers game score of +7.0, highest of any Giants player. He had been Player of the Game in World Series Game 1 and Game 5—both games he started. In Game 7, pitching on two-days’ rest, the Giants ace entered the game in unfamiliar territory for him— in relief in the fifth inning with the Giants already leading 3-2.
In the Giants four wins in the World Series, Bumgarner—who won World Series Most Valuable Player—was Box-Toppers Player of the Game in three of them. The only game in which Bumgarner was not Player of the Game was in Game 4, the Giants’ second win of the series. The honor that game went to Hunter Pence.
Bumgarner also earned Player of the Game honors five times during the postseason. Previously, he was Player of the Game:
• Oct. 1 in the National League Wild Card win over the Pirates.
• Oct. 11 in the NL Championship Series Game 1 win over the Cardinals.
• Oct. 21 in the World Series Game 1 win over the Royals.
• Oct. 26 in the World Series Game 5 win over the Royals.
Bumgarner was top player in nearly half the games the Giants won this postseason—five of 12. No other player earned Player of the Game honors more than twice during the postseason. The players who won it twice:
• Travis Ishikawa of the Giants: In National League Championship Series Game 3 and Game 5.
• Yusmeiro Petit of the Giants: In NL Division Series Game 2 and NLCS Game 4.
• Wade Davis of the Royals: In American League Championship Series Game 1 and World Series Game 3.
• Lorenzo Cain of the Royals: In ALCS Game 2 and World Series Game 6.
During the regular season, Bumgarner earned 22.6 Box-Toppers points, ranking third among all players and second among NL pitchers. He was the highest-ranked player remaining in the postseason and the only player in the World Series in Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings.
Bumgarner had originally been credited with a win in the game, even though he entered the game with the Giants already leading. That was corrected by official scorers within an hour after the game, giving the win to Jeremy Affeldt and the save to Bumgarner who was a five-inning closer. Affeldt, who pitched 2 1/3 innings of relief, was the pitcher of record when the Giants took the lead.
Had Bumgarner been pulled in favor of a closer—possibly Santiago Casilla—in the ninth inning, he still likely would have won Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors, even though Casilla would have been credited with the save and Bumgarner would have earned a no decision (no win or save). Under Box-Toppers rules, non-decision-earning pitchers are eligible to earn Player of the Game honors if they pitch three or more innings. After eight innings, Bumgarner pitched four innings and had a Box-Toppers game score of +6.0.
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.
Previous Box-Toppers 2014 World Series previews:
Royals sweep Giants in series—in regular season, interleague series back in August, that is
Top 4 players in World Series Game 7
Here are the top four Giants players in Wednesday’s World Series Game 7, ranked from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score (how game score is calculated). Madison Bumgarner, who had a Box-Toppers game score of +7.0, is Player of the Game (POG). Pablo Sandoval was the Giants’ batter with the highest Box-Toppers game score of +2.0. Only four Giants players had Box-Toppers game scores of 0.0 or above.
| 1029 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POG | 7.0 | Giants | Madison Bumgarner (S, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 2.0 | Giants | Pablo Sandoval 3B | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.1 | Giants | Jeremy Affeldt (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 0.0 | Giants | Michael Morse DH | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Lorenzo Cain tops players as Royals blow out Giants in World Series Game 6, Tuesday, Oct. 28
Lorenzo Cain led an offensive onslaught in World Series Game 6 as the Royals beat the Giants 10-0, pushing the series to a decisive seventh game Wednesday. Cain is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Cain doubled and went 2-for-3, scoring once and driving in three runs as the Royals evened the series 3-3.
Cain had a Box-Toppers game score of +3, highest of any Royals player in Tuesday’s game. It is the second time this postseason he has earned Player of the Game honors. Previously, he was top player in the American League Championship Series Game 2 win over the Orioles on Oct. 11.
During the regular season, Cain had 2.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 421st among all players, 107th among AL batters and 50th among AL outfielders.
Royals starting pitcher in Game 6, Yordano Ventura, also had a Box-Toppers game score of +3, the same as Cain’s. But under Box-Toppers rules, in cases of game score ties, batters hold the tiebreaker over pitchers. Ventura pitched seven scoreless innings, allowed three hits, walked five and struck out four, earning the win.
Giants starting pitcher in Game 6, Jake Peavy, who picked up the loss, had a Box-Toppers game score of −13.9. He gave up five runs and six hits over 1 1/3 innings, walking one and striking out two.
The baseball season ends Wednesday:
World Series Game 7: Giants at Royals, series tied 3-3
The pitching matchup Wednesday:
Royals: Jeremy Guthrie, 7.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 113rd among all players, 40th among AL pitchers.
Giants: Tim Hudson, 8.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 71st among all players, 34th among NL pitchers.
This is a rematch of Game 3 of the World Series, won by the Royals 3-2. Guthrie picked up the win (5IP 4H 2R 0K) and Hudson picked up the loss (5.2IP 4H 3R BB 2K). Royals middle relief pitcher Wade Davis was Box-Toppers Player of the Game.
Guthrie has started twice this postseason and Hudson has started three times. Neither pitcher has earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors so far this postseason.
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.
Previous Box-Toppers 2014 World Series previews:
Royals sweep Giants in series—in regular season, interleague series back in August, that is
Top 7 players in World Series Game 6
Here are the top seven Royals players in Friday's World Series Game 6, ranked from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score (how game score is calculated). Lorenzo Cain, who had a Box-Toppers game score of +3.0, is Player of the Game (POG). Starting pitcher Yordano Ventura also had a Box-Toppers game score of +3, but under Box-Toppers rules, batters hold the tiebreaker over pitchers in cases of game score ties.
| 1028 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POG | 3.0 | Royals | Lorenzo Cain CF, RF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Royals | Yordano Ventura (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 2.0 | Royals | Mike Moustakas 3B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Royals | Tim Collins | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 0.0 | Royals | Eric Hosmer 1B | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 0.0 | Royals | Omar Infante 2B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 0.0 | Royals | Norichika Aoki RF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Giants' Petit, Royals' Vargas top players for Wednesday, Oct. 15; Royals advance to World Series
Yusmeiro Petit shut down the Cardinals in innings four, five and six, winning Game 4 of the National League Championship Series for the Giants and earning Box-Toppers Player of the Day honors for Wednesday.
Petit pitched three scoreless innings, allowing one hit, one walk and striking out four in the Giants’ 6-4 win over the Cardinals. The Giants take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven game series.
Petit, who entered the game with the Giants trailing 4-3, picked up the win after the Giants took the lead for good in the bottom of the sixth inning. He had the highest Box-Toppers game score of any Giants player of 5.0.
During the regular season, Petit, normally a starter, had 4.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 247th among all players, 78th among NL pitchers.
ALCS Game 4, Royals win series over Orioles, 4-0
The Kansas City Royals are returning to the World Series for the first time in 29 years. Jason Vargas, who started and won the game Wednesday to secure the AL pennant for the Royals, is Box-Toppers.com Player of the Game.
Vargas gave up one run over 5 1/3 innings, allowing two hits and striking out six in the 2-1 win over the Orioles. He was top player in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series which the Royals won four games to zero.
Vargas had the highest Box-Toppers game score of any Royals player of 4.1.
During the regular season, Vargas had 7.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 107th among all players, 38th among AL pitchers.
The Royals are 10th in Box-Toppers team rankings with 101.1 Box-Toppers points. They sweep the Orioles, ranked sixth with 113.4 Box-Toppers points.
The Royals have also won eight straight consecutive postseason games and a different player has earned Player of the Game honors in each of the wins:
• Sept. 30, AL Wild Card Game: Eric Hosmer
• Oct. 2, AL Division Series Game 1: Greg Holland
• Oct. 3, ALDS Game 2: Yordano Ventura
• Oct. 5, ALDS Game 3: Norichika Aoki
• Oct. 10, AL Championship Series Game 1: Wade Davis
• Oct. 11, ALCS Game 2: Lorenzo Cain
• Oct. 14, ALCS Game 3: Kelvin Herrera
• Oct. 15, ALCS Game 4: Jason Vargas
The Royals await the winner of the NL pennant in the World Series. Game 1 is Tuesday, Oct. 21, in Kansas City.
Coming Thursday:
NLCS Game 5: Giants lead Cardinals, 3-1
In Box-Toppers player rankings top 10 list, only two players remain active in the postseason—Adam Wainwright and Madison Bumgarner. They face each other again Thursday. In their previous match-up in Game 1 of the NLCS on Oct. 11, the Giants won the game and Bumgarner was Box-Toppers Player of the Day:
Cardinals: Adam Wainwright, 18.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked eighth among all players, fourth among NL pitchers.
Giants: Madison Bumgarner, 22.6 Box-Toppers points, ranked 3rd overall, 2nd among NL pitchers.
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
Players of the Game (POG) listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 1014 | Score | Team | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POG | 5.0 | Giants | Yusmeiro Petit (W, 2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| POG | 4.1 | Royals | Jason Vargas (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
Giants' Bumgarner, Royals' Cain top players in LCS games, Saturday, Oct. 11
Madison Bumgarner pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings, leading the Giants to a Game 1 National League Championship Series win over the Cardinals and earning Box-Toppers.com Player of the Day honors for Saturday.
Bumgarner struck out seven and allowed four hits in the 3-0 win as the Giants take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven game series. Bumgarner had the highest Box-Toppers game score of any Giants player of +9.2.
During the regular season, Bumgarner had 22.6 Box-Toppers points, ranked third among all players, second among NL pitchers.
Bumgarner is the first player to earn Player of the Game honors for a second time during this postseason. He was also Player of the Day on Oct. 1 in the Giants’ NL Wild Card win over the Pirates.
Bumgarner outdueled Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright, who picked up the loss. Wainwright gave up three runs (two earned) and six hits over 4 2/3 innings, striking out two. He had a Box-Toppers game score of −7.8. During the regular season, Wainwright had 18.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked eighth among all players, fourth among NL pitchers.
ALCS Game 2: Royals 6, Orioles 4
Lorenzo Cain went 4-for-5 to earn Player of the Game honors Saturday in the Royals win over the Orioles in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series.
Cain also doubled, scored twice and drove in a run in the 6-4 win. He had the Royals’ high Box-Toppers game score of +2.
During the regular season, Cain had 2.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 421st among all players and 107th among AL batters.
The Royals take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven game series. Game 3 is Monday in Kansas City.
Coming Sunday:
NLCS Game 2, Giants lead Cardinals, 1-0
The pitching matchup Sunday:
Giants: Jake Peavy, 5.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 165th among all players, 58th among NL pitchers.
Cardinals: Lance Lynn, 10.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 48th among all players, 22nd among NL pitchers.
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
Players of the Game (POG) listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 1011 | Score | Team | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POG | 9.2 | Giants | Madison Bumgarner (W, 2-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | |
| POG | 2.0 | Royals | Lorenzo Cain CF, RF | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |