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Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to seventh place in season player rankings.
Buehler struck out 11 over seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits and no walks, in the 7-3 win over the Orioles.
Read MoreIn 2019, CC Sabathia and Albert Pujols have tied Box-Toppers’ record for the longest streak of consecutive seasons earning at least one Player of the Game honor.
Both Sabathia and Pujols this season have earned Box-Toppers points for their 19th straight season (from 2001 to 2019). That ties the record held by Jason Giambi (1995 to 2013) and Carlos Beltran (1999 to 2017).
Read MoreDiamondbacks pitcher Luke Weaver is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Weaver struck out eight over seven innings, allowing one run, three hits and one walk, in the 9-2 win over the Rockies.
Read MoreDodgers pitcher Walker Buehler is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Wednesday, Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco rises to seventh place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning American League Player of the Day honors.
Read MoreIndians pitcher Corey Kluber is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to seventh place in season player rankings.
Also Friday, Yankees pitcher Luis Severino rises to fourth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning his first Player of the Game honor since July 1.
Read MoreRangers pitcher Mike Minor is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Wednesday, J.D. Martinez of the Red Sox rises to lead American League batters in 2018 Box-Toppers points after earning AL Batter of the Day honors.
Read MoreDiamondbacks pitcher Patrick Corbin is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to first place in season player rankings.
Corbin struck out 11 over six innings, allowing two runs, two hits and one walk, in the 4-2 win over the Padres.
Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Scherzer struck out 10 over six scoreless innings, allowing five hits and one walk, in the 2-0 win over the Reds.
Read MoreFour players—Chipper Jones, Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome and Trevor Hoffman—were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame Wednesday. Key players overlooked: Curt Schilling, Jeff Kent, Johan Santana and the PED-clouded five of Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Manny Ramirez, Gary Sheffield and Sammy Sosa.
Read MoreIn 2017, Carlos Beltran tied Jason Giambi for the longest streak of consecutive seasons earning Box-Toppers points at 19. With Beltran's retirement, CC Sabathia and Albert Pujols now have the longest active streaks of consecutive seasons earning Box-Toppers points at 17.
Read MoreYankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, earning the highest Box-Toppers game score of the season.
Also Friday, Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg rises to fourth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning National League Player of the Day honors.
Read MoreIndians pitcher Corey Kluber is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to fourth place in season player rankings.
Also Sunday, Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg rises to fifth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors. Plus, the Cleveland Indians regain the topsy-turvy race for Box-Toppers team rankings lead, passing the Los Angeles Dodgers, after Kluber’s Player of the Day honor.
Read MoreNationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to fourth place in season player rankings.
Also Sunday, Diamondbacks pitcher Robbie Ray rises to ninth place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Read MoreRed Sox pitcher Chris Sale is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, bolstering his Box-Toppers points lead among American League pitchers.
Also Tuesday, Buster Posey of the Giants rises to lead National League batters in 2017 Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors. Plus, Indians pitcher Corey Kluber rises to seventh place in overall Box-Toppers player rankings.
Read MoreRed Sox pitcher Chris Sale is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, bolstering his lead among American League pitchers in season player rankings.
Sale struck out 11 over seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits and one walk, in the 4-0 win over the Mariners.
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Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to take the lead in season player rankings.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 6.7 |
| 2 | Santana, Ervin 2005 | pi sp | min al | 6.7 |
| 3 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 6.0 |
| 4 | Nova, Ivan 2796 | pi sp | pit nl | 5.0 |
| 5 | Vargas, Jason 2055 | pi sp | kc al | 5.0 |
| 6 | Holland, Greg 2906 | pi cp | col nl | 5.0 |
| 7 | Judge, Aaron 3767 | rf | nyy al | 5.0 |
| 8 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 4.4 |
| 9 | Triggs, Andrew 3723 | pi sp | oak al | 4.4 |
| 10 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 4.0 |
Also Tuesday, Twins pitcher Ervin Santana maintains his second-place spot in Box-Toppers season player rankings and Aaron Judge of the Yankees rises to seventh place after both earned Player of the Game honors.
Player of the Day—Sale struck out 11 over eight innings, allowing two runs and three hits, in the 5-2 win over the Orioles.
Sale earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 6.7 for the season, rising from sixth to first place in season player rankings. He passes previous leader, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (5.0 Box-Toppers points), who had been leading since April 19. It is the second time in his career Sale has led Box-Toppers season player rankings—previously, he led May 17-18, 2013, when he had 8.7 points with the White Sox.
National League Player of the Day—Padres pitcher Trevor Cahill struck out seven over six innings, allowing one run and three hits, in the 6-2 win over the Rockies.
American League Batter of the Day—Marwin Gonzalez of the Astros hit two home runs, including a grand slam, in the 8-7 win over the Rangers. Gonzalez went 2-for-3, driving in five runs.
National League Batter of the Day—Javier Baez of the Cubs homered, tripled and went 4-for-4, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 8-3 win over the Phillies.
Rankings—In addition to Sale, two other players earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday are also among Box-Toppers top 10 players in season player rankings:
Santana also now has 104.0 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 66th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his point Tuesday, he passes Jamie Moyer (104.0) on the “all-time” list and now trails 65th-ranked player, Blue Jays pitcher Francisco Liriano (104.2).
Scoring—Sale earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Cahill earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Gonzalez and Baez 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.
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.
| 5/2 | Score | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 10.0 | BOS 5, BAL 2 | Chris Sale (W,2-2) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 11 | |
| 9.0 | CHW 6, KC 0 | Jose Quintana (W,2-4) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | ||
| NL | 9.0 | SD 6, COL 2 | Trevor Cahill (W,2-2) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |
| 7.0 | MIN 9, OAK 1 | Ervin Santana (W,5-0) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | ||
| BAT | 6.0 | HOU 8, TEX 7 | Marwin Gonzalez, LF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 6.0 | NYY 11, TOR 5 | Aaron Judge, RF | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 5.1 | STL 2, MIL 1 | Carlos Martinez (W,1-3) | - | - | - | - | 7.1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | CHC 8, PHI 3 | Javier Baez, 2B-3B | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | LAD 13, SF 5 | Yasiel Puig, RF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | PIT 12, CIN 3 | Wade LeBlanc (S,1) | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 4.0 | LAA 6, SEA 4 (F/11) | Deolis Guerra (W,2-1) | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 3.0 | TB 3, MIA 1 | Alex Colome (S,7) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 2.1 | ARI 6, WSH 3 | T.J. McFarland (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.1 | ATL 9, NYM 7 | Jim Johnson (S,5) | - | - | - | - | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 0.0 | DET 5, CLE 2 | Alex Avila, C | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’17 | ’16-17 | ’12-17 | Career | +/- |
| Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 6.7 | 20.1 | 88.1 | 93.1 | -6.7 |
| Santana, Ervin 2005 | pi sp | min al | 6.7 | 10.7 | 43.5 | 104.0 | 2.7 |
| Judge, Aaron 3767 | rf | nyy al | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Cahill, Trevor 2658 | pi sp mr | sd nl | 3.4 | 6.4 | 21.1 | 43.6 | 0.4 |
| Martinez, Carlos 3371 | pi sp | stl nl | 3.0 | 15.4 | 30.1 | 30.1 | -9.4 |
| Puig, Yasiel 3193 | rf | lad nl | 3.0 | 6.5 | 12.5 | 12.5 | -0.5 |
| Quintana, Jose 3040 | pi sp | chi al | 2.0 | 12.4 | 37.2 | 37.2 | -8.4 |
| Colome, Alex 3189 | pi cp | tb al | 2.0 | 11.0 | 19.7 | 19.7 | -7.0 |
| Johnson, Jim 2417 | pi cp | atl nl | 2.0 | 6.0 | 17.0 | 23.7 | -2.0 |
| Avila, Alex 2642 | ca | det al | 2.0 | 3.0 | 9.5 | 19.0 | 1.0 |
| Baez, Javier 3395 | 2b 3b | chi nl | 1.5 | 3.5 | 6.0 | 6.0 | -0.5 |
| Gonzalez, Marwin 3078 | lf | hou al | 1.5 | 2.5 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 0.5 |
| LeBlanc, Wade 2669 | pi cp sp | pit nl | 1.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 11.0 | -2.0 |
| Guerra, Deolis 3521 | pi cp mr | ana al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 0.0 |
| McFarland, T.J. 3585 | pi mr | ari nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 |
Angels pitcher JC Ramirez is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, making his Box-Toppers debut.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 6.0 |
| 2 | Santana, Ervin 2005 | pi sp | min al | 5.7 |
| 3 | Vargas, Jason 2055 | pi sp | kc al | 5.0 |
| 4 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 4.7 |
| 5 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc al | 4.0 |
| 6 | Harper, Bryce 3011 | rf | dc nl | 4.0 |
| 7 | Holland, Greg 2906 | pi cp | col nl | 4.0 |
| 8 | Carrasco, Carlos 2885 | pi sp | cle al | 3.7 |
| 9 | Chacin, Jhoulys 2711 | pi mr sp | sd nl | 3.7 |
| 10 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 3.4 |
Also Wednesday, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershawmaintains his first-place spot in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors. And Twins pitcher Ervin Santana rises to second place—first among American League players—after earning Player of the Game honors.
Player of the Day—Ramirez pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out seven and allowing two hits, in the 2-1, 11-inning win over the Athletics. Ramirez picked up a no-decision and did not earn the win because the game was in a scoreless tie when he exited.
This was also Ramirez’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Ramirez made his Major League debut June 23, 2013, and was playing in his 114th career game. He is the 3,778th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
National League Player of the Day—Trea Turner of the Nationals hit for the cycle and went 4-for-6, scoring four times and driving in seven runs, in the 15-12 win over the Rockies.
American League Batter of the Day—Ian Kinsler of the Tigers doubled and went 4-for-5, scoring four times and driving in two runs, in the 19-9 win over the Mariners.
Kinsler has now earned Box-Toppers points in 12 straight seasons. He earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2006 with the Rangers and has 63.6 career points, second Among active AL second basemen (trailing Robinson Cano of the Mariners, who has 75.4). Kinsler’s best season was 2009 with the Rangers, when he had 11.2 points, eighth among AL batters. He had 6.0 points in 2016 with the Tigers, fifth among AL second basemen.
National League Batter of the Day—There is no separate NL Batter of the Day for Tuesday because the overall NL Player of the Day is batter Trea Turner.
Rankings—Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw maintained his spot atop Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday.
Kershaw (7IP 6H R BB 7K W in the 2-1 win over the Giants) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 6.0 for the season. Kershaw also now has 189.7 career Box-Toppers points, fourth-most among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He trails third-ranked player Curt Schilling (194.1). Kershaw leads active players in career Box-Toppers points.
Also, Twins pitcher Ervin Santana rises to second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday.
Santana (7IP 4H R 2BB 6K W in the 8-1 win over the Rangers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 5.7 for the season, rising from fourth to second place among all players and first among AL players, passing Royals pitcher Jason Vargas (5.0).
Santana also now has 103.0 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 67th-place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his point Tuesday, he passes two players on the “all-time” list—Ken Griffey Jr. (102.2) and Miguel Tejada (102.3). (It should be noted that if Griffey’s entire career from 1989 were tracked, rough estimates would give him about 150 Box-Toppers points.) Santana now trails 66th-ranked player Jamie Moyer (104.0).
Scoring—Ramirez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Turner earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Kinsler earns 1.5 points for being AL 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.
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.
| 4/25 | Score | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 10.0 | `LAA 2, OAK 1 (F/11) | JC Ramirez | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |
| NL | 9.0 | WSH 15, COL 12 | Trea Turner, SS | 6 | 4 | 4 | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 6.0 | TB 2, BAL 0 | Chase Whitley (W,1-0; H,2) | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | DET 19, SEA 9 | Ian Kinsler, 2B | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | ARI 9, SD 3 | Paul Goldschmidt, 1B | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 5.0 | MIL 9, CIN 1 | Hernan Perez, SS-CF | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 5.0 | LAD 2, SF 1 | Clayton Kershaw (W,4-1) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| 5.0 | MIN 8, TEX 1 | Ervin Santana (W,4-0) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 4.0 | TOR 6, STL 5 (F/11) | Jason Grilli (W,1-2) | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 3.2 | CHW 10, KC 5 | Dan Jennings (W,2-0) | - | - | - | - | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | CHC 1, PIT 0 | Kyle Hendricks (W,2-1) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 1.0 | HOU 4, CLE 2 | Norichika Aoki, RF-LF | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’17 | ’16-17 | ’12-17 | Career | +/- |
| Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 6.0 | 30.4 | 130.1 | 189.7 | -18.4 |
| Santana, Ervin 2005 | pi sp | min al | 5.7 | 9.7 | 42.5 | 103.0 | 1.7 |
| Goldschmidt, Paul 2935 | 1b | ari nl | 2.0 | 6.5 | 37.9 | 41.9 | -2.5 |
| Grilli, Jason 2209 | pi cp mr | tor al | 2.0 | 3.0 | 16.7 | 27.4 | 1.0 |
| Ramirez, JC 3778 | pi sp | ana al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Turner, Trea 3730 | ss | dc nl | 1.7 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.2 | -0.8 |
| Kinsler, Ian 2144 | 2b | det al | 1.5 | 7.5 | 29.5 | 63.6 | -4.5 |
| Hendricks, Kyle 3386 | pi sp | chi nl | 1.0 | 14.4 | 29.1 | 29.1 | -12.4 |
| Perez, Hernan 3577 | ss cf 3b 2b | mil nl | 1.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | -4.0 |
| Jennings, Dan 3591 | pi mr cp | chi al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 |
| Aoki, Norichika 3110 | rf lf | hou al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 1.0 |
| Whitley, Chase 3352 | pi mr sp | tb al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 1.0 |
Royals pitcher Jason Vargas is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to second place in season player rankings.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 5.0 |
| 2 | Vargas, Jason 2055 | pi sp | kc al | 5.0 |
| 3 | Santana, Ervin 2005 | pi sp | min al | 4.7 |
| 4 | Chacin, Jhoulys 2711 | pi mr sp | sd nl | 3.7 |
| 5 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 3.4 |
| 6 | Morrison, Logan 2794 | 1b | tb al | 3.2 |
| 7 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 3.0 |
| 8 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym nl | 3.0 |
| 9 | Kimbrel, Craig 2825 | pi cp | bos al | 3.0 |
| 10 | Devenski, Chris 3702 | pi mr cp | hou al | 3.0 |
Also Wednesday, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw regains first place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Player of the Day—Vargas pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out nine and allowing four hits, in the 2-0 win over the Giants.
Vargas earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 5.0 for the season, rising to second in Box-Toppers season player rankings. He trails Kershaw, who also now has 5.0 Box-Toppers points, but ranks ahead on a tiebreaker because he had more 2016 points than Vargas—24.4 vs. 1.0.
National League Player of the Day—Padres pitcher Jhoulys Chacin pitched eight scoreless innings, striking out five and allowing three hits, in the 1-0 win over the Diamondbacks.
Chacin earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 3.7 for the season, rising to fourth place in season player rankings.
National League Batter of the Day—Bryce Harper of the Nationals hit two home runs, including a grand slam, in the 14-4 win over the Braves. Harper also doubled and went 4-for-4, scoring three times and driving in five total runs.
American League Batter of the Day—Mitch Haniger of the Mariners doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in four runs, in the 10-5 win over the Marlins.
Rankings—Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw regained the lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.
Kershaw (7IP 5H 2R BB 10K W in the 4-2 win over the Rockies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 5.0 for the season, regaining the season points lead for the third time this season. Kershaw passes previous leader, Twins pitcher Ervin Santana (4.7 points), who drops to third place.
Kershaw also now has 188.7 career Box-Toppers points, fourth among all players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995, trailing third-place player Curt Schilling (194.1). Kershaw is the active leader in career Box-Toppers points, ahead of Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia (187.0).
Streaks—Two players extended their streaksearning Box-Toppers points for 10 or more consecutive seasons after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday:
Debut—Rays closing pitcher Austin Pruitt made his Box-Toppers debut Wednesday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors.
Pruitt (3.1IP H 0R 0BB 5K W in the 8-7 win over the Tigers) made his Major League debut April 2 and was playing in his seventh career game. He is the 3,773rd player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Vargas earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Chacin earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Harper and Haniger each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
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.
| 4/19 | Score | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 12.0 | KC 2, SF 0 | Jason Vargas (W,3-0) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | |
| NL | 9.0 | SD 1, ARI 0 | Jhoulys Chacin (W,2-2) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |
| BAT | 8.0 | WSH 14, ATL 4 | Bryce Harper, RF | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 7.1 | TB 8, DET 7 | Austin Pruitt (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 3.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 7.0 | LAD 4, COL 2 | Clayton Kershaw (W,3-1) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 6.1 | TOR 3, BOS 0 | Francisco Liriano (W,1-1) | - | - | - | - | 5.1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 6.0 | NYM 5, PHI 4 | Jay Bruce, RF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 6.0 | SEA 10, MIA 5 | Mitch Haniger, RF | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.2 | BAL 2, CIN 0 | Ubaldo Jimenez (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | ||
| 4.0 | HOU 5, LAA 1 | Josh Reddick, RF-LF | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | STL 2, PIT 1 | Dexter Fowler, CF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | CHC 7, MIL 4 | Addison Russell, SS | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | OAK 9, TEX 1 | Khris Davis, LF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | NYY 9, CHW 1 | Starlin Castro, 2B | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’17 | ’16-17 | ’12-17 | Career | +/- |
| Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 5.0 | 29.4 | 129.1 | 188.7 | -19.4 |
| Vargas, Jason 2055 | pi sp | kc al | 5.0 | 6.0 | 31.4 | 52.2 | 4.0 |
| Chacin, Jhoulys 2711 | pi mr sp | sd nl | 3.7 | 9.4 | 16.1 | 31.5 | -2.0 |
| Harper, Bryce 3011 | rf | dc nl | 3.0 | 6.0 | 30.4 | 30.4 | 0.0 |
| Davis, Khris 3242 | lf | oak al | 2.5 | 9.2 | 19.2 | 19.2 | -4.2 |
| Haniger, MItch 3772 | rf | sea al | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Bruce, Jay 2453 | rf | nym nl | 2.0 | 10.5 | 27.7 | 60.8 | -6.5 |
| Castro, Starlin 2767 | 2b | nyy al | 2.0 | 9.0 | 17.5 | 27.5 | -5.0 |
| Reddick, Josh 2936 | rf lf | hou al | 2.0 | 5.5 | 25.4 | 26.4 | -1.5 |
| Liriano, Francisco 2104 | pi sp | tor al | 1.0 | 9.0 | 58.7 | 104.2 | -7.0 |
| Jimenez, Ubaldo 2349 | pi sp | bal al | 1.0 | 5.7 | 37.6 | 80.5 | -3.7 |
| Russell, Addison 3559 | ss | chi nl | 1.0 | 4.5 | 7.0 | 7.0 | -2.5 |
| Fowler, Dexter 2698 | cf | stl nl | 1.0 | 2.5 | 16.5 | 19.0 | -0.5 |
| Pruitt, Austin 3773 | pi cp | tb al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Jason Giambi leads list of players who earned Box-Toppers points in most consecutive seasons (19). Carlos Beltran, with 18 straight seasons earning points, could tie Giambi if he earns Box-Toppers points in 2017.
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Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to seventh place in season player rankings.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 24.7 |
| 2 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 22.7 |
| 3 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 22.4 |
| 4 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 21.2 |
| 5 | Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 21.1 |
| 6 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 17.8 |
| 7 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 15.7 |
| 8 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym al | 15.7 |
| 9 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 15.4 |
| 10 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 15.1 |
Also Friday, Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels maintained his spot of sixth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Player of the Day—Arrieta pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out 10 and allowing five hits and one walk, in the 5-0 win over the Cardinals.
Arrieta earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 15.7 for the season, rising to seventh place in season player rankings, fifth among National League pitchers.
With Arrieta rising back into Box-Toppers top 10 list, he displaces Blue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ (14.7 points) from the list, who falls to 11th.
Arrieta led all players in Box-Toppers points in 2015 with 29.1. This was Arrieta’s first Player of the Game honor in a month—he was Player of the Day on Aug. 23.
American League Player of the Day—Mariners pitcher James Paxton struck out nine over seven innings, allowing one run, five hits and no walks, in the 10-1 win over the Twins.
American League Batter of the Day—Jose Ramirez of the Indians homered, doubled and went 2-for-5, scoring three times and driving in four runs, in the 10-4 win over the White Sox.
National League Batter of the Day—Wil Myers of the Padres hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-3, scoring twice, in the 7-2 win over the Giants.
Myers earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 9.7 for the season. He ranks fifth among NL batters, 1.0 point behind leader Nolan Arenado of the Rockies (10.7).
Rankings—Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels maintained his rank of sixth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.
Hamels (7IP 6H 0R 2BB 7K W in the 3-0 win over the Athletics) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 17.8 for the season. He ranks second among AL pitchers, behind Corey Kluber of the Indians (21.2).
Hamels now has 144.0 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 24th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He passes Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers (143.9) on the “all-time” list and now trails 23rd-ranked player David Ortiz of the Red Sox (144.9). Hamels also rises to eighth place in career points among active players.
Hamels has earned Box-Toppers points for 11 straight seasons and in each season has earned 10 or more points. The 17.8 points he’s earned in 2016 is his best season; his previous best was 2011 with the Phillies when he had 15.8.
Notable—Two other players who have more than 10 Box-Toppers points for the season earned Player of the Game honors Friday:
Also notable—Blue Jays pitcher Francisco Liriano now has 103.2 career Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.
Liriano (6IP 3H 0R 2BB 6K in the 9-0 win over the Yankees) rises to 66th place among all players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995, passing Miguel Tejada (102.3) on the “all-time” list. He trails 65th-ranked player Jamie Moyer (104.0). Liriano has 8.0 Box-Toppers points on the season, 24th among AL pitchers.
Debut—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Friday, the first time in their careers they earned Player of the Game honors:
Scoring—Arrieta earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Paxton earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Ramirez and Myers each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Friday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 9/23 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 11.0 | CHC 5, STL 0 | Jake Arrieta (W,18-7) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| AL | 9.0 | SEA 10, MIN 1 | James Paxton (W,5-7) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | |
| 7.0 | TOR 9, NYY 0 | Francisco Liriano (W,8-13) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 6.0 | DET 8, KC 3 | Michael Fulmer (W,11-7) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | ||
| 6.0 | TEX 3, OAK 0 | Cole Hamels (W,15-5) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | ||
| 5.2 | NYM 10, PHI 5 | Hansel Robles (S,1) | - | - | - | - | 2.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | CLE 10, CHW 4 | Jose Ramirez, 3B | 5 | 3 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 4.0 | SD 7, SF 2 | Wil Myers, 1B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | LAA 10, HOU 6 | Rafael Ortega, PH | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | BOS 2, TB 1 | Drew Pomeranz (W,11-12) | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 3.0 | LAD 5, COL 2 | Ross Stripling (W,5-8) | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 3.0 | `BAL 3, ARI 2 (12) | Mychal Givens | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | ATL 3, MIA 2 | Brandon Cunniff (W,2-0) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1.0 | MIL 5, CIN 4 | Chris Carter, 1B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | PIT 6, WSH 5 (11) | Alen Hanson, 2B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||
| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 17.8 | 33.2 | 84.8 | 144.0 | 2.4 |
| Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 15.7 | 44.8 | 72.5 | 75.5 | -13.4 |
| Fulmer, Michael 3640 | pi sp | det al | 12.7 | 12.7 | 12.7 | 12.7 | 12.7 |
| Pomeranz, Drew 3061 | pi sp | bos al | 12.4 | 15.4 | 23.4 | 23.4 | 9.4 |
| Myers, Wil 3228 | 1b | sd nl | 9.7 | 12.7 | 18.2 | 18.2 | 6.7 |
| Carter, Chris 2828 | 1b | mil nl | 9.5 | 10.5 | 28.4 | 29.4 | 8.5 |
| Liriano, Francisco 2104 | pi sp | tor al | 8.0 | 22.9 | 63.4 | 103.2 | -6.9 |
| Stripling, Ross 3629 | pi sp | lad nl | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| Paxton, James 3280 | pi sp | sea al | 4.4 | 5.4 | 11.1 | 11.1 | 3.4 |
| Givens, Mychal 3599 | pi mr | bal al | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 |
| Cunniff, Brandon 3698 | pi mr | atl nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Ramirez, Jose 3436 | 3b | cle al | 1.5 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | -1.0 |
| Robles, Hansel 3580 | pi cp | nym nl | 1.0 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | -1.7 |
| Hanson, Alen 3747 | 2b | pit nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Ortega, Rafael 3746 | ph | ana 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.