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Indians pitcher Corey Kluber is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to fourth place in season player rankings.
Kluber struck out 11 over seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits and one walk, in the 4-0 win over the White Sox.
Read MorePirates pitcher Jameson Taillon is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Tuesday, Rays pitcher Blake Snell rises to lead Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning AL Player of the Day honors, passing previous leader, Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer. In addition, Indians pitcher Corey Kluber maintains his sixth-place spot in Box-Toppers season player rankings after he earns Player of the Game honors Tuesday.
Read MoreDodgers pitcher Walker Buehler is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Meanwhile, Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Braves rises to lead National League batters in 2018 Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.
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One reason that league-leading batters have had low Box-Toppers point totals in recent seasons is that batters’ overall share of Box-Toppers points earned is declining. Prior to 2010, batters earned about half or more of all Box-Toppers points awarded. Since 2010, batters’ share of points has been below 50 percent each season—and as low as 39.14 percent. (More detailed data used for this graph can be found in the chart at the bottom of his page.)
It seems increasingly likely that Box-Toppers’ league-leading batters will set dubious records in 2018.
Both the American League and National League leaders among batters in Box-Toppers points currently have point totals that would be the lowest to lead their league’s batters for a season since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995.
Read MoreGiants pitcher Madison Bumgarner is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, his first Player of the Day honor in nearly two years.
Also Thursday, Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer increases his lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Read MoreAstros pitcher Charlie Morton is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to fourth place in season player rankings.
Morton struck out 14 over seven innings, allowing one run, four hits and no walks, in the 6-1 win over the Rangers.
Read MoreManny Ramirez has the most Box-Toppers points of any outfielder since tracking began in 1995.
Matt Holliday leads active outfielders in career points. Other leaders include Giancarlo Stanton, Mike Trout, Aaron Judge, Jay Bruce and Andrew McCutchen.
Read MoreAn analysis of 23 years of Box-Toppers points leaders in pitching & batting in both leagues.
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In 2017, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw broke the record for most consecutive seasons with 20 or more Box-Toppers points.
Kershaw earned 23.1 points in 2017, his seventh straight season with at least 20 points. Previously, pitcher Randy Johnson held the record, earning 20 points or more for six straight seasons, from 1997 to 2002. (Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995.)
Read MoreRays pitcher Jake Odorizzi is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and is one of three players Saturday to reach 10 Box-Toppers points for the season.
Odorizzi struck out nine over six innings, allowing one run (none earned), three hits and two walks, in the 9-6 win over the Orioles.
Read MoreDiamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to fourth place in season player rankings.
Meanwhile Saturday, the Los Angeles Dodgers maintained their narrow lead in Box-Toppers season team rankings, just 0.2 Box-Toppers points ahead of the Cleveland Indians. Both teams won Saturday. The Dodgers beat the third-ranked Washington Nationals, who are now 2.0 points behind.
Read MoreIndians pitcher Corey Kluber is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to sixth place in season player rankings.
Meanwhile, Box-Toppers points leader, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, failed to extend his lead in his start Thursday. He did not earn Box-Toppers points in his team’s loss to the Rockies, which opens the door for Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer to retake the lead in his start Friday.
Read MoreOrioles pitcher Dylan Bundy is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Tuesday, Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale maintained his third-place spot in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors. Sale also bolstered his Box-Toppers points lead among American League pitchers.
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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 |
Twins pitcher Ervin Santana is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, becoming the third player this season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points.
| 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 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 8.4 |
| 5 | Ray, Robbie 3502 | pi sp | ari nl | 8.0 |
| 6 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | ari nl | 7.7 |
| 7 | McCullers, Lance 3488 | pi sp | hou al | 7.7 |
| 8 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 7.4 |
| 9 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 7.4 |
| 10 | Wood, Alex 3246 | pi sp | lad nl | 7.0 |
Santana pitched a four-hit, complete-game shutout, walking one and striking out five, in the 4-0 win over the Giants.
Santana earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 11.4 for the season, maintaining his third-place spot in Box-Toppers season player rankings, first among American League pitchers. He trails Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (14.4) and Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer (12.0).
This is the fifth time Santana has earned 10 or more Box-Toppers points in a season in the 13 seasons he has earned Box-Toppers points. He last did it in 2014 with the Braves, when he had 11.0 points for the season.
Santana also rises to 56th place among all players in Box-Toppers points since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Friday he now has 108.7 career Box-Toppers points, passing five players on the “all-time” list—Carlos Beltran of the Astros (107.6), Red Sox pitcher David Price (107.9), Lance Berkman (108.1), Kevin Millwood (108.3) and Billy Wagner (108.7). Santana now trails 55th-ranked player Jeff Kent (109.7).
National League Player of the Day—Tyler Moore of the Marlins hit two homers and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 12-7 win over the Pirates.
American League Batter of the Day—Mallex Smith of the Rays homered and went 2-for-3, scoring three times and driving in two runs, in the 13-4 win over the Athletics.
This was Smith’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Smith made his Major League debut April 11, 2016, and was playing in his 82nd career game. He is the 3,819th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
National League Batter of the Day—There is no separate NL Batter of the Day for Friday because the overall NL Player of the Day is batter Tyler Moore.
Scoring—Santana 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. Smith earns 1.5 points for being AL 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.
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.
| 6/9 | Score | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 9.0 | MIN 4, SF 0 | Ervin Santana (W,8-3) | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |
| NL | 5.0 | MIA 12, PIT 7 | Tyler Moore, 1B-RF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | NYY 8, BAL 2 | Jordan Montgomery (W,4-4) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 5.0 | LAD 7, CIN 2 | Kenta Maeda (S,1) | - | - | - | - | 4.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 4.1 | MIL 8, ARI 6 | Corey Knebel (S,8) | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | TB 13, OAK 4 | Mallex Smith, CF | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | SD 6, KC 3 | Jhoulys Chacin (W,5-5) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 4.0 | `STL 3, PHI 2 | Matt Bowman (H,12) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 3.0 | TEX 5, WSH 2 | Jonathan Lucroy, C | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | BOS 5, DET 3 | Mitch Moreland, 1B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | CLE 7, CHW 3 | Edwin Encarnacion, DH | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | LAA 9, HOU 4 | Cameron Maybin, CF | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | SEA 4, TOR 2 | Edwin Diaz (S,10) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | ATL 3, NYM 2 | Dansby Swanson, SS | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | COL 5, CHC 3 | Ryan Hanigan, C | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’17 | ’16-17 | ’12-17 | Career | +/- |
| Santana, Ervin 2005 | pi sp | min al | 11.4 | 15.4 | 48.2 | 108.7 | 7.4 |
| Chacin, Jhoulys 2711 | pi sp | sd nl | 4.7 | 10.4 | 17.1 | 32.5 | -1.0 |
| Knebel, Corey 3757 | pi cp | mil nl | 4.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 3.0 |
| Swanson, Dansby 3751 | ss | atl nl | 3.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 2.5 |
| Maeda, Kenta 3609 | pi sp cp | lad nl | 3.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | -7.0 |
| Encarnacion, Edwin 2098 | dh 1b | cle al | 3.0 | 11.0 | 46.1 | 70.1 | -5.0 |
| Diaz, Edwin 3690 | pi cp | sea al | 3.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | -4.0 |
| Maybin, Cameron 2672 | lf cf | ana al | 3.0 | 6.0 | 11.5 | 18.5 | 0.0 |
| Moore, Tyler 3045 | 1b rf ph | fla nl | 2.7 | 2.7 | 7.2 | 7.2 | 2.7 |
| Moreland, Mitch 2799 | 1b ph | bos al | 2.0 | 5.5 | 18.7 | 20.7 | -1.5 |
| Bowman, Matt 3699 | pi mr | stl nl | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 |
| Montgomery, Jordan 3814 | pi sp | nyy al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Smith, Mallex 3819 | cf | tb al | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Lucroy, Jonathan 2744 | ca | tex al | 1.0 | 6.7 | 21.8 | 28.3 | -4.7 |
| Hanigan, Ryan 2708 | ca | col nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 12.0 | 0.0 |
Marlins pitcher Edison Volquez, pitching a no-hitter, is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 12.7 |
| 2 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 10.0 |
| 3 | Santana, Ervin 2005 | pi sp | min al | 9.4 |
| 4 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 8.4 |
| 5 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | ari nl | 7.7 |
| 6 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 7.4 |
| 7 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 7.4 |
| 8 | Ray, Robbie 3502 | pi sp | ari nl | 7.0 |
| 9 | Wood, Alex 3246 | pi sp | lad nl | 7.0 |
| 10 | Vargas, Jason 2055 | pi sp | kc al | 7.0 |
Also Saturday, Albert Pujols of the Angels hit his 600th career home run and also earned Player of the Game honors, bolstering his status as top active batter in career Box-Toppers points with 184.3.
Player of the Day—Volquez pitched a no-hitter in the 3-0 win over the Diamondbacks, allowing two walks and striking out 10.
American League Player of the Day—Red Sox pitcher David Price struck out eight over eight innings, allowing one run, four hits and one walk, in the 5-2 win over the Orioles.
Price now has 107.9 career Box-Toppers points. With his points Saturday, he rises to 59th place among all players in career points since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He passes two players on the “all-time” list—Twins pitcher Ervin Santana (106.7) and Carlos Beltran of the Astros (107.6). Price now trails 58th-ranked player Lance Berkman (108.1).
American League Batter of the Day—Mike Zunino of the Mariners hit a grand slam and doubled in the 9-2 win over the Rays. Zunino went 3-for-4 and drove in seven runs.
National League Batter of the Day—Chris Taylor of the Dodgers hit a go-ahead, ninth-inning grand slam in the 10-8 win over the Brewers. Taylor also doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring three times.
Rankings—Rockies pitcher Tyler Chatwood has the most season Box-Toppers points of any of the 15 who earned Player of the Game honors Saturday.
Chatwood (8IP 4H R BB 8K W in the 10-1 win over the Padres) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 5.4 for the season. He ranks 21st among all players and ninth among NL pitchers.
Notable—Albert Pujols of the Angels now has 184.3 career Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday, a game in which he hit his 600th career home run.
Pujols (GS 1-4 R 4BI in the 7-2 win over the Twins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 2.0 for the season. His 184.3 career Box-Toppers points ranks seventh among all players since 1995 when Box-Toppers tracking began, trailing sixth-place player Alex Rodriguez (187.0). Pujols is second among all batters since 1995 in Box-Toppers points behind Rodriguez. He is also third among active players in career Box-Toppers points, behind Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (196.4) and Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia (188.0).
Debut—Yankees pitcher Jordan Montgomery made his Box-Toppers debut Saturday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Montgomery (6IP 3H 0R 3BB 5K W in the 7-0 win over the Blue Jays) made his Major League debut April 12 and was playing in his 10th career game. He is the 3,814th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Volquez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Price earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Zunino and Taylor 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.
| 6/3 | Score | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 17.0 | MIA 3, ARI 0 | Edinson Volquez (W,2-7) | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | |
| 9.0 | COL 10, SD 1 | Tyler Chatwood (W,5-7) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| AL | 8.0 | BOS 5, BAL 2 | David Price (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | |
| BAT | 7.0 | SEA 9, TB 2 | Mike Zunino, C | 4 | 1 | 3 | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 6.0 | LAD 10, MIL 8 | Chris Taylor, CF | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | OAK 10, WSH 4 | Ryon Healy, 3B | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 5.0 | NYY 7, TOR 0 | Jordan Montgomery (W,3-4) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | ||
| 4.0 | ATL 6, CIN 5 (F/12) | Matt Adams, 1B | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | KC 12, CLE 5 | Lorenzo Cain, CF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | DET 10, CHW 1 | Jose Iglesias, SS | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.2 | HOU 6, TEX 5 | Chris Devenski (W,4-3) | - | - | - | - | 1.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 3.0 | CHC 5, STL 3 | Kyle Schwarber, LF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | LAA 7, MIN 2 | Albert Pujols, DH | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | NYM 4, PIT 2 | Neil Walker, 2B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | PHI 5, SF 3 | Odubel Herrera, CF | 4 | 0 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’17 | ’16-17 | ’12-17 | Career | +/- |
| Chatwood, Tyler 2856 | pi sp | col nl | 5.4 | 12.4 | 19.1 | 22.1 | -1.6 |
| Healy, Ryon 3685 | 1b 3b dh | oak al | 4.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 1.5 |
| Devenski, Chris 3702 | pi mr | hou al | 4.0 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 0.3 |
| Iglesias, Jose 3532 | ss | det al | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| Volquez, Edinson 2220 | pi sp | fla nl | 3.0 | 9.4 | 39.1 | 67.2 | -3.4 |
| Adams, Matt 3220 | 1b ph | atl nl | 3.0 | 4.0 | 12.5 | 12.5 | 2.0 |
| Pujols, Albert 1438 | dh 1b | ana al | 2.0 | 10.0 | 34.5 | 184.3 | -6.0 |
| Schwarber, Kyle 3536 | lf ca | chi nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 2.0 |
| Price, David 2593 | pi sp | bos al | 1.7 | 14.1 | 76.1 | 107.9 | -10.7 |
| Taylor, Chris 3684 | cf | lad nl | 1.5 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 |
| Zunino, Mike 3390 | ca | sea al | 1.5 | 1.5 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 1.5 |
| Cain, Lorenzo 3171 | cf | kc al | 1.0 | 7.5 | 21.7 | 21.7 | -5.5 |
| Walker, Neil 2756 | 2b | nym nl | 1.0 | 4.5 | 23.5 | 31.5 | -2.5 |
| Herrera, Odubel 3449 | cf | phi nl | 1.0 | 4.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | -2.5 |
| Montgomery, Jordan 3814 | pi sp | nyy al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, maintaining his top spot in season player rankings and rising to third place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 10.7 |
| 2 | Santana, Ervin 2005 | pi sp | min al | 9.4 |
| 3 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 8.4 |
| 4 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | ari nl | 6.7 |
| 5 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 6.0 |
| 6 | McCullers, Lance 3488 | pi sp | hou al | 6.0 |
| 7 | Harper, Bryce 3011 | rf | dc nl | 6.0 |
| 8 | Wood, Alex 3246 | pi sp | lad nl | 6.0 |
| 9 | Vargas, Jason 2055 | pi sp | kc al | 6.0 |
| 10 | Holland, Greg 2906 | pi cp | col nl | 6.0 |
Also Tuesday, two other players rose in Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors: Twins pitcher Ervin Santana rose to second place and Astros pitcher Lance McCullers rose to sixth place.
Player of the Day—Kershaw struck out 10 over nine innings, allowing one run, three hits and no walks, in the 2-1, 13-inning win over the Cardinals. Kershaw did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the game was tied 1-1 when he exited after nine innings.
Kershaw earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 10.7 for the season. He is the first player to reach 10.0 Box-Toppers points in 2017, the ninth straight season he’s earned 10 or more points in a season. Kershaw was also the first player to 10 points in 2016, reaching the milestone a week earlier than this year (May 17).
| 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 | 194.4 |
| 4 | Curt Schilling | pi sp | retired | 194.1 |
| 5 | CC Sabathia | pi sp | nyy al | 188.0 |
| 6 | Alex Rodriguez | dh | released | 187.0 |
| 7 | Albert Pujols | 1b dh | ana al | 182.3 |
| 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 | Roger Clemens | pi sp | retired | 164.8 |
| 13 | Zack Greinke | pi sp | ari nl | 162.8 |
| 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 | atl nl | 151.2 |
| 20 | Chipper Jones | 3b | retired | 149.0 |
Kershaw maintains his top spot in Box-Toppers season player rankings, ahead of second-place player, Twins pitcher Ervin Santana (9.4 Box-Toppers points), who was American League Player of the Day Tuesday.
Kershaw also rises to third place in career Box-Toppers points among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. Kershaw now has 194.4 career Box-Toppers points and passes Curt Schilling (194.1) on the “all-time” list. It should be noted that Schilling began his career in 1988, before Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995, and so would likely have more total career points. Rough Box-Toppers projected estimates put Schilling’s actual career total at 232. (A look at projected Box-Toppers point totals for pitchers who began their careers before 1995.)
Kershaw has risen steadily up Box-Toppers career points rankings in recent years but his rise will now become more difficult. Kershaw now trails second-place player Pedro Martinez on the “all-time” list, who has 244.8 career Box-Toppers points since 1995. The 50.4-point gap between Martinez and Kershaw is the largest between any two players in “all-time” Box-Toppers rankings. In essence, Kershaw has whizzed by the close-together “inner planets” of players with fewer than 200 Box-Toppers points and now has to travel much greater distances to reach the “gas giants” of players with more than 200 career Box-Toppers points since 1995—Martinez and Randy Johnson (the overall leader with 278.8 points).
However, given Kershaw’s pace, perhaps the 50.4-point gap between Martinez and Kershaw is not so great and insurmountable. Kershaw has earned 50.8 points since July 23, 2015, less than two complete seasons (which included time on the disabled list). If Kershaw were able to maintain that pace, he might catch Martinez by the end of the 2018 season.
American League Player of the Day—Twins pitcher Ervin Santana pitched a two-hit, complete-game shutout, striking out six and walking two, in the 2-0 win over the Orioles.
Santana earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 9.4 for the season, rising from third to second place in season player rankings, first among AL pitchers, passing previous AL pitching leader, Chris Sale of the Red Sox (8.4 points). Santana trails overall leader, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (10.7 points).
Santana also now has 106.7 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 59th among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Tuesday, he passes six players on the “all-time” list: Dodgers pitcher Scott Kazmir (105.1), Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner (105.7), Aramis Ramirez (105.8), Carlos Beltran of the Astros (105.9), Frank Thomas (106.2) and Red Sox pitcher David Price (106.2). Santana now trails 58th-ranked player Lance Berkman (108.1).
National League Batter of the Day—Anthony Rendon of the Nationals homered twice and doubled in the 10-1 win over the Mariners. Rendon went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in five runs.
American League Batter of the Day—Xander Bogaerts of the Red Sox doubled and went 3-for-5, scoring four times and driving in three runs, in the 11-6 win over the Rangers.
Rankings—Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. Rises to sixth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday.
McCullers (5IP H 0R 2BB 5K W in the 6-2 win over the Tigers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 6.0 for the season. He ranks third among AL pitchers.
Notable—Cubs pitcher Jon Lester now has 145.2 career Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday (CG 4H R 0BB 10K W in the 4-1 win over the Giants). Lester had a Box-Toppers game score of +13.0, but lost out on earning Player of the Game honors to Kershaw, who had a game score of +14.0. So Lester only earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game.
That point boosts him to 24th place in career Box-Toppers points since 1995, when tracking began. He passes Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers (144.9) on the “all-time” list and now trails 23rd-ranked player David Ortiz (145.9). Lester now ranks seventh among active players in career points, trailing Braves pitcher Bartolo Colon (151.2).
Debut—Blue Jays pitcher Danny Barnes made his Box-Toppers debut Tuesday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors.
Barnes (1.2IP 0H 0R 0BB 3K W in the 4-3 win over the Brewers) made his Major League debut Aug. 2, 2016, and was playing in his 26th career game. He is the 3,807th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Kershaw earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Santana earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Rendon and Bogaerts each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Tuesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
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| 5/23 | Score | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 14.0 | `LAD 2, STL 1 (F/13) | Clayton Kershaw | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | |
| 13.0 | CHC 4, SF 1 | Jon Lester (W,3-2) | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | ||
| AL | 11.0 | MIN 2, BAL 0 | Ervin Santana (W,7-2) | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | |
| BAT | 7.0 | WSH 10, SEA 1 | Anthony Rendon, 3B | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 7.0 | HOU 6, DET 2 | Lance McCullers Jr. (W,5-1) | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | ||
| 5.1 | LAA 4, TB 0 | Matt Shoemaker (W,4-2) | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | ||
| 5.0 | MIA 11, OAK 9 | Justin Bour, 1B | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | BOS 11, TEX 6 | Xander Bogaerts, SS | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | NYM 9, SD 3 | Michael Conforto, LF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.2 | TOR 4, MIL 3 | Danny Barnes (W,1-2) | - | - | - | - | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 4.0 | COL 8, PHI 2 | Charlie Blackmon, CF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | CLE 8, CIN 7 | Edwin Encarnacion, 1B | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | ATL 6, PIT 5 | Matt Adams, 1B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | KC 6, NYY 2 | Danny Duffy (W,4-3) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | ||
| 1.0 | ARI 5, CHW 4 | Fernando Rodney (S,11) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’17 | ’16-17 | ’12-17 | Career | +/- |
| Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 10.7 | 35.1 | 134.8 | 194.4 | -13.7 |
| Santana, Ervin 2005 | pi sp | min al | 9.4 | 13.4 | 46.2 | 106.7 | 5.4 |
| McCullers, Lance 3488 | pi sp | hou al | 6.0 | 12.1 | 18.8 | 18.8 | -0.1 |
| Conforto, Michael 3622 | cf lf | nym nl | 4.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | -1.0 |
| Rendon, Anthony 3258 | 3b | dc nl | 3.5 | 9.0 | 15.5 | 15.5 | -2.0 |
| Duffy, Danny 2915 | pi sp | kc al | 3.0 | 13.7 | 31.7 | 32.7 | -7.7 |
| Shoemaker, Matt 3290 | pi sp | ana al | 3.0 | 10.0 | 28.4 | 28.4 | -4.0 |
| Blackmon, Charlie 2891 | cf | col nl | 2.7 | 6.7 | 13.2 | 14.7 | -1.3 |
| Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 2.0 | 24.1 | 69.6 | 145.2 | -20.1 |
| Encarnacion, Edwin 2098 | dh 1b | cle al | 2.0 | 10.0 | 45.1 | 69.1 | -6.0 |
| Rodney, Fernando 1803 | pi cp | ari nl | 2.0 | 7.0 | 25.0 | 37.0 | -3.0 |
| Bour, Justin 3433 | 1b | fla nl | 2.0 | 4.5 | 14.5 | 14.5 | -0.5 |
| Adams, Matt 3220 | 1b ph | atl nl | 2.0 | 3.0 | 11.5 | 11.5 | 1.0 |
| Bogaerts, Xander 3383 | ss | bos al | 1.5 | 2.5 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 0.5 |
| Barnes, Danny 3807 | pi mr | tor al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Manny Ramirez leads outfielders in career Box-Toppers points. Carlos Beltran leads active outfielders in career points. Mike Trout leads outfielders in recent seasons.
Read MoreAn analysis of 22 years of Box-Toppers points leaders in pitching & batting in both leagues.
Read More
Cubs pitcher John Lackey is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to ninth in season player rankings.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 20.0 |
| 2 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 18.7 |
| 3 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 16.4 |
| 4 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 16.2 |
| 5 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 14.4 |
| 6 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 14.1 |
| 7 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 14.1 |
| 8 | Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 13.4 |
| 9 | Lackey, John 1640 | pi sp | chi nl | 12.4 |
| 10 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 11.7 |
Also Tuesday, Jose Altuve of the Astros retakes the Box-Toppers points lead among American League batters after earning AL Batter of the Day honors.
Player of the Day—Lackey allowed one run over eight innings, giving up three hits and one walk, striking out six, in the 5-1 win over the Angels.
Lackey earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 12.4 for the season. Cubs pitchers now occupy the eighth, ninth and 10th place spots in Box-Toppers season player rankings:
Lackey rises to seventh place among National League pitchers in Box-Toppers points.
Lackey also rises to 40th place in career Box-Toppers points since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Tuesday, Lackey now has 120.2 Box-Toppers points, passing Cliff Lee (119.1) on the “all-time” list and now trails 39th-ranked player Gary Sheffield (124.1).
Lackey had a Box-Toppers game score Tuesday of +8.0, the same as Marlins pitcher Tom Koehler, Player of the Game in the 2-0 win over the Giants (7IP 2H 0R 3BB 6K W). But Lackey held the tiebreaker, winning overall Player of the Day, because he pitched more innings—eight vs. seven.
American League Player of the Day—Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing four hits, walking two and striking out four, in the 3-1 win over the Nationals.
Nationals’ starting pitcher in the game, Max Scherzer (18.7 Box-Toppers points), had a chance to pass season player rankings leader, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (20.0). While Scherzer’s Box-Toppers game score of +10 (7IP 3H 2R ER BB 10K) was high enough to earn him Player of the Day honors Tuesday, he did not earn Player of the Game honors because the Nationals did not win and Scherzer himself picked up the loss, his seventh of the season (12-7).
American League Batter of the Day—Jose Altuve of the Astros went 4-for-4, scoring twice and driving in a run, in the 7-5 win over the Twins.
Altuve earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 11.5 for the season, rising to 11th place in season player rankings and first among AL batters, passing previous leader Manny Machado of the Orioles (10.2). Machado had just retaken the AL batting lead from Altuve on Sunday.
National League Batter of the Day—Howie Kendrick of the Dodgers homered, doubled and went 2-for-4, driving in three runs, in the 9-3 win over the Phillies.
Notable—Adrian Beltre of the Rangers rises to 56th place in career Box-Toppers points since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began, after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday.
Beltre (2B 2-4 R 2BI in the 7-5 win over the Rockies) now has 108.3 career Box-Toppers points and passes two players on the “all-time” list—Lance Berkman (108.1) and Kevin Millwood (108.3). He trails 55th-ranked player Billy Wagner (108.7).
Beltre has 6.5 Box-Toppers points for the season, 14th among AL batters.
Debut—Athletics pitcher Zach Neal made his Box-Toppers debut Tuesday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Neal (5.1IP 2H R 0BB K W in the 2-1 win over the Orioles) made his Major League debut May 11 and was playing in his 12th career game. He is the 3,700th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Lackey earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Bauer earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Altuve and Kendrick each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Tuesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 8/9 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 8.0 | CHC 5, LAA 1 | John Lackey (W, 9-7) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| 8.0 | MIA 2, SF 0 | Tom Koehler (W, 9-8) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | ||
| AL | 4.1 | CLE 3, WSH 1 | Trevor Bauer (W, 8-5) | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
| 4.0 | TB 9, TOR 2 | Erasmo Ramirez (S, 1) | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | HOU 7, MIN 5 | Jose Altuve (2B) | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.1 | OAK 2, BAL 1 | Zach Neal (W, 2-1) | - | - | - | - | 5.1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2.0 | BOS 5, NYY 3 | Dustin Pedroia (2B) | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 2.0 | LAD 9, PHI 3 | Howie Kendrick (LF) | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | CIN 7, STL 4 | Billy Hamilton (CF) | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | ATL 2, MIL 1 | Mauricio Cabrera (S, 3) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.1 | CHW 7, KC 5 (10) | Dan Jennings (S, 1) | - | - | - | - | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.0 | SEA 6, DET 5 (15) | Kyle Seager (3B) | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | PIT 6, SD 4 | David Freese (3B) | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | TEX 7, COL 5 | Adrian Beltre (3B) | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | ARI 5, NYM 3 | Paul Goldschmidt (1B) | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Lackey, John 1640 | pi sp | chi nl | 12.4 | 22.1 | 41.8 | 120.2 | 2.7 |
| Altuve, Jose 3007 | 2b | hou al | 11.5 | 18.5 | 28.0 | 28.0 | 4.5 |
| Bauer, Trevor 3065 | pi sp | cle al | 9.4 | 18.8 | 27.5 | 27.5 | 0.0 |
| Beltre, Adrian 1141 | 3b | tex al | 6.5 | 19.0 | 44.9 | 108.3 | -6.0 |
| Seager, Kyle 3031 | 3b | sea al | 6.0 | 11.0 | 25.0 | 25.0 | 1.0 |
| Koehler, Tom 3159 | pi sp | fla nl | 5.0 | 9.0 | 17.0 | 17.0 | 1.0 |
| Ramirez, Erasmo 1786 | pi sp mr cp | tb al | 3.7 | 10.7 | 12.7 | 14.7 | -3.3 |
| Kendrick, Howie 2191 | 2b lf | lad nl | 3.0 | 7.0 | 19.0 | 33.0 | -1.0 |
| Cabrera, Mauricio 3689 | pi cp mr | atl nl | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Goldschmidt, Paul 2935 | 1b | ari nl | 2.5 | 12.7 | 37.9 | 37.9 | -7.7 |
| Hamilton, Billy 3287 | cf | cin nl | 2.0 | 4.0 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 0.0 |
| Pedroia, Dustin 2320 | 2b | bos al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 22.4 | 34.5 | 2.0 |
| Freese, David 2710 | 1b 3b | pit nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 22.2 | 24.2 | 2.0 |
| Jennings, Dan 3591 | pi cp | chi al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| Neal, Zach 3700 | pi sp | oak al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
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. 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.