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These five players were 2021 Silver Slugger Award winners and also led their league’s position in Box-Toppers points for the season: Xander Bogaerts of the Red Sox, Aaron Judge of the Yankees, Ozzie Albies of the Braves, Fernando Tatis Jr. of the Padres and Nick Castellanos of the Reds.
Only five of the 17 batters winning Silver Slugger Awards Thursday also were among the leaders at their positions in 2021 Box-Toppers point totals.
The awards are given to the top batter in each position in both leagues, voted on by Major League Baseball coaches and managers.
Read MoreWhite Sox closing pitcher Liam Hendriks led American League relievers in Box-Toppers points and also was named AL’s 2021 Reliever of the Year.
But the National League winner, Brewers reliever Josh Hader, ranked sixth among NL closers in Box-Toppers season player rankings.
Read MoreThe two players who won the Hank Aaron Award, given to the best offensive performer in each league, trailed most of the award finalists in 2021 Box-Toppers points.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Blue Jays and Bryce Harper of the Phillies were chosen Tuesday as winners by a panel of eight Hall of Fame players and a Major League Baseball fan vote.
Read MoreDodgers pitcher Max Scherzer is the only Box-Toppers points leader to win one of nine Players Choice Awards for 2021 as voted by the players’ union.
Scherzer, who led all players in 2021 Box-Toppers points with 25.1, was voted National League Outstanding Pitcher.
Read MoreThe Braves who won the 2021 World Series seem very different from the last Braves team that won the World Series in 1995. Comparing how each team fared in Box-Toppers points and rankings in their respective seasons.
Read MoreMarwin Gonzalez of the Astros is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in Sunday’s World Series Game 5.
The Houston Astros win 9-5, holding off the Atlanta Braves, who still lead the best-of-seven game series, 3-2.
Read MoreJorge Soler of the Braves is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in Saturday’s World Series Game 4.
The Atlanta Braves win 3-2 to take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven game series over the Houston Astros.
Read MoreBraves starting pitcher Ian Anderson is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in Friday’s World Series Game 3.
The Atlanta Braves win 2-0 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven game series over the Houston Astros.
Read MoreThe Box-Toppers All-Star teams for the 2021 regular season are led by overall Box-Toppers points leader, Dodgers pitcher Max Scherzer.
The American League and National League All-Star teams are composed of the players with the highest Box-Toppers point totals by position in each league. In addition to the batters—eight in the NL and nine (including the designated hitter) in the AL—are the top four starting pitchers in each league and the top closing pitcher.
Read MoreAstros starting pitcher Jose Urquidy is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in Wednesday’s World Series Game 2.
The Houston Astros win 7-2 to tie the best-of-seven game series with the Atlanta Braves at 1-1.
Read MoreBraves relief pitcher A.J. Minter is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in Tuesday’s World Series Game 1.
The Atlanta Braves win 6-2 to take a 1-0 lead over the Houston Astros in the best-of-seven games series.
Read MoreThe Atlanta Braves hold the Box-Toppers points advantages over the Houston Astros in the 2021 World Series.
The Braves accumulated more total Box-Toppers points during the season than the Astros, their likely starting lineup for the Fall Classic has more Box-Toppers points than the Astros and their starting batting lineup and probable top four starting pitchers also outdistance the Astros in points.
Read MoreBox-Toppers has cast votes for postseason honors for Gerrit Cole, Jose Ramirez and for Max Scherzer—twice.
I have cast my vote in the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) for Dodgers pitcher Scherzer to be both National League Cy Young Award winner and NL Most Valuable Player.
Read MoreBraves relief pitcher Tyler Matzek is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in Saturday’s clinching National League Championship Series Game 6.
Matzek struck out four over two scoreless innings (the seventh and eighth), allowing no hits and no walks, in the 4-2 win over the Dodgers. The Braves win the best-of-seven game series, 4-2, and advance to the World Series.
Read MoreAstros pitcher Luis Garcia is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in Friday’s clinching American League Championship Series Game 6.
Garcia struck out seven over 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk, in the 5-0 win over the Red Sox. The Astros win the best-of-seven game series, 4-2, and advance to the World Series.
Read MoreChris Taylor of the Dodgers is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in Thursday’s National League Championship Series Game 5.
Taylor hit three home runs and went 4-for-5, scoring three times and driving in six runs, in the 11-2 win over the Braves. The Dodgers trail the Braves in the best-of-seven game series, 3-2.
Taylor had a Box-Toppers game score Thursday of +8.0, best among Dodgers players. In the 2021 regular season, there were only eight instances of batters earning Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors with a higher game score, led by the +11.0 achieved by Lourdes Gurriel Jr. of the Blue Jays on Sept. 12 (2HR 2-3 5R 7BI).
Dodgers starting pitcher Joe Kelly had a Box-Toppers game score of -5.8 (0.2IP 2H 2R 0BB 0K ND). AJ Pollock of the Dodgers had a Box-Toppers game score of +5.0 (2HR 3-5 3R 4BI).
Braves starting pitcher Max Fried had a game score of -12.8 (4.2IP 8H 5R 2BB 3K L). Freddie Freeman of the Braves had a game score of 0.0 (HR 1-4 R 2BI).
Taylor earned 4.7 Box-Toppers points in the 2021 regular season, 203rd among all players and 34th among NL batters.
The series resumes with Game 6 in Atlanta on Saturday.
| BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| +8.0 | LAD 11, ATL 2 | Chris Taylor, 3B | 5 | 3 | 4 | 6 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ |
Coming Friday:
The pitching matchup:
Red Sox—Nathan Eovaldi, 14.1 Box-Toppers points, 16th among all players, sixth among AL pitchers.
This is Eovaldi’s fifth appearance of the 2021 postseason. He was Player of the Game Oct. 5 in the AL Wild Card Game win over the Yankees. He also started Oct. 10 in the AL Division Series Game 3 win over the Rays, started Oct. 16 in the AL Championship Series win over the Astros and served as closer Oct. 19 in the ALCS loss to the Astros.
Astros—Luis Garcia, 10.0 Box-Toppers points, 49th among all players, 18th among AL pitchers.
This is Garcia’s third appearance of the 2021 postseason. He started Oct. 10 in the AL Division Series Game 3 loss to the White Sox and Oct. 16 in the AL Championship Series loss to the Red Sox.
Box-Toppers preview of the ALCS from Oct. 14
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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Astros pitcher Framber Valdez and Eddie Rosario of the Braves are Box-Toppers Player of the Game winners in Wednesday’s two league championship series games.
Read MoreDodgers closing pitcher Kenley Jansen and Astros middle reliever Kendall Graveman are Box-Toppers Player of the Game winners in Tuesday’s two league championship series games.
Read MoreBox-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.
