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Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw remains atop Box-Toppers weekly player rankings for the 13th straight week, despite being on the disabled list since July 24.
Meanwhile, Buster Posey of the Giants takes the lead among National League batters in Box-Toppers points, passing last week’s leader, Nolan Arenado of the Rockies.
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The Los Angeles Dodgers top Box-Toppers team rankings for the seventh straight week.
Meanwhile, the Houston Astros maintain their lead in Box-Toppers rankings among American League teams for the 12th straight week and the Cleveland Indians picked up the most Box-Toppers points this week, after acquiring Jay Bruce from the New York Mets.
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Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw remains atop Box-Toppers weekly player rankings for the 12th straight week, despite being on the disabled list since July 24.
Meanwhile, Nolan Arenado of the Rockies takes the lead among National League batters in Box-Toppers points, passing last week’s leader, Jay Bruce of the Mets.
Read MoreDodgers pitcher Kenta Maeda is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Tuesday, Nolan Arenado of the Rockies rises to lead National League batter in Box-Toppers points for the season after earning Player of the Game honors. Plus, Albert Pujols of the Angels moves with 0.2 career Box-Toppers points of “all-time” batting leader Alex Rodriguez.
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Though he’s now on the disabled list, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw remains atop Box-Toppers weekly player rankings for the 11th straight week.
Meanwhile, Edwin Encarnacion of the Indians takes the lead among American League batters in Box-Toppers points, passing last week’s leader, Ryon Healy of the Athletics.
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Kershaw continues lead in Box-Toppers player rankings. Jay Bruce of the Mets retakes the lead among NL batters. Red Sox' Chris Sale leads AL pitchers, Athletics' Ryon Healy leads AL batters.
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Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, maintaining his spot in second place in season player rankings and rising to 20th in career points on Box-Toppers “all-time” list.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 21.1 |
| 2 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 19.0 |
| 3 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 13.1 |
| 4 | Wood, Alex 3246 | pi sp | lad nl | 13.0 |
| 5 | Santana, Ervin 2005 | pi sp | min al | 12.4 |
| 6 | Carrasco, Carlos 2885 | pi sp | cle al | 11.4 |
| 7 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | ari nl | 11.4 |
| 8 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 10.4 |
| 9 | Ray, Robbie 3502 | pi sp | ari nl | 10.0 |
| 10 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 9.7 |
Also Saturday, Dodgers pitcher Alex Wood rises to fourth in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors. Plus, Jay Bruce of the Mets retakes the lead among National League batters in Box-Toppers points after he earns Player of the Game honors.
Player of the Day—Scherzer struck out 10 over six scoreless innings, allowing three hits and four walks, in the 10-7 win over the Reds.
Scherzer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 19.0 for the season. He remains in second place in Box-Toppers points, behind Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (21.1), who also leads all NL pitchers.
Scherzer now has 150.7 career Box-Toppers points and rises to 20th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Saturday, he passes two players on the “all-time” list—Chipper Jones (149.0) and Cubs pitcher Jon Lester (149.2). He now trails 19th-ranked player, Twins pitcher Bartolo Colon (151.2). Scherzer is the 20th player to reach 150 career Box-Toppers points.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Randy Johnson | pi sp | retired | 278.8 |
| 2 | Pedro Martinez | pi sp | retired | 244.8 |
| 3 | Clayton Kershaw | pi sp | lad nl | 204.8 |
| 4 | Curt Schilling | pi sp | retired | 194.1 |
| 5 | CC Sabathia | pi sp | nyy al | 190.0 |
| 6 | Alex Rodriguez | dh | released | 187.0 |
| 7 | Albert Pujols | 1b dh | ana al | 184.3 |
| 8 | Felix Hernandez | pi sp | sea al | 171.4 |
| 9 | Roy Halladay | pi sp | retired | 170.7 |
| 10 | Zack Greinke | pi sp | ari nl | 167.5 |
| 11 | Manny Ramirez | lf dh | retired | 167.2 |
| 12 | Johan Santana | pi sp | free agent | 166.6 |
| 13 | Roger Clemens | pi sp | retired | 164.8 |
| 14 | John Smoltz | pi sp | retired | 160.9 |
| 15 | Tim Hudson | pi sp | retired | 157.0 |
| 16 | Mike Mussina | pi sp | retired | 155.6 |
| 17 | Barry Bonds | lf | retired | 153.2 |
| 18 | Greg Maddux | pi sp | retired | 151.7 |
| 19 | Bartolo Colon | pi sp | min al | 151.2 |
| 20 | Max Scherzer | pi sp | dc nl | 150.7 |
Passing Lester, Scherzer is now seventh among active players in career Box-Toppers points, sixth among active pitchers.
American League Player of the Day—Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out five and allowing four hits and one walk, in the 1-0 win over the Royals. Hamels picked up a no-decision and did not earn the win because the game was in a scoreless tie when he exited.
Hamels earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 148.7 career points, rising to 23rd place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Saturday, he passes Javier Vazquez (148.3) on the “all-time” list and now trails 22nd-ranked player Chipper Jones (149.0).
Hamels has 4.7 Box-Toppers points on the season, 25th among AL pitchers.
American League Batter of the Day—Matt Chapman of the Athletics hit two home runs and doubled in the 5-3 win over the Indians. Chapman went 3-for-3, scoring three times and driving in two runs.
This was Chapman’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Chapman made his Major League debut June 15 and was playing in his 13th career game. He is the 3,849th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
National League Batter of the Day—Lane Adams of the Braves hit a pinch-hit, sixth-inning, three-run double in the 8-5 win over the Diamondbacks.
This was Adam’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Adams made his Major League debut Sept. 1, 2014, and was playing in his 39th career game. He is the 3,850th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Rankings—Dodgers pitcher Alex Wood rises to fourth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.
Wood (6IP 3H 0R BB 4K W in the 7-1 win over the Marlins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 13.0 for the season. He ranks third among NL pitchers, behind Kershaw (21.1) and Scherzer (19.0).
Notable—Jay Bruce of the Mets regains the season Box-Toppers points lead among NL batters after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.
Bruce (HR 1-4 2R 3BI in the 9-3 win over the Rockies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 8.0 for the season. He passes previous leader Cody Bellinger of the Dodgers (7.7). Bruce ranks 19th among all players in Box-Toppers season player rankings.
Debut—Jabari Blash of the Padres also made his Box-Toppers debut Saturday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors.
Blash (HR 2-4 2R 2BI in the 5-3 win over the Giants) made his Major League debut April, 4, 2016, and was playing in his 54th career game. He is the 3,851st player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Scherzer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Hamels earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Chapman and Adams each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Saturday’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.
Box-Toppers strives for accuracy. See a mistake in a post? A wrong name, wrong team, grammar error, spelling goof, etc.? Thanks for pointing it out! Contact Box-Toppers here. Let's fix it and make it right.
| 7/15 | Score | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 9.0 | WSH 10, CIN 7 | Max Scherzer (W, 11-5) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 | |
| AL | 7.2 | `TEX 1, KC 0 | Cole Hamels | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |
| 6.2 | `MIL 3, PHI 2 | Jimmy Nelson | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | ||
| 6.0 | DET 11, TOR 1 | Michael Fulmer (W, 10-6) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 6.0 | LAD 7, MIA 1 | Alex Wood (W, 11-0) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | OAK 5, CLE 3 | Matt Chapman (3B) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | `NYY 4, BOS 1 (F/16) | Luis Severino | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | ATL 8, ARI 5 | Lane Adams (PH) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | CHC 10, BAL 3 | Jason Heyward (RF) | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.1 | `MIN 4, HOU 2 | Taylor Rogers (H, 22) | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2.0 | SD 5, SF 3 | Jabari Blash (RF) | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | NYM 9, COL 3 | Jay Bruce (RF) | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | `SEA 4, CHW 3 | Nick Vincent (H, 13) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.1 | STL 4, PIT 0 | Lance Lynn (W, 8-6) | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 0.2 | TB 6, LAA 3 | Alex Cobb (W, 8-6) | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’17 | ’16-17 | ’12-17 | Career | +/- |
| Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 19.0 | 44.7 | 122.9 | 150.7 | -6.7 |
| Wood, Alex 3246 | pi sp | lad nl | 13.0 | 14.0 | 32.4 | 32.4 | 12.0 |
| Nelson, Jimmy 3299 | pi sp | mil nl | 9.0 | 12.0 | 22.4 | 22.4 | 6.0 |
| Bruce, Jay 2453 | rf | nym nl | 8.0 | 16.5 | 33.7 | 66.8 | -0.5 |
| Severino, Luis 3567 | pi sp | nyy al | 7.7 | 9.7 | 12.7 | 12.7 | 5.7 |
| Lynn, Lance 2992 | pi sp | stl nl | 6.7 | 6.7 | 62.6 | 62.6 | 6.7 |
| Fulmer, Michael 3640 | pi sp | det al | 5.7 | 18.4 | 18.4 | 18.4 | -7.0 |
| Cobb, Alex 2916 | pi sp | tb al | 5.4 | 5.4 | 35.8 | 36.8 | 5.4 |
| Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 4.7 | 22.5 | 73.7 | 148.7 | -13.1 |
| Adams, Lane 3850 | ph | atl nl | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Chapman, Matt 3849 | 3b | oak al | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Heyward, Jason 2695 | rf | chi nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 12.5 | 19.5 | 0.0 |
| Vincent, Nick 3203 | pi mr | sea al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 0.0 |
| Rogers, Taylor 3648 | pi mr | min al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| Blash, Jabari 3851 | rf | sd nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
A look at the All-Star Game rosters through the Box-Toppers lens, including a look at the worthy left in the lurch and players whose selection Box-Toppers deems questionable.
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Dodgers' Kershaw leads players in Box-Toppers points for ninth straight week (21.1). Red Sox' Sale takes over lead among AL pitchers, Dodgers' Bellinger takes lead among NL batters.
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Reds pitcher Luis Castillo is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Saturday, Cody Bellinger of the Dodgers rises to lead National League batters in 2017 Box-Toppers points after earning NL Batter of the Day honors.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 20.1 |
| 2 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 17.0 |
| 3 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 13.1 |
| 4 | Santana, Ervin 2005 | pi sp | min al | 12.4 |
| 5 | Wood, Alex 3246 | pi sp | lad nl | 12.0 |
| 6 | Carrasco, Carlos 2885 | pi sp | cle al | 11.4 |
| 7 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | ari nl | 11.4 |
| 8 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 10.4 |
| 9 | Ray, Robbie 3502 | pi sp | ari nl | 10.0 |
| 10 | McCullers, Lance 3488 | pi sp | hou al | 9.4 |
Player of the Day—Castillo struck out eight over 6 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and one walk, in the 7-0 win over the Diamondbacks.
American League Player of the Day—Rays pitcher Alex Cobb pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits, one walk and striking out three, in the 1-0 win over the Red Sox.
American League Batter of the Day—Josh Donaldson of the Blue Jays hit a three-run homer and went 1-for-1, scoring twice, in the 7-2 win over the Astros.
National League Batter of the Day—Cody Bellinger of the Dodgers homered, doubled and went 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 5-4, 10-inning win over the Royals.
Bellinger earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 7.7 for the season, rising to first among NL batters this season, passing previous leader Jay Bruce of the Mets (7.0).
Bellinger’s 7.7 Box-Toppers points is the most among the 15 who earned Player of the Game honors Saturday. He ranks 22nd among all players.
Notable—Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright rises to 42nd place in career Box-Toppers points among all players since 1995 (when Box-Toppers tracking began) after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.
Wainwright (6.2IP 5H R 0BB 7K W in the 4-1 win over the Mets) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 117.5 career points. He passes two players on the “all-time” list—Mark Buehrle (116.7) and Barry Zito (117.4) and now trails 41st-ranked player Carlos Delgado (117.7). Wainwright has 5.5 Box-Toppers points this season, 23rd among NL pitchers.
Debuts—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Saturday, the first time in their careers they earned Player of the Game honors:
Scoring—Castillo earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Cobb earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Donaldson and Bellinger each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Saturday’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.
Box-Toppers strives for accuracy. See a mistake in a post? A wrong name, wrong team, grammar error, spelling goof, etc.? Thanks for pointing it out! Contact Box-Toppers here. Let's fix it and make it right.
| 7/8 | Score | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 10.2 | CIN 7, ARI 0 | Luis Castillo (W, 1-1) | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | |
| AL | 7.2 | TB 1, BOS 0 | Alex Cobb (W, 7-6) | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |
| 6.2 | STL 4, NYM 1 | Adam Wainwright (W, 10-5) | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | ||
| 6.0 | ATL 13, WSH 0 | Julio Teheran (W, 7-6) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | ||
| 5.1 | SD 2, PHI 1 | Jhoulys Chacin (W, 8-7) | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | TOR 7, HOU 2 | Josh Donaldson (3B) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | CLE 4, DET 0 | Mike Clevinger (W, 5-3) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 4.2 | PIT 4, CHC 2 | Ivan Nova (W, 9-6) | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 4.0 | NYY 5, MIL 3 | Clint Frazier (LF) | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | LAD 5, KC 4 (F/10) | Cody Bellinger (1B-RF) | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | CHW 5, COL 4 | David Robertson (S, 13) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | TEX 5, LAA 2 | Drew Robinson (LF) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | OAK 4, SEA 3 | Sean Doolittle (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.0 | BAL 5, MIN 1 | Manny Machado (3B) | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 0.0 | MIA 5, SF 4 | Marcell Ozuna (LF) | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’17 | ’16-17 | ’12-17 | Career | +/- |
| Bellinger, Cody 3781 | 1b rf lf | lad nl | 7.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 |
| Nova, Ivan 2796 | pi sp | pit nl | 7.0 | 15.0 | 30.7 | 38.1 | -1.0 |
| Chacin, Jhoulys 2711 | pi sp | sd nl | 6.7 | 12.4 | 19.1 | 34.5 | 1.0 |
| Wainwright, Adam 2150 | pi sp | stl nl | 5.5 | 15.7 | 66.8 | 117.5 | -4.7 |
| Cobb, Alex 2916 | pi sp | tb al | 4.4 | 4.4 | 34.8 | 35.8 | 4.4 |
| Robertson, David 2774 | pi cp | chi al | 4.0 | 9.0 | 26.0 | 30.0 | -1.0 |
| Ozuna, Marcell 3190 | lf | fla nl | 3.7 | 8.7 | 22.2 | 22.2 | -1.3 |
| Clevinger, Mike 3707 | pi sp | cle al | 3.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 0.7 |
| Machado, Manny 3087 | 3b | bal al | 3.5 | 16.2 | 27.2 | 27.2 | -9.2 |
| Teheran, Julio 3176 | pi sp | atl nl | 3.0 | 13.7 | 49.5 | 49.5 | -7.7 |
| Castillo, Luis Miguel 3840 | pi sp | cin nl | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Doolittle, Sean 3052 | pi cp | oak al | 2.0 | 3.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 | 1.0 |
| Donaldson, Josh 3144 | 3b | tor al | 1.5 | 11.2 | 41.1 | 41.1 | -8.2 |
| Frazier, Clint 3847 | lf | nyy al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Robinson, Drew 3848 | lf | tex al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Kershaw maintains top spot in player rankings. Athletics' Ryon Healy is new leader among AL batters, Mets' Jay Bruce regains lead among NL batters.
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Indians pitcher Corey Kluber is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 18.1 |
| 2 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 14.0 |
| 3 | Santana, Ervin 2005 | pi sp | min al | 12.4 |
| 4 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 12.1 |
| 5 | Ray, Robbie 3502 | pi sp | ari nl | 10.0 |
| 6 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 9.4 |
| 7 | Carrasco, Carlos 2885 | pi sp | cle al | 9.4 |
| 8 | McCullers, Lance 3488 | pi sp | hou al | 9.4 |
| 9 | Wood, Alex 3246 | pi sp | lad nl | 9.0 |
| 10 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | ari nl | 8.7 |
Also Thursday, Box-Toppers season points leader Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers extended his lead after earning Player of the Game honors. Plus, Cubs pitcher Jon Lester rises to 20th place in career Box-Toppers points since 1995 (when Box-Toppers tracking began) after earning Player of the Game honors.
Player of the Day—Kluber struck out 12 over eight innings, allowing one run, three hits and one walk, in the 5-1 win over the Rangers.
Kluber earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 8.0 for the season, rising to 13th among all players, fifth among American League pitchers.
National League Player of the Day—Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw struck of 12 over seven innings, allowing one run, three hits and two walks, in the 6-2 win over the Angels.
Kershaw earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 18.1 for the season, extending his season player rankings lead over second-place player, Max Scherzer of the Nationals (14.0 Box-Toppers points). With his lead of 4.1 points, Scherzer would now need at least three starts to catch or pass Scherzer.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Randy Johnson | pi sp | retired | 278.8 |
| 2 | Pedro Martinez | pi sp | retired | 244.8 |
| 3 | Clayton Kershaw | pi sp | lad nl | 201.8 |
| 4 | Curt Schilling | pi sp | retired | 194.1 |
| 5 | CC Sabathia | pi sp | nyy al | 190.0 |
| 6 | Alex Rodriguez | dh | released | 187.0 |
| 7 | Albert Pujols | 1b dh | ana al | 184.3 |
| 8 | Roy Halladay | pi sp | retired | 170.7 |
| 9 | Felix Hernandez | pi sp | sea al | 169.7 |
| 10 | Manny Ramirez | lf dh | retired | 167.2 |
| 11 | Johan Santana | pi sp | free agent | 166.6 |
| 12 | Zack Greinke | pi sp | ari nl | 164.8 |
| 13 | Roger Clemens | pi sp | retired | 164.8 |
| 14 | John Smoltz | pi sp | retired | 160.9 |
| 15 | Tim Hudson | pi sp | retired | 157.0 |
| 16 | Mike Mussina | pi sp | retired | 155.6 |
| 17 | Barry Bonds | lf | retired | 153.2 |
| 18 | Greg Maddux | pi sp | retired | 151.7 |
| 19 | Bartolo Colon | pi sp | dfa by braves | 151.2 |
| 20 | Jon Lester | pi sp | chi nl | 149.2 |
With the season at the halfway point, Kershaw is now on pace to earn 36.2 Box-Toppers points this season, which would break the single-season record of 33.7 set by Diamondbacks pitcher Randy Johnson, who did it twice, in 2000 and 2002 (Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995). However, at this time last year, Kershaw led all players with 20.0 Box-Toppers points and was on pace to earn 40.0 points, but spent more than two months on the disabled list beginning in late June, and had only 4.4 points in the second half of the season, finishing with 24.4, in second place behind Scherzer’s 25.7.
The most Box-Toppers points Kershaw has earned in a single season is 31.5 in 2014, when he led all players. It is tied for the fourth-highest single-season Box-Toppers points by a player since tracking began in 1995.
Also, Kershaw now has 201.8 career Box-Toppers points, third-most among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He trails second-place player Pedro Martinez (244.8). Kershaw ranks first among all active players in career Box-Toppers points.
National League Batter of the Day—Randal Grichuk of the Cardinals hit a go-ahead, three-run, seventh-inning homer in the 10-4 win over the Diamondbacks. Grichuk also doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in five runs.
American League Batter of the Day—Carlos Correa of the Astros hit two home runs and went 2-for-3, driving in four runs, in the 6-1 win over the Athletics.
Notable—Two other players with more than 100 career Box-Toppers points also earned Player of the Game honors Thursday:
Rankings—Jay Bruce of the Mets rises to lead NL batters in season Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday.
Bruce (2B 2-3 2R 2BI in the 6-3 win over the Marlins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 7.0 for the season, passing previous NL batting leader Matt Adams of the Braves (6.5). Bruce ranks 21st among all players.
Debut—Willy Garcia of the White Sox made his Box-Toppers debut Thursday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Garcia (2B 2-3 0R 2BI in the 4-3 win over the Yankees) made his Major League debut April 14 and was playing in his 29th career game. He is the 3,841st player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Kluber earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Kershaw earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Grichuk and Correa each earn 1.5 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.
Box-Toppers strives for accuracy. See a mistake in a post? A wrong name, wrong team, grammar error, spelling goof, etc.? Thanks for pointing it out! Contact Box-Toppers here. Let's fix it and make it right.
| 6/29 | Score | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 14.0 | CLE 5, TEX 1 | Corey Kluber (W, 7-2) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 | |
| 13.0 | BAL 2, TOR 0 | Ubaldo Jimenez (W, 3-3) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | ||
| NL | 13.0 | LAD 6, LAA 2 | Clayton Kershaw (W, 12-2) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 12 | |
| 10.0 | MIL 11, CIN 3 | Jimmy Nelson (W, 6-4) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 11 | ||
| 10.0 | SD 6, ATL 0 | Dinelson Lamet (W, 3-2) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | ||
| BAT | 7.0 | STL 10, ARI 4 | Randal Grichuk (CF-LF) | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 5.0 | HOU 6, OAK 1 | Carlos Correa (SS) | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | `CHC 5, WSH 4 | Jon Lester | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | ||
| 3.2 | DET 7, KC 3 | Michael Fulmer (W, 7-6) | - | - | - | - | 8.2 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 7 | ||
| 3.0 | NYM 6, MIA 3 | Jay Bruce (RF) | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | BOS 6, MIN 3 | David Price (W, 3-2) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | ||
| 1.1 | PIT 4, TB 0 | Jameson Taillon (W, 4-2) | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 1.0 | CHW 4, NYY 3 | Willy Garcia (RF) | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’17 | ’16-17 | ’12-17 | Career | +/- |
| Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 18.1 | 42.5 | 142.2 | 201.8 | -6.3 |
| Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 8.0 | 29.2 | 73.4 | 73.4 | -13.2 |
| Bruce, Jay 2453 | rf | nym nl | 7.0 | 15.5 | 32.7 | 65.8 | -1.5 |
| Nelson, Jimmy 3299 | pi sp | mil nl | 7.0 | 10.0 | 20.4 | 20.4 | 4.0 |
| Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 6.0 | 28.1 | 73.6 | 149.2 | -16.1 |
| Fulmer, Michael 3640 | pi sp | det al | 4.7 | 17.4 | 17.4 | 17.4 | -8.0 |
| Correa, Carlos 3506 | ss | hou al | 4.0 | 11.7 | 18.9 | 18.9 | -3.7 |
| Grichuk, Randal 3474 | rf cf lf | stl nl | 4.0 | 5.0 | 14.5 | 14.5 | 3.0 |
| Lamet, Dinelson 3808 | pi sp | sd nl | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
| Taillon, Jameson 3658 | pi sp | pit nl | 3.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | -2.0 |
| Price, David 2593 | pi sp | bos al | 2.7 | 15.1 | 77.1 | 108.9 | -9.7 |
| Jimenez, Ubaldo 2349 | pi sp | bal al | 2.0 | 6.7 | 38.6 | 81.5 | -2.7 |
| Garcia Willy 3841 | rf | chi al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
A look at top players in Box-Toppers points by position in both leagues over both 2017 and the combined 2016-17 seasons.
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Kershaw tops players in Box-Toppers player rankings for seventh straight week. Matt Adams takes the lead among NL batters. Santana, Judge lead AL players.
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Angels pitcher Alex Meyer is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 14.4 |
| 2 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 13.0 |
| 3 | Santana, Ervin 2005 | pi sp | min al | 11.4 |
| 4 | Ray, Robbie 3502 | pi sp | ari nl | 10.0 |
| 5 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 8.4 |
| 6 | Judge, Aaron 3767 | rf | nyy al | 8.2 |
| 7 | Wood, Alex 3246 | pi sp | lad nl | 8.0 |
| 8 | Vargas, Jason 2055 | pi sp | kc al | 8.0 |
| 9 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | ari nl | 7.7 |
| 10 | Kimbrel, Craig 2825 | pi cp | bos al | 7.7 |
Also Saturday, Matt Adams of the Braves rises to lead National League batters in Box-Toppers points after earning NL Batter of the Day honors.
Player of the Day—Meyer struck out nine over six scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk, in the 9-0 win over the Royals.
National League Player of the Day—Padres pitcher Dinelson Lamet struck out 12 over six innings, allowing three runs, four hits and no walks, in the 7-5, 11-inning win over the Brewers. Lamet earned a no-decision and did not pick up the win because the game was tied, 3-3, when he exited.
American League Batter of the Day—Jonathan Schoop of the Orioles hit two home runs and went 4-for-5, scoring three times and driving in four runs, in the 15-7 win over the Cardinals.
National League Batter of the Day—Matt Adams of the Braves homered and doubled twice in the 8-7, 10-inning win over the Marlins. Adams went 3-for-4, driving in four runs.
Adams earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 6.5 for the season. He rises to lead NL batters in season Box-Toppers points, passing previous leader Jay Bruce of the Mets (6.0). Adams ranks 19th among all players in season player rankings.
Notable—Ryon Healy of the Athletics has the most 2017 Box-Toppers points of any of the 16 who earned Player of the Game honors Saturday.
Healy (2HR 3-4 2R 2BI in the 5-2 win over the Yankees) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 7.2 for the season. He ranks 16th among all players and second among AL batters, behind Aaron Judge of the Yankees (8.2).
Debut—Astros pitcher David Paulino made his Box-Toppers debut with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Paulino (6IP 3H R BB 4K W in the 7-1 win over the Red Sox) made his Major League debut Sept. 8, 2016, and was playing in his seventh career game. He is the 3,828th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Meyer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Lamet earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Schoop and Adams each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Saturday’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.
Box-Toppers strives for accuracy. See a mistake in a post? A wrong name, wrong team, grammar error, spelling goof, etc.? Thanks for pointing it out! Contact Box-Toppers here. Let's fix it and make it right.
| 6/17 | Score | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 12.0 | LAA 9, KC 0 | Alex Meyer (W,3-3) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | |
| NL | 8.0 | `SD 7, MIL 5 (F/11) | Dinelson Lamet | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 12 | |
| BAT | 6.0 | BAL 15, STL 7 | Jonathan Schoop, 2B | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | CHW 5, TOR 2 | Mike Pelfrey (W,3-5) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 4.0 | CLE 9, MIN 3 | Jose Ramirez, 3B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | ATL 8, MIA 7 (F/10) | Matt Adams, 1B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | TEX 10, SEA 4 | Mike Napoli, DH | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | CLE 6, MIN 2 | Lonnie Chisenhall, RF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | HOU 7, BOS 1 | David Paulino (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 3.2 | `ARI 5, PHI 1 | Zack Godley | - | - | - | - | 5.2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 8 | ||
| 3.0 | LAD 10, CIN 2 | Cody Bellinger, 1B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | OAK 5, NYY 2 | Ryon Healy, DH | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | TB 3, DET 2 | Chris Archer (W,5-4) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 2.0 | PIT 4, CHC 3 | Gregory Polanco, RF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | WSH 7, NYM 4 | Jose Lobaton, C | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | COL 5, SF 1 | Carlos Gonzalez, RF | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’17 | ’16-17 | ’12-17 | Career | +/- |
| Healy, Ryon 3685 | dh 1b 3b | oak al | 7.2 | 10.2 | 10.2 | 10.2 | 4.2 |
| Adams, Matt 3220 | 1b | atl nl | 6.5 | 7.5 | 16.0 | 16.0 | 5.5 |
| Godley, Zack 3538 | pi sp | ari nl | 6.0 | 7.0 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 5.0 |
| Schoop, Jonathan 3307 | 2b | bal al | 4.5 | 9.0 | 14.0 | 14.0 | 0.0 |
| Bellinger, Cody 3781 | 1b | lad nl | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Archer, Chris 3194 | pi sp | tb al | 4.0 | 13.0 | 53.1 | 53.1 | -5.0 |
| Meyer, Alex 3742 | pi sp | ana al | 4.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 3.0 |
| Ramirez, Jose 3436 | 3b | cle al | 3.5 | 5.0 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 2.0 |
| Lamet, Dinelson 3808 | pi sp | sd nl | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 |
| Napoli, Mike 2161 | dh 1b | tex al | 2.0 | 8.5 | 31.7 | 59.7 | -4.5 |
| Gonzalez, Carlos 2460 | rf | col nl | 2.0 | 7.5 | 40.7 | 60.7 | -3.5 |
| Polanco, Gregory 3361 | lf rf | pit nl | 2.0 | 7.5 | 14.5 | 14.5 | -3.5 |
| Chisenhall, Lonnie 2959 | cf rf | cle al | 2.0 | 5.5 | 13.5 | 15.5 | -1.5 |
| Lobaton, Jose 3216 | ca | dc nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 0.0 |
| Pelfrey, Mike 2364 | pi sp | chi al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 8.0 | 31.8 | 1.0 |
| Paulino, David 3828 | pi sp | hou al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Kershaw leads players in Box-Toppers points. Twins' Santana leads AL players. Judge, Bruce are new leaders among batters.
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Matt Adams of the Braves is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Adams homered twice and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in four runs, in the 11-10 win over the Nationals.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 14.4 |
| 2 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 12.0 |
| 3 | Santana, Ervin 2005 | pi sp | min al | 11.4 |
| 4 | Ray, Robbie 3502 | pi sp | ari nl | 10.0 |
| 5 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 8.4 |
| 6 | Judge, Aaron 3767 | rf | nyy al | 8.2 |
| 7 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | ari nl | 7.7 |
| 8 | McCullers, Lance 3488 | pi sp | hou al | 7.7 |
| 9 | Martinez, Carlos 3371 | pi sp | stl nl | 7.5 |
| 10 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 7.4 |
American League Player of the Day—White Sox pitcher Jake Petricka pitched 2 1/3 innings of scoreless middle relief, allowing one hit, no walks and striking out four, in the 10-7 win over the Orioles.
American League Batter of the Day—Nelson Cruz of the Mariners doubled and went 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 14-3 win over the Twins.
National League Batter of the Day—There is no separate NL Batter of the Day for Monday because the overall Player of the Day is NL batter Matt Adams.
Notable—Rangers pitcher Yu Davish is Box-Toppers’ highest ranked player among the nine who earned Player of the Game honors Monday.
Darvish (7IP H R 3BB 4K W in the 6-1 win over the Astros) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 6.0 for the season and ranks 21st among all players, ninth among AL pitchers.
Also notable—Jay Bruce of the Mets rises to lead NL batters in Box-Toppers points for the season after earning Player of the Game honors Monday.
Bruce (HR 2B 3-3 2R 2BI in the 6-1 win over the Cubs) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 6.0 for the season. He passes Bryce Harper of the Nationals for the NL batting lead in Box-Toppers points. Though both Harper and Bruce have 6.0 Box-Toppers points on the season, Bruce ranks ahead because he has more 2016 Box-Toppers points—8.5 vs. 3.0. Bruce ranks 22nd among all players in Box-Toppers player rankings.
Scoring—Adams earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Petricka earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Cruz earns 1.5 points for being AL 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.
Box-Toppers strives for accuracy. See a mistake in a post? A wrong name, wrong team, grammar error, spelling goof, etc.? Thanks for pointing it out! Contact Box-Toppers here. Let's fix it and make it right.
| 6/12 | Score | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 6.0 | ATL 11, WSH 10 | Matt Adams, 1B | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| AL | 5.1 | CHW 10, BAL 7 | Jake Petricka (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 2.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| BAT | 5.0 | SEA 14, MIN 3 | Nelson Cruz, DH | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | TEX 6, HOU 1 | Yu Darvish (W,6-4) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 4.2 | `NYY 5, LAA 3 | Masahiro Tanaka | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 4.0 | NYM 6, CHC 1 | Jay Bruce, RF | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | BOS 6, PHI 5 (F/11) | Matt Barnes (W,5-2) | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 3.0 | SD 9, CIN 3 | Austin Hedges, C | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | PIT 7, COL 2 | Jameson Taillon (W,3-1) | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’17 | ’16-17 | ’12-17 | Career | +/- |
| Darvish, Yu 3003 | pi sp | tex al | 6.0 | 16.4 | 61.6 | 61.6 | -4.4 |
| Bruce, Jay 2453 | rf | nym nl | 6.0 | 14.5 | 31.7 | 64.8 | -2.5 |
| Adams, Matt 3220 | 1b | atl nl | 5.0 | 6.0 | 14.5 | 14.5 | 4.0 |
| Cruz, Nelson 2224 | dh rf | sea al | 3.5 | 10.0 | 31.0 | 57.2 | -3.0 |
| Hedges, Austin 3790 | ca | sd nl | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| Tanaka, Masahiro 3305 | pi sp | nyy al | 2.7 | 16.8 | 37.5 | 37.5 | -11.4 |
| Barnes, Matt 3466 | pi mr cp | bos al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 |
| Petricka, Jake 3388 | pi mr | chi al | 1.7 | 1.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 1.7 |
| Taillon, Jameson 3658 | pi sp | pit nl | 1.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | -4.0 |
Yankees pitcher Michael Pineda is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Pineda struck out 11 over 7 2/3 innings, allowing one run and two hits, in the 8-1 win over the Rays. Pineda retired the first 20 Rays batters.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym nl | 3.0 |
| 2 | Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | det al | 2.7 |
| 3 | Santana, Ervin 2005 | pi sp | min al | 2.7 |
| 4 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 2.0 |
| 5 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 2.0 |
| 6 | Martinez, Carlos 3371 | pi sp | stl nl | 2.0 |
| 7 | Finnegan, Brandon 3535 | pi sp | cin nl | 2.0 |
| 8 | Mazara, Nomar 3614 | rf | tex al | 2.0 |
| 9 | Pineda, Michael 2841 | pi sp | nyy al | 2.0 |
| 10 | Chacin, Jhoulys 2711 | pi mr sp | sd nl | 2.0 |
Pineda receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, his first of the season and rises to ninth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings.
National League Player of the Day—Giants pitcher Matt Moore allowed one run and three hits over eight innings, striking out five, in the 4-1 win over the Diamondbacks.
National League Batter of the Day—Stephen Drew of the Nationals doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in four runs, in the 14-6 win over the Cardinals.
American League Batter of the Day—There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Monday because no AL batter earned Player of the Game honors.
Rankings—Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander rose to second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Monday.
Verlander (7IP 3H R 2BB 4K ND in the 2-1 win over the Red Sox) earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 2.7 for the season.
Verlander now has 142.0 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 27th among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He passes Jake Peavy (141.8) on the “all-time” list and now trails 26th-ranked player, Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels (144.0).
Streaks—Two players extended their streaks of 10 or more consecutive seasons earning Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Monday:
Debut—Reds pitcher Cody Reed made his Box-Toppers debut Monday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Reed (3IP 0H 0R 0BB 4K ND in the 7-1 win over the Pirates) made his Major League debut June 18, 2016, and was playing in his 12th career game. He is the 3,765th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Pineda earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Moore earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Drew earns 1.5 points for being NL 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.
Box-Toppers strives for accuracy. See a mistake in a post? A wrong name, wrong team, grammar error, spelling goof, etc.? Thanks for pointing it out! Contact Box-Toppers here. Let's fix it and make it right.
| 4/10 | Score | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 14.2 | NYY 8, TB 1 | Michael Pineda (W,1-1) | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 11 | |
| 9.0 | SEA 6, HOU 0 | James Paxton (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | ||
| NL | 8.0 | SF 4, ARI 1 | Matt Moore (W,1-1) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |
| 8.0 | OAK 2, KC 0 | Jharel Cotton (W,1-1) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 7.0 | `CIN 7, PIT 1 | Cody Reed | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| BAT | 6.0 | WSH 14, STL 6 | Stephen Drew, SS | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 6.0 | `CHC 3, LAD 2 | Jon Lester | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| 5.0 | NYM 4, PHI 3 | Jay Bruce, RF | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 5.0 | `DET 2, BOS 1 | Justin Verlander | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 4.0 | SD 5, COL 3 | Wil Myers, 1B | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Player of Game | Pos | Team | ’17 | ’16-17 | ’12-17 | Career | +/- |
| Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | det al | 2.7 | 17.4 | 62.6 | 142.0 | -12.0 |
| Pineda, Michael 2841 | pi sp | nyy al | 2.0 | 8.0 | 24.4 | 36.1 | -4.0 |
| Moore, Matt 2975 | pi sp | sf nl | 1.7 | 14.1 | 37.6 | 39.6 | -10.7 |
| Drew, Stephen 2210 | ss 2b | dc nl | 1.5 | 1.5 | 17.5 | 37.5 | 1.5 |
| Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 1.0 | 23.1 | 68.6 | 144.2 | -21.1 |
| Myers, Wil 3228 | 1b | sd nl | 1.0 | 10.7 | 19.2 | 19.2 | -8.7 |
| Bruce, Jay 2453 | rf | nym nl | 1.0 | 9.5 | 26.7 | 59.8 | -7.5 |
| Paxton, James 3280 | pi sp | sea al | 1.0 | 5.4 | 12.1 | 12.1 | -3.4 |
| Cotton, Jharel 3733 | pi sp | oak al | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | -1.0 |
| Reed, Cody 3765 | pi mr | cin nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Only 6 of 17 Silver Slugger Award winners also led their position in Box-Toppers points in 2016.
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Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman is Box-Toppers Player of the Day in Tuesday’s American League Wild Card game.
Stroman pitched six innings, allowing two runs on four hits, striking out six and walking none, in the 5-2, 11-inning win over the Orioles. Stroman did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the game was tied 2-2 when he exited.
Stroman had 6.7 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranked 43rd among AL pitchers, 112th overall.
While the Blue Jays were the top-ranked Wild Card team, they rank lower in Box-Toppers team rankings. The Blue Jays rank ninth among all teams with 114.0 accumulated Box-Toppers points. The Orioles ranked seventh with 116.6.
The Blue Jays will face the Texas Rangers in the best-of-five AL Division Series beginning Thursday in Texas. The Rangers have the AL’s best winning percentage (.586), but rank third among AL teams and fifth among all teams in Box-Toppers team rankings with 122.5 points.
| BTG | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| 4.0 | `TOR 5, BAL 2 (11) | Marcus Stroman | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | |
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | |||||||||||||
| BTG: Box-Toppers game score | |||||||||||||
Coming Wednesday—The National League Wild Card Game is in New York, with the Giants facing the Mets. Here is the pitching match-up:
Giants—Madison Bumgarner, 13.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 19th among all players, 12th among NL pitchers.
Mets—Noah Syndergaard, 16.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked seventh among all players, fourth among NL pitchers.
Bumgarner and Syndergaard also both rank among the top 10 NL pitchers in Box-Toppers points over the past two seasons. Bumgarner has 30.0 points over 2015 and 2016, ranking seventh. Syndergaard has 27.1 points in that span, ranking 10th. Bumgarner also ranks third among pitchers in Box-Toppers points earned since the start of 2011—he has an even 100.0 points and trails only Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers (150.2), and Max Scherzer, Nationals (111.3). Syndergaard was a rookie in 2015.
The Mets are sixth in Box-Toppers team rankings with 119.1 accumulated points, third-most among NL teams. The Giants rank 10th, fifth among NL teams, with 112.7, the lowest-ranked team to qualify for the postseason. However, in the final 10 days of the season, the Giants were the slightly hotter team, picking up 8.7 Box-Toppers points, while the Mets picked up 6.7.
The Mets have two players among Box-Toppers top 10 NL batters:
The Giants highest-ranking batter is first baseman Brandon Belt with 7.0 Box-Toppers points, ranking 18th among NL batters.
The winner of the NL Wild Card game will face the Chicago Cubs in the best-of-five NL Divisional Series beginning Friday in Chicago. The Cubs have baseball’s best winning percentage (.640) and rank first in Box-Toppers team rankings with 139.5 points.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
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| San Francisco Giants | New York Mets | |||||
| Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | 16.4 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | 16.7 | |
| Bumgarner, Madison 2753 | pi sp | 13.0 | Matz, Steven 3516 | pi sp | 12.1 | |
| Moore, Matt 2975 | pi sp | 12.4 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | 9.7 | |
| Samardzija, Jeff 2495 | pi sp | 10.7 | Bruce, Jay 2453 | rf | 8.5 | |
| Belt, Brandon 2943 | 1b | 7.0 | Colon, Bartolo | pi sp | 8.4 | |
| Panik, Joe 3401 | 2b | 5.5 | Cespedes, Yoenis 3008 | cf lf | 8.0 | |
| Nunez, Eduardo 2795 | 3b 2b ss | 5.5 | Familia, Jeurys 3446 | pi cp | 8.0 | |
| Peavy, Jake 1635 | pi sp | 5.0 | Conforto, Michael 3622 | lf | 5.0 | |
| Posey, Buster 2745 | ca 1b | 3.5 | Granderson, Curtis 2051 | rf cf ph | 4.5 | |
| Pence, Hunter 2287 | rf | 3.5 | Flores, Wilmer 3345 | 3b 1b 2b ph | 4.5 | |
| Casilla, Santiago 2301 | pi cp | 3.0 | Walker, Neil 2756 | 2b | 3.5 | |
| Kontos, George 3106 | pi cp mr | 3.0 | Harvey, Matt 3075 | pi sp | 3.0 | |
| Span, Denard 2502 | cf | 3.0 | Niese, Jonathon 2531 | pi sp | 2.0 | |
| Tomlinson, Kelby 3619 | 2b ph | 3.0 | Cabrera, Asdrubal 2362 | ss | 2.0 | |
| Cain, Matt 2081 | pi sp | 2.7 | Reed, Addison 3023 | pi mr | 2.0 | |
| Brown, Trevor 3610 | ca | 2.5 | Salas, Fernando 2853 | pi cp | 2.0 | |
| Crawford, Brandon 2878 | ss | 2.0 | Reyes, Jose 1759 | 3b ss | 2.0 | |
| Gillaspie, Conor 3218 | 3b ph | 2.0 | Loney, James 2206 | 1b ph | 2.0 | |
| Blach, Ty 3754 | pi sp | 2.0 | Reynolds, Matt 3650 | ss ph | 2.0 | |
| Law, Derek 3657 | pi sp mr | 2.0 | Smoker, Josh 3725 | pi cp mr | 2.0 | |
| Pagan, Angel 2184 | lf | 1.0 | Gsellman, Robert 3748 | pi sp | 1.7 | |
| Beckham, Gordon 2620 | 2b | 1.0 | De Aza, Alejandro 2950 | cf | 1.5 | |
| Strickland, Hunter 3546 | pi mr | 1.0 | Verrett, Logan 3518 | pi sp | 1.0 | |
| Okert, Steven 3745 | pi mr | 1.0 | Robles, Hansel 3580 | pi cp | 1.0 | |
| Osich, Josh 3677 | pi mr | 1.0 | d’Arnaud, Travis 3384 | ca | 1.0 | |
| Wright, David 1911 | 3b | 1.0 | ||||
| Goeddel, Erik 3672 | pi mr | 1.0 | ||||
| Lugo, Seth 3729 | pi sp | 1.0 | ||||
| Rivera, T.J. 3710 | 3b 2b | 1.0 | ||||
| Ynoa, Gabriel 3743 | pi sp | 1.0 | ||||
| Totals | 112.7 | Totals | 119.1 | |||
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.