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Box-Toppers is voting for four players for 2023 Hall of Fame induction on the internet writers’ ballot—Todd Helton, Torii Hunter, Jeff Kent and Billy Wagner.
Box-Toppers is voting for four players to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in the 2023 Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) ballot.
Box-Toppers is voting for these players: Todd Helton, Torii Hunter, Jeff Kent and Billy Wagner.
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Los Angeles Dodgers edge out Washington Nationals as Box-Toppers' top preseason team. Champion Cubs slip to 5th after key player losses. Indians rank 1st among AL teams.
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Jayson Werth of the Nationals is top player in Monday’s three league division series playoff games.
Other Players of the Game Monday:
Werth homered, doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in two runs to earn Player of the Game.
Werth had 6.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranked 165th among all players and 23rd among NL batters.
Werth had a Box-Toppers game score of +3.0 Monday to lead all Nationals players.
The Nationals now lead the Dodgers in the best-of-five game series, 2-1, which resumes Tuesday in Los Angeles.
Giants middle reliever Derek Law pitched two scoreless innings—the sixth and seventh—and allowed no hits, one walk and struck out two.
So how did Law earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game? Under Box-Toppers rules, pitchers can qualify to earn Player of the Game honors if they pitch a minimum of three innings or earn the win or save. Law did not meet any of those requirements. However, pitchers can also earn Player of the Game honors if their Box-Toppers game score is higher than the pitcher who otherwise would have earned Player of the Game—if they have the same or more innings pitched. Closer Ty Blach (2IP 2H 0R 0BB K W) was in line to earn Player of the Game based on the fact that he earned the decision and had the highest Box-Toppers game score of qualifying pitchers (+1.0). But since Law pitched the same number of innings and had a higher Box-Toppers game score (+3.0), he wins Player of the Game.
Giants starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner would have qualified to earn Player of the Game honors (because he had more than three innings pitched) but he had a Box-Toppers game score Monday of −5.0 (5IP 7H 3R BB 4K ND). Giants top batter was catcher Buster Posey (3-5 R BI) who had a Box-Toppers game score of 0.0.
Law has 2.0 Box-Toppers points on the season.
Cubs starting pitcher Jake Arrieta (15.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked ninth among all players) had a Box-Toppers game score Monday of 0.0 in the loss (6IP 6H 2R BB 5K ND).
The Giants now trail the Cubs in the best-of-five game series, 2-1, which resumes Tuesday in San Francisco.
Coco Crisp of the Indians hit a sixth-inning two-run homer to earn Player of the Game honors as the Indians swept the Red Sox to advance to the AL Championship Series.
Crisp went 1-for-2 and had a Box-Toppers game score of +2.0.
During the regular season, Crisp had 3.0 Box-Toppers points.
The Indians sweep the Red Sox in the NL Division Series in three games and now face the Blue Jays in the AL Championship Series beginning Friday in Cleveland.
The Red Sox ranked first among all AL teams in Box-Toppers rankings with 128.3 Box-Toppers points (ranking second overall behind the Cubs). The Indians ranked fourth with 123.7, second among AL teams.
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
| BTG | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| 3.0 | WSH 8, LAD 3 | Jayson Werth, LF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | `SF 6, CHC 5 (13) | Derek Law | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2.0 | CLE 4, BOS 3 | Coco Crisp, LF | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| `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 Tuesday, the NL Division Series playoff games resume:
The pitching matchup Tuesday:
Nationals—Joe Ross, 5.7 Box-Toppers points, 173rd among all players, 50th among NL pitchers.
Dodgers—Clayton Kershaw, 24.4 Box-Toppers points, second among all players, second among NL pitchers.
The pitching matchup Tuesday:
Cubs—John Lackey, 13.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked 16th, ninth among NL pitchers.
Giants—Matt Moore, 12.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked 31st, 16th among NL pitchers.
White Sox pitcher Carlos Rodon is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 24.7 |
| 2 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 24.4 |
| 3 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | died* | 22.4 |
| 4 | Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 22.1 |
| 5 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 21.2 |
| 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 Sunday, Cubs pitcher Jon Lester rises to fourth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Plus, Sunday: Jose Fernandez, 24, died in a Miami boating accident. Two of his friends also died. The Miami Marlins pitcher ranked third in Box-Toppers season player rankings with 22.4 Box-Toppers points. Box-Toppers will have more on Fernandez in a coming, separate post.
Player of the Day—Rodon struck out 11 over eight scoreless innings, allowing two hits and walking three, in the 3-0 win over the Indians.
National League Player of the Day—Mets pitcher Robert Gsellman struck out eight over seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits and two walks, in the 17-0 win over the Phillies.
This was Gsellman’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Gsellman made his Major League debut Aug. 23 and was playing in his seventh career game. He is the 3,748th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
American League Batter of the Day—Alex Gordon of the Royals hit a homer and two doubles, going 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 12-9 win over the Tigers.
National League Batter of the Day—Jayson Werth of the Nationals hit a game-tying, eighth-inning, pinch-hit, two-run homer in the 10-7 win over the Pirates.
Rankings—Cubs pitcher Jon Lester rises to fourth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.
Lester (6.2IP 3H 0R BB 7K W in the 3-1 win over the Cardinals) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 22.1 for the season.
Lester now has 143.2 career Box-Toppers points, 26th-most since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. He trails 25th-ranked player Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers (143.9) on the “all-time” list.
Scoring—Rodon earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Gsellman earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Gordon and Werth each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Sunday’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
| 9/25 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 14.0 | CHW 3, CLE 0 | Carlos Rodon (W,8-10) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 11 | |
| 11.1 | `BOS 3, TB 2 (10) | Eduardo Rodriguez | - | - | - | - | 5.1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 13 | ||
| NL | 10.0 | NYM 17, PHI 0 | Robert Gsellman (W,3-2) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | |
| 9.2 | CHC 3, STL 1 | Jon Lester (W,19-4) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | ||
| BAT | 7.0 | KC 12, DET 9 | Alex Gordon, LF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 7.0 | OAK 7, TEX 1 | Jharel Cotton (W,2-0) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 6.0 | `TOR 4, NYY 3 | Marco Estrada | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | ||
| 6.0 | CIN 4, MIL 2 | Brandon Finnegan (W,10-11) | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 4.0 | BAL 2, ARI 1 | Dylan Bundy (W,10-6) | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 3.0 | SEA 4, MIN 3 | Nelson Cruz, DH | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | WSH 10, PIT 7 | Jayson Werth, PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.1 | `LAD 4, COL 3 (10) | Brandon McCarthy | - | - | - | - | 5.1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 2.0 | HOU 4, LAA 1 | Joe Musgrove (W,4-4) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 1.2 | SD 4, SF 3 | Brad Hand (S,1) | - | - | - | - | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 0.0 | stl-chc | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `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 | +/- |
| Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 22.1 | 34.1 | 80.3 | 143.2 | 10.1 |
| Estrada, Marco 2847 | pi sp | tor al | 11.0 | 19.0 | 43.1 | 43.1 | 3.0 |
| Rodon, Carlos 3494 | pi sp | chi al | 7.0 | 15.1 | 15.1 | 15.1 | -1.1 |
| Finnegan, Brandon 3535 | pi sp | cin nl | 7.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 4.0 |
| Cruz, Nelson Ramon 2224 | dh | sea al | 6.5 | 8.5 | 34.2 | 53.7 | 4.5 |
| Werth, Jayson 1664 | lf | dc nl | 6.0 | 9.0 | 23.0 | 50.2 | 3.0 |
| Bundy, Dylan 3655 | pi sp | bal al | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Hand, Brad 2907 | pi mr | sd nl | 5.0 | 6.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 4.0 |
| Rodriguez, Eduardo 3480 | pi sp | bos al | 4.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 | -1.3 |
| Musgrove, Joe 3705 | pi sp | hou al | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
| McCarthy, Brandon 2082 | pi sp | lad nl | 2.7 | 4.7 | 27.8 | 36.5 | 0.7 |
| Cotton, Jharel 3733 | pi sp | oak al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Gsellman, Robert 3748 | pi sp | nym nl | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| Gordon, Alex 2328 | lf | kc al | 1.5 | 6.0 | 22.0 | 31.5 | -3.0 |
Yankees pitcher Chad Green is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
| 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 | Happ, J.A. 2536 | pi sp | tor al | 12.7 |
| 10 | Altuve, Jose 3007 | 2b | hou al | 12.5 |
Also Monday, Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez rises to 10th place in career Box-Toppers points (since 1995 when Box-Toppers tracking began) after earning Player of the Game honors. Hernandez passes Johan Santana who had been among Box-Toppers “all-time” top 10 players for more than six years.
Player of the Day—Green pitched six scoreless innings, striking out 11 and allowing two hits and no walks, in the 1-0 win over the Blue Jays.
National League Player of the Day—Marlins pitcher David Phelps struck out eight over 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs, four hits and one walk, in the 6-3 win over the Reds.
American League Batter of the Day—Adrian Beltre of the Rangers hit a grand slam, going 1-for-2, in the 5-2 win over the Athletics.
Beltre earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 109.8 for his career, rising to 53rd place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Monday, Beltre passes three players on the “all-time” list—Billy Wagner (108.7), Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright (109.0) and Jeff Kent (109.7). Beltre now trails 52nd-ranked player Tom Glavine (110.6).
Beltre also has 8.0 Box-Toppers points for the season, rising to seventh place among AL batters.
National League Batter of the Day—Wellington Castillo of the Diamondbacks hit two doubles and went 4-for-5, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 10-6 win over the Mets.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Randy Johnson | pi sp | retired | 278.8 |
| 2 | Pedro Martinez | pi sp | retired | 244.8 |
| 3 | Curt Schilling | pi sp | retired | 194.1 |
| 4 | Alex Rodriguez | dh | released | 187.0 |
| 5 | CC Sabathia | pi sp | nyy al | 182.0 |
| 6 | Albert Pujols | 1b dh | ana al | 181.3 |
| 7 | Clayton Kershaw | pi sp | lad nl | 179.3 |
| 8 | Roy Halladay | pi sp | retired | 170.7 |
| 9 | Manny Ramirez | lf dh | retired | 167.2 |
| 10 | Felix Hernandez | pi sp | sea al | 166.7 |
| 11 | Johan Santana | pi sp | free agent | 166.6 |
| 12 | Roger Clemens | pi sp | retired | 164.8 |
| 13 | John Smoltz | pi sp | retired | 160.9 |
| 14 | Tim Hudson | pi sp | retired | 157.0 |
| 15 | Zack Greinke | pi sp | ari nl | 156.1 |
| 16 | Mike Mussina | pi sp | retired | 155.6 |
| 17 | Barry Bonds | lf | retired | 153.2 |
| 18 | Greg Maddux | pi sp | retired | 151.7 |
| 19 | Chipper Jones | 3b | retired | 149.0 |
| 20 | Javier Vazquez | pi sp | retired | 148.3 |
Hernandez—Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez rises to 10th place in career Box-Toppers points (since 1995 when Box-Toppers tracking began) after earning Player of the Game honors Monday.
Hernandez (6.2IP 4H 2R 4BB 8K W in the 3-2 win over the Angels) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 166.7 for his career. He passes Johan Santana (166.6) on the “all-time” list. Santana has been in the top 10 since July 23, 2010, when he reached 151.9 career Box-Toppers points, passing Greg Maddux (151.7). Hernandez now trails ninth-place player Manny Ramirez (167.2).
Hernandez has 4.0 Box-Toppers points on the season, 15.4 points below his 2015 total of 19.4, when he ranked eighth among all players.
Notable—Red Sox pitcher Drew Pomeranz has the highest Box-Toppers season point total of the 10 who earned Player of the Game honors Monday.
Pomeranz (7.2IP 5H 2R 2BB 6K W in the 3-2 win over the Indians) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.4 for the season, rising to 15th place among all players and fourth among AL pitchers. It is the first point he has earned since being traded from the Padres to the Red Sox July 15.
Scherzer—Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer had the chance to take the season Box-Toppers points lead Monday, but did not earn Player of the Game honors in his team’s 5-4 win over the Rockies.
Scherzer (4IP 7H 4R 2BB 3K ND) had a Box-Toppers game score of −10, uncharacteristically low for him. Player of the Game was Jayson Werth (HR 2-4 R 2BI) with a Box-Toppers game score of +1.0.
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw has led Box-Toppers season player rankings since May 7 and continues to lead even after being on the disabled list for six weeks. Kershaw has 20.0 Box-Toppers points, Scherzer has 18.7. Had Scherzer won overall Player of the Day or NL Player of the Day honors, he would have passed Kershaw for the lead. Kershaw could return to pitch as soon as late August.
Scoring—Green earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Phelps earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Beltre and Castillo each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Monday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 8/15 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 15.0 | NYY 1, TOR 0 | Chad Green (W,2-2) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | |
| 6.0 | TB 8, SD 2 | Drew Smyly (W,5-11) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| NL | 4.1 | MIA 6, CIN 3 | David Phelps (W,6-6) | - | - | - | - | 5.1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | |
| BAT | 4.0 | TEX 5, OAK 2 | Adrian Beltre, 3B | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.2 | KC 3, DET 1 | Ian Kennedy (W,7-9) | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | ARI 10, NYM 6 | Welington Castillo, C | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | PIT 8, SF 5 | Gregory Polanco, RF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.2 | BOS 3, CLE 2 | Drew Pomeranz (W,9-9) | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 2.2 | SEA 3, LAA 2 | Felix Hernandez (W,7-4) | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | ||
| 1.0 | WSH 5, COL 4 | Jayson Werth, LF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Pomeranz, Drew 3061 | pi sp | bos al | 11.4 | 14.4 | 22.4 | 22.4 | 8.4 |
| Beltre, Adrian 1141 | 3b | tex al | 8.0 | 20.5 | 46.4 | 109.8 | -4.5 |
| Kennedy, Ian 2723 | pi sp | kc al | 8.0 | 14.7 | 58.5 | 64.5 | 1.3 |
| Smyly, Drew 3009 | pi sp | tb al | 7.4 | 13.4 | 35.5 | 35.5 | 1.4 |
| Phelps, David 2994 | pi mr sp | fla nl | 5.7 | 9.1 | 22.5 | 22.5 | 2.3 |
| Polanco, Gregory 3361 | rf | pit nl | 5.5 | 8.5 | 12.5 | 12.5 | 2.5 |
| Werth, Jayson 1664 | lf | dc nl | 4.5 | 7.5 | 21.5 | 48.7 | 1.5 |
| Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 4.0 | 23.4 | 89.4 | 166.7 | -15.4 |
| Castillo, Wellington 3251 | ca | ari nl | 3.0 | 6.5 | 9.5 | 9.5 | -0.5 |
| Green, Chad 3675 | pi sp | nyy al | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
Padres pitcher Edwin Jackson is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
| 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 | Happ, J.A. 2536 | pi sp | tor al | 12.7 |
| 10 | Lackey, John 1640 | pi sp | chi nl | 12.4 |
Also Wednesday, Blue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ rises to ninth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings and Matt Carpenter of the Cardinals extends his Box-Toppers points lead among National League batters after both earned Player of the Game honors.
Plus, Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez passes Roger Clemens on the career Box-Toppers points list, rising to 11th place.
Player of the Day—Jackson pitched seven scoreless innings,allowing two hit and three walks and striking out seven, in the 4-0 win over the Pirates.
American League Player of the Day—Blue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ pitched six scoreless innings, striking out seven and allowing four hits and two walks, in the 7-0 win over the Rays.
Happ earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 12.7 for the season, rising to ninth in season player rankings, third among AL pitchers.
National League Batter of the Day—Jayson Werth of the Nationals hit a three-run homer and doubled, going 2-for-3, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 7-4 win over the Indians.
American League Batter of the Day—Gary Sanchez of the Yankees homered and went 4-for-5, scoring twice, in the 9-4 win over the Red Sox.
This was Sanchez’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Sanchez made his Major League debut Oct. 3, 2015, and was playing in his ninth career game. He is the 3,701st player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Rankings—Matt Carpenter of the Cardinals extended his season Box-Toppers points lead among NL batters after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.
Carpenter (HR 3B 2-3 2R BI in the 3-2 win over the Reds) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 8.5 for the season. He ranks 34th among all players. This was his first Player of the Game honor and first Box-Toppers point since June 28, when he took the lead among NL batters.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Randy Johnson | pi sp | retired | 278.8 |
| 2 | Pedro Martinez | pi sp | retired | 244.8 |
| 3 | Curt Schilling | pi sp | retired | 194.1 |
| 4 | Alex Rodriguez | dh | nyy al | 187.0 |
| 5 | CC Sabathia | pi sp | nyy al | 182.0 |
| 6 | Albert Pujols | 1b dh | ana al | 181.3 |
| 7 | Clayton Kershaw | pi sp | lad nl | 179.3 |
| 8 | Roy Halladay | pi sp | retired | 170.7 |
| 9 | Manny Ramirez | lf dh | retired | 167.2 |
| 10 | Johan Santana | pi sp | free agent | 166.6 |
| 11 | Felix Hernandez | pi sp | sea al | 165.7 |
| 12 | Roger Clemens | pi sp | retired | 164.8 |
| 13 | John Smoltz | pi sp | retired | 160.9 |
| 14 | Tim Hudson | pi sp | retired | 157.0 |
| 15 | Zack Greinke | pi sp | ari nl | 156.1 |
| 16 | Mike Mussina | pi sp | retired | 155.6 |
| 17 | Barry Bonds | lf | retired | 153.2 |
| 18 | Greg Maddux | pi sp | retired | 151.7 |
| 19 | Chipper Jones | 3b | retired | 149.0 |
| 20 | Javier Vazquez | pi sp | retired | 148.3 |
Notable—Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez passes Roger Clemens in Box-Toppers “all-time” rankings, rising to 11th place, after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.
Hernandez (7IP 3H R 4BB 8K ND in the 3-1 win over the Tigers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 165.7 career points. He rises to 11th place among all players and eighth place among all pitchers (passing Clemens’s 164.8) in Box-Toppers points since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. Hernandez now trails 10th-place player Johan Santana (166.6).
While Hernandez passes Clemens on the “all-time” list, it should be noted that Clemens’s career began in 1984, before Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995, and so he would likely have more Box-Toppers points (rough estimates based on projections put his career total at about 320 Box-Toppers points).
Hernandez’s meteoric rise up Box-Toppers “all-time” rankings has been slowed somewhat this year by injury. He only has 3.0 Box-Toppers points this year and has not earned points since May 21, when he inched within 0.1 point of Clemens’s career total. From 2009 to 2015, Hernandez had seven straight seasons with 10 or more Box-Toppers points, including two with more than 20 and five with 18 or more. He had 20.8 points in 2014 and 19.4 in 2015. Despite his consistently high totals, Hernandez has never led AL pitchers in Box-Toppers points in any season.
Also notable—Phillies pitcher Jeremy Hellickson became the 21st player this season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.
Hellickson (5IP 3H R BB 7K ND in the 6-2 win over the Dodgers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.1 for the season, rising to 21st place among all players and 12th among NL pitchers. It is Hellickson’s first 10-point season. His previous season high was 9.0 Box-Toppers points in 2012 with the Rays.
Scoring—Jackson earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Happ earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Werth and Sanchez 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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 8/10 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 9.0 | SD 4, PIT 0 | Edwin Jackson (W,3-2) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | |
| 8.0 | `ARI 3, NYM 2 (12) | Robbie Ray | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 7.0 | CHC 3, LAA 1 | Jason Hammel (W,12-5) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | ||
| AL | 7.0 | TOR 7, TB 0 | J.A. Happ (W,16-3) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |
| 6.0 | `SEA 3, DET 1 | Felix Hernandez | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 8 | ||
| 6.0 | `PHI 6, LAD 2 | Jeremy Hellickson | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | WSH 7, CLE 4 | Jayson Werth, LF | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | KC 3, CHW 2 (14) | Dillon Gee (W,4-5) | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 4.0 | OAK 1, BAL 0 | Ross Detwiler (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.2 | SF 1, MIA 0 | Jeff Samardzija (W,10-8) | - | - | - | - | 5.2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 2.0 | NYY 9, BOS 4 | Gary Sanchez, DH | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | STL 3, CIN 2 | Matt Carpenter, 1B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | TEX 5, COL 4 | Matt Bush (S,1) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2.0 | MIL 4, ATL 3 | Tyler Thornburg (S,4) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| `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 | +/- |
| Happ, J.A. 2536 | pi sp | tor al | 12.7 | 25.8 | 41.2 | 49.2 | -0.4 |
| Hellickson, Jeremy 2778 | pi sp | phi nl | 10.1 | 15.1 | 38.8 | 41.8 | 5.1 |
| Hammel, Jason 2235 | pi sp | chi nl | 9.0 | 18.7 | 42.1 | 55.2 | -0.7 |
| Carpenter, Matt 2987 | 3b 1b 2b | stl nl | 8.5 | 14.0 | 28.5 | 28.5 | 3.0 |
| Samardzija, Jeff 2495 | pi sp | sf nl | 5.7 | 15.1 | 43.8 | 44.8 | -3.7 |
| Ray, Robbie 3502 | pi sp | ari nl | 4.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 0.7 |
| Werth, Jayson 1664 | lf | dc nl | 3.5 | 6.5 | 20.5 | 47.7 | 0.5 |
| Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 3.0 | 22.4 | 88.4 | 165.7 | -16.4 |
| Thornburg, Tyler 3195 | pi cp mr | mil nl | 3.0 | 3.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 3.0 |
| Gee, Dillon 2808 | pi sp | kc al | 2.0 | 3.0 | 29.8 | 30.8 | 1.0 |
| Jackson, Edwin 1812 | pi sp | sd nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 21.0 | 42.8 | 2.0 |
| Bush, Matt 3673 | pi mr cp | tex al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Sanchez, Gary 3701 | dh | nyy al | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Detwiler, Ross 2971 | pi sp | oak al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 0.0 |
Mariners pitcher Taijuan Walker is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to eighth place among American League pitchers in Box-Toppers points.
Also Monday, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw regained the Box-Toppers season points lead, marking the fifth lead change this month between him and Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta, a race for the lead coming down to the wire in the season’s final weeks.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 22.7 |
| 2 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 22.1 |
| 3 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 20.4 |
| 4 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | lad nl | 19.7 |
| 5 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 19.4 |
| 6 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 19.4 |
| 7 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | tor al | 19.1 |
| 8 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 17.1 |
| 9 | Bumgarner, Madison 2753 | pi sp | sf nl | 17.0 |
| 10 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 17.0 |
Player of the Day—Walker struck out seven over seven innings, allowing one run and four hits, in the 10-1 win over the Angels.
Walker earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 13.7 for the season. He ranks 16th among all players and eighth among AL pitchers.
National League Player of the Day—Padres pitcher James Shields allowed one run over seven innings, striking out six and giving up four hits, in the 10-3 win over the Diamondbacks.
National League Batter of the Day—Jayson Werth of the Nationals hit two home runs and went 2-for-6, driving in five runs, in the 8-7 win over the Phillies.
American League Batter of the Day—Prince Fielder of the Rangers hit a two-run homer and went 2-for-4, scoring three times and driving in two runs, in the 5-3 win over the Astros.
Fielder earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 10.0 for the season. He becomes the 36th player (and sixth batter) this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points. He ranks 36th among all players and fourth among AL batters.
Rankings—Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw regained the Box-Toppers season player rankings lead for the third time this month after earning Player of the Game honors Monday.
| Date | Player | Team | BTP |
| 4/5 | Adam Wainwright | stl nl | 2.0 |
| 4/6 | Felix Hernandez | sea al | 2.0 |
| 4/13 | Scott Kazmir | oak al | 3.7 |
| 4/18 | Felix Hernandez | sea al | 4.0 |
| 6/26 | Max Scherzer | dc nl | 14.0 |
| 7/9 | Felix Hernandez | sea al | 14.4 |
| 7/12 | Max Scherzer | dc nl | 15.0 |
| 7/24 | Felix Hernandez | sea al | 15.4 |
| 7/26 | Jacob deGrom | nym nl | 16.4 |
| 9/2 | Clayton Kershaw | lad nl | 20.7 |
| 9/5 | Jake Arrieta | chi nl | 21.1 |
| 9/8 | Clayton Kershaw | lad nl | 21.7 |
| 9/11 | Jake Arrieta | chi nl | 22.1 |
| 9/14 | Clayton Kershaw | lad nl | 22.7 |
Kershaw (7IP 3H R 5K W in the 4-1 win over the Rockies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 22.7 for the season. Kershaw passes Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta (22.1 Box-Toppers points) for the lead. Kershaw previously took the lead on Sept. 2 and Sept. 8, only holding it for three days each time when Arrieta passed him. Arrieta is slated to start Wednesday and could regain the lead.
Kershaw also rises to 13th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. Kershaw now has 156.3 career Box-Toppers points and passes two players on the “all-time” list—Mike Mussina (155.6) and Tim Hudson (156.0). (Mussina, who pitched for four seasons before Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995, would likely have about 190 Box-Toppers points if his entire career were tracked, based on rough projections.) Kershaw trails 12th-place player John Smoltz (160.9). Passing Hudson, Kershaw rises to sixth place in Box-Toppers points among active players and third among active pitchers, behind CC Sabathia (179.0) and Felix Hernandez (162.7).
Kershaw also had a Box-Toppers game score Monday of 5.0, the same as NL Player of the Day James Shields of the Padres. But Shields won the tiebreaker because he had more strikeouts—six vs. five.
Notable—Two others who earned Player of the Game honors Monday achieved notable milestones:
Debut—White Sox pitcher Dan Jennings made his Box-Toppers debut Monday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Jennings (2IP 0H 0R 3K W in the 8-7 win over the Athletics) made his Major League debut April 30, 2012, and was playing in his 160th career game. He is the 3,591st player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Walker earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Shields earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Werth and Fielder each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Monday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 9/14 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 8.0 | Mariners | Taijuan Walker (W,11-8) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | |
| 7.2 | `Yankees | CC Sabathia | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 7.0 | `Orioles | Kevin Gausman | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | ||
| 6.0 | Indians | Carlos Carrasco (W,13-10) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | ||
| NL | 5.0 | Padres | James Shields (W,12-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | |
| 5.0 | Dodgers | Clayton Kershaw (W,14-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||
| 5.0 | White Sox | Dan Jennings (W,2-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Nationals | Jayson Werth, LF | 6 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 3.0 | Rangers | Prince Fielder, DH | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.1 | Twins | Tyler Duffey (W,3-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | ||
| 2.1 | Giants | George Kontos (MR) (W,3-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2.0 | Mets | Hansel Robles (MR) (W,4-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
(Other duties have put us behind updating Box-Toppers. Playing catch up …)
Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta, pitching a no-hitter, is Box-Toppers Player of the Day for Sunday, Aug. 30 and rises to second in Box-Toppers player rankings.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 19.4 |
| 2 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 19.1 |
| 3 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 18.7 |
| 4 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | tor al | 18.1 |
| 5 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 17.1 |
| 6 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | lad nl | 17.0 |
| 7 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 16.7 |
| 8 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 16.4 |
| 9 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 16.0 |
| 10 | Gray, Sonny 3259 | pi sp | oak al | 15.8 |
Also Sunday, Michael Cuddyer of the Mets extended to 12 the number of consecutive seasons in which he’s earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
Player of the Day—Arrieta struck out 12 and walked one, pitching the complete-game no-hitter, shutting out the Dodgers, 2-0.
Arrieta earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 19.1 for the season and rising to second in Box-Toppers season player rankings. He trails overall leader, Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom (19.4 Box-Toppers points).
American League Player of the Day—Rangers pitcher Derek Holland pitched a complete game shutout, striking out 11 and allowing three hits, in the 6-0 win over the Orioles.
American League Batter of the Day—Stephen Drew of the Yankees homered and went 4-for-4, scoring three times and driving in four runs, in the 20-6 win over the Braves.
National League Batter of the Day—Jayson Werth of the Nationals hit a two-run homer and doubled, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 7-4 win over the Marlins.
Streak—Michael Cuddyer of the Mets has now earned Box-Toppers points for 12 straight seasons after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.
Cuddyer (3-3 2R BI in the 5-4 win over the Red Sox) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, his first of the season.
Cuddyer earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2004 with the Twins. His best year was 2013 with the Rockies when he had 11.5 Box-Toppers points, ranked third among NL batters. In 2014, he had 3.0 Box-Toppers points with the Rockies.
Cuddyer has 60.7 career Box-Toppers points and ranks 209th among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. He ranks third among active NL outfielders in career Box-Toppers points, behind Matt Holliday of the Cardinals (91.8) and Ryan Braun (77.7).
Trivial—This is the first time this season in which all players in the Box-Toppers top 10 have different Box-Toppers point totals. After the games of Aug. 29, Arrieta and White Sox pitcher Chris Sale both had 17.1 Box-Toppers points, but with Arrieta earning 2.0 Box-Toppers points, each player has a different point total.
Scoring—Arrieta earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Holland earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Drew and Werth each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Sunday’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
| 8/30 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 20.0 | Cubs | Jake Arrieta (W,17-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 | |
| AL | 17.0 | Rangers | Derek Holland (W,2-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | |
| 11.0 | Twins | Ervin Santana (W,3-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | ||
| 8.0 | Rockies | Jorge De La Rosa (W,8-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | ||
| BAT | 7.0 | Yankees | Stephen Drew, 2B | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 6.0 | Padres | James Shields (W,10-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 5.0 | Indians | Josh Tomlin (W,3-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 5.0 | White Sox | David Robertson (W,6-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 4.0 | Blue Jays | Russell Martin, C | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | Brewers | Wily Peralta (W,5-8) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Nationals | Jayson Werth, LF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Mets | Michael Cuddyer, LF-1B | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Cardinals | Kevin Siegrist (S,6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | Rays | Brandon Guyer, RF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Athletics | Pat Venditte (W,1-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who led all players in Box-Toppers points in 2014, was voted National League Most Valuable Player Thursday.
Center fielder Mike Trout of the Angels was the unanimous choice for American League Most Valuable Player, though Trout ranked seventh among AL batters in Box-Toppers points in 2014.
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Reds pitcher Alfredo Simon is Wednesday’s Player of the Day, while Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer bolstered his Box-Toppers points lead among American League pitchers.
Simon struck out eight over 6 2/3 innings, allowing one run, in the 4-1 win over the Cubs.
Scherzer, American League Player of the Day, added to his lead among AL pitchers in Box-Toppers points and maintained his second-place spot in overall player rankings. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Scherzer struck out seven over seven innings, allowing one run, in the 4-1 win over the Dodgers. He earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 16.1 for the season. He widens his lead over second-place AL pitcher Masahiro Tanaka of the Yankees (12.7 Box-Toppers points). He ties Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw with 16.1 Box-Toppers points, but Kershaw maintains the overall player rankings lead on a tie-breaker—he has more points since the start of the 2013 season—37.8 vs. 34.2.
Scherzer is only 2.0 Box-Toppers points away from his 2013 total of 18.1, his best season, a year in which he led all AL players.
Robbie Grossman of the Astros is AL Batter of the Day. Grossman went 4-for-5, scored twice and drove in two runs, in the 8-4 win over the Rangers.
Jayson Werth of the Nationals is National League Batter of the Day. Werth homered and went 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 6-2 win over the Orioles.
Notables: Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies rose to eighth place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Tulowitzki homered twice in the 6-3 win over the Padres, earning 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.6 for the season. He rejoins the overall top 10 after being bumped July 6 and is again the only batter on the list.
Tulowitzki also surpassed his highest Box-Toppers points total for a season with 11.6. His previous high was 11.5 during the 2011 season.
Chris Colabello of the Twins, who early in the season led all players in Box-Toppers points before slumping and being sent to the minors, earned Player of the Game honors Wednesday for the first time since his return to the Majors. Colabello (2-4 R 2BI in the 8-1 win over the Mariners) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 6.2 for the season. He ranks sixth among all AL batters. He last earned Player of the Game honors April 17.
Simon receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Scherzer receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Grossman and Werth each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.
All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed Wednesday, click here.
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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 709 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 6.2 | Reds | Alfredo Simon (W, 12-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | |
| AL | 6.0 | Tigers | Max Scherzer (W, 11-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | |
| 4.0 | Phillies | Roberto Hernandez (W, 4-8) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 4.0 | Yankees | Chase Whitley (W, 4-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 4.0 | Red Sox | Koji Uehara (W, 5-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Astros | Robbie Grossman RF | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 3.0 | Nationals | Jayson Werth RF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | `Ddbacks | Josh Collmenter | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 3.0 | Angels | Joe Smith (S, 12) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | Royals | Greg Holland (S, 24) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | `Giants | Sergio Romo (H, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | Rockies | Troy Tulowitzki SS | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Cardinals | Matt Holliday LF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Mets | Dillon Gee (W, 4-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 1.0 | Twins | Chris Colabello 1B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto is Wednesday’s Player of the Day, while Jose Abreu of the White Sox took over the Box-Toppers points lead among American League batters and Masahiro Tanaka of the Yankees extended his points lead among AL pitchers.
Cueto pitched six scoreless innings and struck out 12 in the 5-0 win over the Dodgers. Cueto rose to third place in Box-Toppers season player rankings (see the updated top 10 player list on the home page), earning 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 10.7 for the season. He is the second-ranked National League pitcher, behind overall Box-Toppers points leader Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals (12.0).
Jose Abreu of the White Sox took over the Box-Toppers points lead among AL batters after earning AL Batter of the Day honors. Abreu homered and went 3-for-4 in the 8-2 win over the Tigers. Abreu earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points, giving him 8.5 for the season, passing previous AL batting leader Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers (7.5). Abreu rises to 11th place among all players in Box-Toppers points.
Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka extended his Box-Toppers points lead among AL pitchers after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday. Tanaka pitched a complete game and struck out 11 in the 4-2 win over the Mariners. He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.7 for the season. He is in second place among all players, behind only Wainwright (12.0) (see the updated top 10 player list on the home page).
Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish is American League Player of the Day. Darvish pitched a complete game shutout and struck out 10 in the 6-0 win over the Marlins.
Jayson Werth of the Nationals is NL Batter of the Day. Werth homered, went 2-for-4 and drove in three runs in the 6-2 win over the Giants.
Notable: Astros pitcher Dallas Keuchel rises to 10th place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday (see the updated top 10 player list on the home page). Keuchel (8IP 1R 5K W in the 5-1 win over the Diamondbacks) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 8.7 for the season. He is in fourth place among AL pitchers.
Cueto receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Darvish receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Werth and Abreu each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.
All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed Wednesday, click here.
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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 611 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 15.0 | Reds | Johnny Cueto (W, 6-5) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |
| 13.0 | `Phillies | Cole Hamels | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | ||
| AL | 10.0 | Rangers | Yu Darvish (W, 7-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | |
| 10.0 | Orioles | Wei-Yin Chen (W, 7-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | ||
| 9.0 | Yankees | Masahiro Tanaka (W, 10-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 11 | ||
| 9.0 | Twins | Phil Hughes (W, 7-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | ||
| 6.0 | Astros | Dallas Keuchel (W, 8-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 5.0 | Rockies | Tyler Matzek (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | ||
| 3.1 | Rays | Grant Balfour (S, 10) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Nationals | Jayson Werth RF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Pirates | Andrew McCutchen CF | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.1 | Brewers | Wily Peralta (W, 6-5) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 2.0 | White Sox | Jose Abreu 1B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | Royals | Alcides Escobar SS | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Athletics | Yoenis Cespedes LF | 5 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw secured his spot as Box-Toppers 2013 Player of the Season Friday, while Braves pitcher Kris Medlen was Player of the Day.
Kershaw, who earned Player of the Game honors in Friday's 11-0 win against the Rockies, now has 21.7 Box-Toppers points. He has been atop Box-Toppers player rankings since Sept. 21 and with only two games left in the season, it is wildly unlikely any other player can catch him (see the updated top 10 list on the home page).
Kershaw now leads the second-place player, teammate Zack Greinke (19.4), by 2.3 Box-Toppers points, so even if Greinke earns Player of the Day honors in his final start Saturday against the Rockies, he can only earn 2.0 Box-Toppers points and would have 21.4—not enough to catch Kershaw.
This is the second time Kershaw has earned Box-Toppers Player of the Season honors. He was also top player in 2011, when he had 26.1 Box-Toppers points. He was top National League player in Box-Toppers points in 2012 with 20.8.
Kershaw (6IP 0R 8K W in win vs. Rockies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, putting him at 21.7 for the season.
Medlen, Friday's top player, pitched eight shutout innings, gave up only two hits and struck out seven in the 1-0 win over the Phillies. Medlen earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 11.0 for the season, putting him in 42nd place in Box-Toppers player rankings.
Royals pitcher James Shields is American League Player of the Day. Shields struck out 10 over seven innings in the 6-1 win over the White Sox.
Jayson Werth of the Nationals is NL Batter of the Day. Werth hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-2 with two walks in the 8-4 win over the Diamondbacks.
Jonny Gomes of the Red Sox is AL Batter of the Day. Gomes homered and went 3-for-4 in the 12-3 win over the Orioles.
Notables: Three other players who earned Player of the Game honors Friday are among the top 50 in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season:
Coming Saturday: Two pitchers in Box-Toppers player rankings top 10 are scheduled to start Saturday:
Medlen receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Shields receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Werth and Gomes each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.
All of Friday's other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 927 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 11.0 | Braves | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Kris Medlen (W, 15-12) | 8.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | ||
| 11.0 | Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Lance Lynn (W, 15-10) | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | |||
| AL | 10.0 | Royals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | James Shields (W, 13-9) | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 10.0 | Dodgers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Clayton Kershaw (W, 16-9) | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |||
| 6.0 | Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | A.J. Burnett (W, 10-11) | 8.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |||
| 6.0 | Athletics | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Bartolo Colon (W, 18-6) | 6.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | |||
| 6.0 | Yankees | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Adam Warren (W, 3-2) | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |||
| BAT | 5.0 | Nationals | Jayson Werth RF | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3.0 | Giants | Juan Perez CF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| BAT | 3.0 | Red Sox | Jonny Gomes LF | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3.0 | Indians | Drew Stubbs CF | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 3.0 | Rangers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Neal Cotts (W, 7-3) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
| 2.0 | Blue Jays | Moises Sierra RF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2.0 | Brewers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Jim Henderson (S, 28) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 2.0 | `Marlins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Chad Qualls (H, 15) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
Note: Box-Toppers is playing catch-up after time away. These are Box-Toppers results for Saturday, Aug. 10:
Marlins pitcher Nathan Eovaldi is Saturday's Player of the Day. Eovaldi gave up one hit and no runs over seven innings, striking out nine, in the 1-0 win over the Braves. Eovaldi, however, did not pick up the win, leaving with the game tied 0-0.
Tigers pitcher Anibal Sanchez is American League Player of the Day. Sanchez struck out eight over seven innings in the 9-3 win over the Yankees.
Sanchez is now in 18th place in season player Box-Toppers points. Sanchez earned 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 11.7 for the season.
Jayson Werth of the Nationals is National League Batter of the Day. Werth homered, drove in three and went 3-for-5 in the 8-5 win over the Phillies.
Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays is AL Batter of the Day. Bautista hit a two-run homer and went 3-for-4 in the 5-4 win over the Athletics.
Notable: Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke is now in 13th place in season player Box-Toppers points. Greinke (6.1IP 0R 7K W in the 5-0 win vs. the Rays) was Player of the Game, earning 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 12.7 for the season.
Eovaldi receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Sanchez receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Werth and Bautista each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.
All of Saturday's other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 810 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 11.0 | `Marlins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Nathan Eovaldi | 7.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | ||
| 9.0 | Brewers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Tom Gorzelanny (W, 3-4) | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |||
| 6.1 | Dodgers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Zack Greinke (W, 10-3) | 6.1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | |||
| AL | 6.0 | Tigers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Anibal Sanchez (W, 10-7) | 7.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 5.0 | `Giants | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Chad Gaudin | 5.0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6 | |||
| BAT | 4.0 | Nationals | Jayson Werth RF | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 4.0 | Cubs | Welington Castillo C | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| BAT | 3.0 | Blue Jays | Jose Bautista RF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3.0 | Padres | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Tyson Ross (W, 3-5) | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | |||
| 2.1 | Mets | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Zack Wheeler (W, 5-2) | 6.1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | |||
| 2.1 | Red Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Brandon Workman (W, 3-1) | 1.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |||
| 2.0 | White Sox | Jordan Danks RF | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2.0 | Rockies | Jonathan Herrera 2B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1.0 | Angels | J.B. Shuck LF | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1.0 | Rangers | Alex Rios RF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
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.