Indians' Danny Salazar (7IP R 4H 5K) tops players for Monday, Aug. 17

(Other duties have put us behind updating Box-Toppers. Playing catch up …)

Indians pitcher Danny Salazar is Box-Toppers Player of the Day for Monday, Aug. 17.

Salazar allowed one run and four hits over seven innings, striking out five, in the 8-2 win over the Red Sox.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of Aug. 17.  

	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	18.4
2	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	16.7
3	Price, David 2593	pi sp	tor al	16.1
4	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	16.1
5	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	16.0
6	Greinke, Zack 1871	pi sp	lad nl	16.0
7	Gray, Sonny 3259	pi sp	oak al	15.8
8	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	15.4
9	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	15.4
10	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	14.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

National League Player of the Day—Cardinals pitcher Michael Wacha allowed one run over seven innings, striking out six, in the 2-1 win over the Giants. Wacha did not earn the win, picking up a no decision, because he exited with the game tied, 1-1.

Wacha has the highest Box-Toppers season player ranking of any of the 10 who earned Player of the Game honors Sunday. Earning 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, Wacha now has 9.7 Box-Toppers points this season and ranks 27th among all players, 13th among NL pitchers.

American League Batter of the Day—Brian McCann of the Yankees homered, doubled and went 3-for-5, driving in five runs, in the 8-7 win over the Twins.

National League Batter of the Day—Yonder Alonso of the Padres homered and doubled, going 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in a run, in the 5-3 win over the Braves.

Scoring—Salazar earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Wacha earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. McCann and Alonso 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.

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

8/17	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	5.0	Indians	Danny Salazar (W,11-6)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	4	1	1	1	5
BAT	4.0	Yankees	Brian McCann, C	5	1	3	5	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
NL	4.0	`Cardinals	Michael Wacha	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	6	1	1	1	6
	3.1	Dbacks	Jeremy Hellickson (W,9-8)	-	-	-	-	-	-		5.0	3	1	1	1	4
	3.0	Rays	Asdrubal Cabrera, SS	4	2	2	3	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Angels	Fernando Salas (W,3-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	2
	2.0	Rangers	Adrian Beltre, 3B	4	0	3	3	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
BAT	1.0	Padres	Yonder Alonso, 1B	4	2	2	1	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.0	Orioles	Steve Clevenger, DH	4	1	1	3	0	2		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.0	Marlins	Casey McGehee, PH	1	0	1	1	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
		`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Cardinals' Michael Wacha tops players for Thursday, Aug. 6; Dodgers' Greinke rises to 9th in Box-Toppers player rankings

Cardinals pitcher Michael Wacha is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Thursday, Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke rose to ninth place in Box-Toppers player rankings. Plus, two players with more than 100 career Box-Toppers points earned Player of the Game honors:

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of Aug. 6.  

	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	16.4
2	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	16.0
3	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	15.4
4	Price, David 2593	pi sp	tor al	15.1
5	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	15.0
6	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	14.4
7	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	14.4
8	Gray, Sonny 3259	pi sp	oak al	14.1
9	Greinke, Zack 1871	pi sp	lad nl	14.0
10	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	13.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

• Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia, 178.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked fifth among players since 1995.
• Greinke, 139.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 21st among players since 1995.

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

American League Player of the Day—Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia struck out eight over six innings, allowing one run and three hits, in the 2-1 win over the Red Sox. Sabathia did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because he exited with the score tied, 1-1.

Sabathia earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 178.0 for his career. He ranks fifth among all players since Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995. He ranks second among active players, behind Alex Rodriguez (187.0, fourth place overall) and first among active pitchers. Sabathia has 4.7 Box-Toppers points this season.

National League Batter of the Day—Khris Davis of the Brewers hit two three-run homers and went 3-for-5 in the 10-1 win over the Padres.

American League Batter of the Day—Edwin Encarnacion of the Blue Jays homered, doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 9-3 win over the Twins.

Rankings—Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke rose to ninth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday.

Greinke was the sixth pitcher this season to earn Player of the Game honors for batting (HR 3-3 3R BI in the 10-8 win over the Phillies). It is the first time in his career Greinke has earned Player of the Game honors for batting.

Greinke earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 14.0 for the season and rising to ninth in overall player rankings. He ranks fifth among NL pitchers.

Greinke also now has 139.7 career Box-Toppers points, ranked 21st among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. He trails 20th-place player Jim Thome (146.7).

Debut—Daniel Castro of the Braves made his Box-Toppers debut Thursday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Castro (3-4 2R in the 9-8 win over the Marlins) made his Major League debut June 17 and was playing in his 10th career game. He is the 3,551st player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Wacha earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Sabathia earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Davis and Encarnacion each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

8/6	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	7.0	Cardinals	Michael Wacha (W,13-4)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	4	0	0	2	6
BAT	6.0	Brewers	Khris Davis, LF	5	2	3	6	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	6.0	Nationals	Joe Ross (W,3-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	5	1	1	0	7
AL	6.0	`Yankees	CC Sabathia	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	3	1	1	3	8
BAT	5.0	Blue Jays	Edwin Encarnacion, DH	4	2	3	4	1	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	5.0	Tigers	Victor Martinez, DH	4	2	2	5	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	4.0	Dodgers	Zack Greinke, SP	3	3	3	1	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Cubs	Kyle Schwarber, C	3	2	1	3	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.0	Braves	Daniel Castro, SS	4	2	3	0	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.0	Astros	Carlos Correa, SS	4	1	2	2	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
		`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Reds' Johnny Cueto tops players for Thursday, May 15 with shutout, rises to 2nd in Box-Toppers player rankings

Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto, Thursday’s Player of the Day, rises to second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings and is now the top-ranked National League pitcher.

Cueto pitched a complete game shutout, allowing three hits and striking out eight, in the 5-0 win over the Padres. He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 7.7 for the season. He passes Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals (7.0 Box-Toppers points) to lead NL pitchers in player rankings. He trails only Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies (9.1 Box-Toppers points), the overall leader. (See the updated top 10 player rankings for the season on the home page.)

(Cueto and Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka both have 7.7 Box-Toppers points but Cueto is ranked higher because of the tie-breaker: He has more points than Tanaka over 2013-2014—11.7 vs. 7.7.)

Yankees pitcher Dellin Betances is American League Player of the Day. Betances pitched 2 1/3 innings of scoreless middle relief, striking out six, in the 1-0 win over the Mets. This was Betances’ Box-Toppers debut, the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors. He is the 3,333rd player to debut in Box-Toppers since record-keeping began in 1995. He made his Major League debut on Sept. 22, 2011, and was pitching in his 23rd game.

Edwin Encarnacion of the Blue Jays is AL Batter of the Day. Encarnacion homered twice and doubled, going 3-for-4 and driving in three runs, in the 4-2 win over the Indians.

Michael Morse of the Giants is National League Batter of the Day. Morse homered, went 3-for-4 and drove in three runs, in the 6-4 win over the Marlins.

Notables: Cardinals pitcher Michael Wacha earned Player of the Game honors for batting. He had a two-run RBI in the 5-3 win over the Cubs. He is the third pitcher this season to earn Player of the Game honors for batting.

Mike Trout of the Angels, currently ranked seventh among all players in Wins Above Replacement at 2.4, according to Baseball-Reference.com, earned his first Box-Toppers point of the season Thursday. Trout hit a walk-off, three-run home run—his only hit in four at-bats—in the 6-5 win over the Rays. With 1.0 Box-Toppers point this season, Trout currently ranks 257th in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Cueto receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Betances receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Encarnacion and Morse 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

515	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	12.0	Reds	Johnny Cueto (W, 4-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		9.0	3	0	0	2	8
AL	8.1	Yankees	Dellin Betances (W, 2-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		2.1	0	0	0	0	6
	7.0	Twins	Phil Hughes	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	5	1	1	0	8
	5.0	Padres	Tyson Ross (W, 5-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	3	1	1	5	8
BAT	4.0	Blue Jays	Edwin Encarnacion DH	4	2	3	3	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
BAT	3.0	Giants	Michael Morse 1B	4	1	3	3	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.2	`Orioles	Darren O`Day (H, 5)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.2	0	0	0	0	1
	2.0	Cardinals	Michael Wacha P	2	1	1	2	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.0	Brewers	Rickie Weeks 2B	4	1	3	1	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.0	Angels	Mike Trout CF	4	1	1	3	0	2		-	-	-	-	-	-

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

World Series Game 6 preview: Cards' Wacha, Red Sox' Lackey duel in pitching rematch from Game 2

World Series Game 6 Wednesday features a pitching rematch of Game 2 won by the Cardinals.

Cardinals pitcher Michael Wacha faces Red Sox pitcher John Lackey, the same two who started Game 2 in Boston last Thursday won by the Cardinals 4-2. St. Louis closing pitcher Trevor Rosenthal was Box-Toppers Player of the Day in that game. Wacha, who pitched six innings, earned the win.

The Red Sox lead the best-of-seven series 3-2 and could wrap up the World Series championship with a win Wednesday.

Wacha had 3.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 361st overall. However, the rookie has earned Player of the Game honors for the Cardinals three times already this postseason (Game 4 of the National League Divisional Series vs. the Pirates, and Game 2 and Game 6 of the NL Championship Series vs. the Dodgers).

Lackey had 6.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 148th overall. Lackey was Player of the Day in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series vs. the Tigers.

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

Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Top players from the winning team of each game are determined by a formula using standard box score statistics. In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top players in each of the other games. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Top 6 players in World Series Game 1  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

World Series player comparisons 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ALCS Game 6, Red Sox lead Tigers 3-2

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

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

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

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

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

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

Top 6 players in NLCS Game 6

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NLCS Game 6, Cardinals lead Dodgers 3-2

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

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

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

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

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ALCS Game 2, Tigers lead Red Sox 1-0

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

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

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

Top player from each game 

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

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

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

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

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

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

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

ALCS Game 1, Tigers at Red Sox

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

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

NLCS Game 2, Cardinals lead Dodgers 1-0

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

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

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

Top player from each game 

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ALDS Game 4, Athletics lead Tigers 2-1

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

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

ALDS Game 4, Red Sox lead Rays 2-1

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

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

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

Top player from each game 

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

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

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

Dodgers' Hanley Ramirez tops players in Sunday, Oct. 6's NLDS games

Hanley Ramirez of the Dodgers is Sunday's Player of the Day in the two National League Division Series playoff games. 

Ramirez scored three runs and went 3-for-4 in the 13-6 win over the Braves to take a 2-1 series lead for the Dodgers. Ramirez had 5.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 177th overall, second among all NL shortstops. 

Marlon Byrd of the Pirates is Sunday's other Player of the Game. Byrd drove in two runs and went 2-for-3 in the 5-3 win over the Cardinals to take a 2-1 series lead for the Pirates. Byrd had 5.5 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 164th overall. 

 Coming Monday: All four League Division Series continue Monday. Three of the four series could be decided. Here are the pitching match-ups:

ALDS Game 3, Athletics at Tigers, series tied 1-1

Athletics: Jarrod Parker, 6.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 138th overall

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

NLDS Game 4, Pirates lead Cardinals 2-1

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

Pirates: Charlie Morton, 3.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 344th overall

ALDS Game 3, Red Sox lead Rays 2-0

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

Rays: Alex Cobb, 9.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 58th overall

NLDS Game 4, Dodgers lead Braves 2-1

Braves: Freddy Garcia, 1.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 509th overall

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

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

Top player from each game 

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

1006	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	4.0	Dodgers	Hanley Ramirez SS	4	3	3	2	1	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Pirates	Marlon Byrd RF	3	1	2	2	1	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0

Cards' Michael Wacha, one out from no-hitter, tops players for Tuesday, Sept. 24

Cardinals pitcher Michael Wacha, who was one out from pitching a no-hitter, is Tuesday's Player of the Day.

Wacha gave up his one and only hit with two outs in the ninth inning against the Nationals when Ryan Zimmerman reached on an infield single. Wacha pitched 8 2/3 shutout innings and struck out nine in the 2-0 win.

Mariners pitcher James Paxton is American League Player of the Day. Paxton pitched seven shutout innings and struck out 10 in the 4-0 win over the Royals. 

Michael Brantley of the Indians is AL Batter of the Day. Brantley homered and went 3-for-4 in the 5-4 win over the White Sox. 

Pedro Alvarez of the Pirates is National League Batter of the Day. Alvarez drove in three runs and went 2-for-5 in the 8-2 win over the Cubs. 

Notables: Braves closing pitcher Craig Kimbrel rises to 29th place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday. Kimbrel (1IP 3K W in 3-2 win vs. Brewers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 12.7 for the season.

Blue Jays pitcher Dustin McGowan scored his first Box-Toppers point in more than five years Tuesday. McGowan, the former starter now pitching middle relief was Player of the Game in the 3-2 win over the Orioles. It is the first time he has earned Box-Toppers points since he last earned Player of the Game honors on June 10, 2008, when he started for the Blue Jays. McGowan earned 9.7 Box-Toppers points as a starter for the Blue Jays in 2007 and 3.7 in 2008.

Coming Wednesday: Two pitchers among the top 10 in Box-Toppers player rankings (see the list on the home page) are scheduled to start Wednesday:

• Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer starts against the Twins. Scherzer has 17.1 Box-Toppers points, is in sixth place overall and leads all AL players.
• Pirates pitcher Francisco Liriano starts against the Cubs. Liriano has 16.7 Box-Toppers points and is in ninth place overall.

Neither Scherzer nor Liriano is in position to take the outright lead in Box-Toppers points (held by Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw with 20.7) since the most they could earn is 2.0 Box-Toppers points. This is the final scheduled regular season start for both pitchers.

Wacha receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Paxton receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Brantley and Alvarez 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

924	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	14.2	Cardinals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Michael Wacha (W, 4-1)	8.2	1	0	0	2	9
AL	13.0	Mariners	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			James Paxton (W, 3-0)	7.0	4	0	0	0	10
	9.0	Angels	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jason Vargas (W, 9-7)	9.0	4	0	0	1	5
	8.0	`Diamondbacks	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Wade Miley	6.0	4	0	0	1	7
	6.0	Dodgers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Hyun-Jin Ryu (W, 14-7)	7.0	4	1	1	1	6
	4.0	Rockies	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Tyler Chatwood (W, 8-5)	7.0	3	1	0	1	2
	4.0	Rays	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jake Odorizzi (S, 1)	3.0	1	0	0	1	3
	4.0	`Tigers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Bruce Rondon (H, 5)	1.0	0	0	0	0	3
	4.0	Braves	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Craig Kimbrel (W, 4-3)	1.0	0	0	0	0	3
	3.1	`Blue Jays	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Dustin McGowan	1.1	0	0	0	0	2
BAT	3.0	Indians	Michael Brantley LF	4	2	3	2	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	3.0	Rangers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Joe Nathan (S, 41)	1.0	0	0	0	0	2
	3.0	Mets	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Vic Black (S, 1)	1.0	0	0	0	0	2
	2.0	Phillies	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Michael Stutes (W, 3-1)	1.0	0	0	0	0	1
BAT	1.0	Pirates	Pedro Alvarez 3B	5	1	2	3	0	1			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.