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The Cleveland Indians are the top-ranked team in Box-Toppers’ 2018 preseason rankings, the same position where they finished the 2017 season.
The Nationals top NL teams and the World Series-champion Astros fall to 8th.
Meanwhile, the New York Mets made the biggest offseason improvement in players’ accumulated Box-Toppers points, while the Tampa Bay Rays and the Kansas City Royals had the biggest declines.
Read MoreThree of the four players who won Cy Young or Most Valuable Player awards in 2017 also led their teams in Box-Toppers points for the season.
The only exception: American League Most Valuable Player Jose Altuve did not lead Astros batters in Box-Toppers points. In fact, with only 2.5 Box-Toppers points, he finished 11th among Astros batters and 21st among all Astros players.
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The Los Angeles Dodgers remain Box-Toppers top-ranked team for the 11th week despite two straight lackluster weeks of earning only 1.0 Box-Toppers point per week.
Meanwhile, the streaking Cleveland Indians regain the Box-Toppers points lead among American League teams and are the week’s hottest team.
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The Los Angeles Dodgers top Box-Toppers team rankings for the 10th straight week despite earning only 1.0 Box-Toppers point during the past week.
Meanwhile, the Houston Astros bounce back to lead American League teams in Box-Toppers rankings on the strength of two August deadline acquisitions. The Astros also gained more Box-Toppers points than any other team during the past week mainly because of those trades.
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White Sox pitcher Miguel Gonzalez is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
| 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 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 4.7 |
| 4 | Santana, Ervin 2005 | pi sp | min 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 |
Gonzalez allowed one run and two hits over eight innings, striking out five, in the 12-1 win over the Royals. He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 3.0 for the season, most of any of Monday’s top players and rises to 13th in season player rankings.
National League Player of the Day—Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke struck out 11 over six innings, allowing one run and six hits, in the 7-6 win over the Padres. Greinke had a Box-Toppers game score of +9.0, same as overall Player of the Day Gonzalez, but Gonzalez ranks ahead on a tiebreaker because he had more innings pitched than Greinke, eight vs. six.
Greinke earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 158.8 for his career, 14th-most among all players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. He trails 13th-ranked player John Smoltz (160.9).
National League Batter of the Day—Eric Thames of the Brewers hit two home runs and went 2-for-3, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 11-7 win over the Reds.
This was Thames’ first Box-Toppers point in more than four years. He last earned Player of the Game honors on Aug. 1, 2012, when he was with the Mariners. It is only his third career Player of the Game honor—he was also Player of the Game on July 10, 2011, with the Blue Jays and now has 4.0 career Box-Toppers points.
Thames spent 2014, 2015 and 2016 playing in Korea, winning the the Korea Baseball Organization Most Valuable Player award in 2015. He currently leads Major League Baseball in season runs (24) and home runs (10).
American League Batter of the Day—Adam Jones of the Orioles homered, doubled and went 3-for-3, driving in two runs, in the 6-3 win over the Rays.
Jones has now earned Box-Toppers points in 11 straight seasons with his first Player of the Game honor of 2017. He earned his first points in 2007 with the Mariners and has 51.0 career points, fifth among active AL outfielders. His best season was 2014 with the Orioles when he had 11.5 points, third among AL batters. In 2016 with the Orioles, he barely kept the streak alive, earning only 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
Streak—Giants pitcher Matt Cain has now earned Box-Toppers points in 13 straight seasons after earning Player of the Game honors Monday.
Cain (6IP 2H 0R BB 3K W in the 2-1 win over the Dodgers) earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2005 with the Giants and now has 100.7 career Box-Toppers points, 11th among active NL pitchers. His best season was 2010 with the Giants when he had 16.1 points, seventh among NL pitchers. During the last three seasons he barely kept the streak alive earning Player of the Game honors two or fewer times each season. In 2014, he had just 1.0 Box-Toppers point, in 2015, he had 2.0 and in 2016 he had 2.7.
Cain also becomes the 76th player since 1995 to reach 100 career Box-Toppers points (100.7). With his point Monday, he rises to 73rd on Box-Toppers “all-time” career points list, passing four players—Johnny Cueto of the Giants (99.8), Larry Walker (100.1), Jeff Bagwell (100.4) and Paul Konerko (100.7).
Scoring—Gonzalez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Greinke earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Thames and Jones 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.
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.
| 4/24 | Score | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 9.0 | CHW 12, KC 1 | Miguel Gonzalez (W,3-0) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |
| NL | 9.0 | ARI 7, SD 6 | Zack Greinke (W,2-2) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 11 | |
| 6.0 | SF 2, LAD 1 | Matt Cain (W,2-0) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | MIL 11, CIN 7 | Eric Thames, 1B-LF | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.1 | COL 8, WSH 4 | Carlos Estevez (W,2-0) | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | BAL 6, TB 3 | Adam Jones, CF | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | LAA 2, TOR 1 | Jesse Chavez (W,2-3) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | ||
| 2.0 | CHC 14, PIT 3 | Addison Russell, SS | 6 | 3 | 4 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | MIN 3, TEX 2 | Brandon Kintzler (S,5) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’17 | ’16-17 | ’12-17 | Career | +/- |
| Gonzalez, Miguel 3062 | pi sp | chi al | 3.0 | 12.1 | 40.9 | 40.9 | -6.1 |
| Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | ari nl | 2.7 | 12.4 | 81.7 | 158.8 | -7.0 |
| Russell, Addison 3559 | ss | chi nl | 2.0 | 5.5 | 8.0 | 8.0 | -1.5 |
| Chavez, Jesse 2780 | pi sp | ana al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 21.1 | 22.1 | 2.0 |
| Kintzler, Brandon 3150 | pi cp | min al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 2.0 |
| Jones, Adam 2347 | cf | bal al | 1.5 | 2.5 | 33.5 | 51.0 | 0.5 |
| Thames, Eric 2909 | 1b lf | mil nl | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 4.0 | 1.5 |
| Estevez, Carlos 3641 | pi cp mr | col nl | 1.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | -4.0 |
| Cain, Matt 2081 | pi sp | sf nl | 1.0 | 3.7 | 27.4 | 100.7 | -1.7 |
Rockies pitcher Tyler Chatwood is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 25.7 |
| 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 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym nl | 16.7 |
| 8 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 15.7 |
| 9 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 15.4 |
| 10 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 15.1 |
Chatwood pitched eight scoreless innings, striking out nine and allowing three hits and two walks, in the 2-0 win over the Giants.
American League Player of the Day—White Sox pitcher Miguel Gonzalez pitched 8 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing three hits, no walks and striking out five, in the 1-0 win over the Rays.
National League Batter of the Day—John Jaso of the Pirates hit for the cycle (single, double, triple and three-run homer) in the 8-4 win over the Cubs. Jaso went 4-for-4, scoring twice and driving in five runs.
American League Batter of the Day—Carlos Gomez of the Rangers hit a go-ahead, eighth-inning, three-run homer in the 8-5 win over the Brewers. Gomez also doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring twice. This was the second straight day Gomez earned Player of the Game honors. He has 4.5 Box-Toppers points on the season, 2.5 earned in the past two days.
Notable—Two batters with more than 100 career Box-Toppers points earned Player of the Game honors Wednesday:
Cabrera also has the highest season Box-Toppers point total (12.0) of any of the 15 who earnedPlayer of the Game honors Wednesday. Cabrera ranks 31st among all players, fourth among AL batters, behind Manny Machado of the Orioles (12.7), Mike Trout of the Angels (12.5) and Jose Altuve of the Astros (12.5).
Also notable—Hunter Renfroe of the Padres, who made his Box-Toppers debut Tuesday, earned Player of the Game honors for the second straight day Wednesday, one of two players who earned Box-Toppers points two days in a row. (The other was AL Batter of the Day Carlos Gomez.)
Renfroe (HR 2-4 2R 4BI in the 6-5 win over the Dodgers) now has 2.5 Box-Toppers points.
Debut—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Wednesday with their first career Player of the Game honors:
Scoring—Chatwood earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Gonzalez earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Jaso and Gomez 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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 9/28 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 12.0 | COL 2, SF 0 | Tyler Chatwood (W,12-9) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | |
| AL | 10.1 | CHW 1, TB 0 | Miguel Gonzalez (W,5-8) | - | - | - | - | 8.1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
| BAT | 7.0 | PIT 8, CHC 4 | John Jaso, 1B | 4 | 2 | 4 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 6.0 | `KC 5, MIN 2 | Jason Vargas | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | TEX 8, MIL 5 | Carlos Gomez, LF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | SD 6, LAD 5 | Hunter Renfroe, RF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | ATL 12, PHI 2 | Dansby Swanson, SS | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | ARI 3, WSH 0 (6) | Shelby Miller (W,3-12) | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 3.0 | SEA 12, HOU 4 | Leonys Martin, CF | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | DET 6, CLE 3 (5) | Miguel Cabrera, 1B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | NYY 5, BOS 3 | Mark Teixeira, 1B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | BAL 3, TOR 2 | Hyun Soo Kim, PH-LF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | NYM 5, MIA 2 | Jeurys Familia (S,50) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | LAA 8, OAK 6 | A.J. Achter (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1.0 | CIN 2, STL 1 | Raisel Iglesias (S,5) | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 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 | +/- |
| Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | 1b | det al | 12.0 | 16.7 | 65.3 | 144.9 | 7.3 |
| Gonzalez, Miguel 3062 | pi sp | chi al | 9.1 | 15.8 | 37.9 | 37.9 | 2.4 |
| Familia, Jeurys 3446 | pi cp | nym nl | 8.0 | 16.0 | 16.0 | 16.0 | 0.0 |
| Chatwood, Tyler 2856 | pi sp | col nl | 7.0 | 7.0 | 16.7 | 16.7 | 7.0 |
| Jaso, John 2705 | 1b | pit nl | 5.5 | 5.5 | 10.5 | 16.5 | 5.5 |
| Gomez, Carlos 2397 | lf | tex al | 4.5 | 10.5 | 21.0 | 32.0 | -1.5 |
| Teixeira, Mark 1738 | 1b | nyy al | 4.0 | 11.5 | 32.2 | 101.3 | -3.5 |
| Iglesias, Raisel 3467 | pi sp cp | cin nl | 3.0 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 0.3 |
| Renfroe, Hunter 3749 | rf | sd nl | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Miller, Shelby 3134 | pi sp | ari nl | 2.0 | 12.0 | 38.1 | 38.1 | -8.0 |
| Kim, Hyun Soo 3671 | lf | bal al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Vargas, Jason 2055 | pi sp | kc al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 35.5 | 47.2 | 0.0 |
| Martin, Leonys 3053 | cf | sea al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 1.0 |
| Achter, A.J. 3752 | pi mr | ana al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Swanson, Dansby 3751 | ss | atl nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Giants pitcher Jeff Samardzija is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 22.7 |
| 2 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 20.0 |
| 3 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 18.4 |
| 4 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 18.2 |
| 5 | Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 17.1 |
| 6 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 16.8 |
| 7 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 14.4 |
| 8 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 14.1 |
| 9 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym nl | 14.0 |
| 10 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 13.7 |
Also Tuesday, Manny Machado of the Orioles rises to lead American League batters in season Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors.
Player of the Day—Samardzija struck out nine over seven innings, allowing two runs, four hits and one walk, in the 3-2 win over the Rockies. Samardzija did not earn the win, picking up a no decision, because the Giants trailed when he exited.
American League Batter of the Day—White Sox pitcher Miguel Gonzalez pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing six hits, no walks and striking out four, in the 2-0 win over the Tigers.
National League Batter of the Day—Yadier Molina of the Cardinals hit a grand slam and two doubles in the 9-7 win over the Pirates. Molina went 4-for-5, scoring twice.
American League Batter of the Day—Kendrys Morales of the Royals hit two home runs, including a three-run homer, in the 10-3 win over the Twins. Morales went 2-for-5, driving in five runs.
Rankings—Manny Machado of the Orioles rises to lead AL batters in Box-Toppers points for the season after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday.
Machado (GS 3-6 R 5BI in the 11-2 win over the Rays) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 12.7 for the season. He passes Jose Altuve of the Astros (12.5) for the lead among AL batters in season Box-Toppers points. Machado ranks 14th among all players.
Debut—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Tuesday, the first time in their careers they earned Player of the Game honors:
Scoring—Samardzija earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Gonzalez earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Molina and Morales each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Tuesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 9/6 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 7.0 | `SF 3, COL 2 | Jeff Samardzija | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 | |
| BAT | 5.0 | STL 9, PIT 7 | Yadier Molina, C | 5 | 2 | 4 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| AL | 4.1 | CHW 2, DET 0 | Miguel Gonzalez (W,3-6) | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| BAT | 4.0 | KC 10, MIN 3 | Kendrys Morales, DH | 5 | 2 | 2 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | MIL 12, CHC 5 | Ryan Braun, LF | 5 | 3 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | PHI 4, MIA 3 | Adam Morgan (W,2-9) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 3.1 | HOU 4, CLE 3 | James Hoyt (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | TEX 10, SEA 7 | Elvis Andrus, SS | 6 | 3 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | BAL 11, TB 2 | Manny Machado, 3B | 6 | 1 | 3 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | WSH 9, ATL 7 | Anthony Rendon, 3B | 4 | 2 | 1 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | LAD 5, ARI 2 | Ross Stripling (W,4-6) | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 3.0 | NYM 5, CIN 3 | Jeurys Familia (S,46) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | OAK 3, LAA 2 | Ryan Madson (S,28) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.2 | BOS 5, SD 1 | Clay Buchholz (W,6-10) | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 2.0 | NYY 7, TOR 6 | Tyler Austin, 1B | 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. | ||||||||||||||
| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Machado, Manny 3087 | 3b ss | bal al | 12.7 | 20.2 | 23.7 | 23.7 | 5.2 |
| Braun, Ryan J. 2300 | lf | mil nl | 9.0 | 14.0 | 45.0 | 86.7 | 4.0 |
| Samardzija, Jeff 2495 | pi sp | sf nl | 8.7 | 18.1 | 46.8 | 47.8 | -0.7 |
| Andrus, Elvis 2582 | ss | tex al | 7.7 | 7.7 | 15.2 | 18.2 | 7.7 |
| Gonzalez, Miguel 3062 | pi sp | chi al | 7.4 | 14.1 | 36.2 | 36.2 | 0.7 |
| Familia, Jeurys 3446 | pi cp | nym nl | 7.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 | -1.0 |
| Morales, Kendrys 2142 | dh | kc al | 5.5 | 10.2 | 20.2 | 36.2 | 0.8 |
| Rendon, Anthony 3258 | 3b | dc nl | 4.5 | 5.5 | 11.0 | 11.0 | 3.5 |
| Buchholz, Clay 2363 | pi sp | bos al | 4.0 | 10.0 | 38.2 | 57.9 | -2.0 |
| Stripling, Ross 3629 | pi sp | lad nl | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
| Madson, Ryan 1841 | pi cp | oak al | 3.0 | 3.0 | 6.0 | 23.7 | 3.0 |
| Molina, Yadier 1967 | ca ph | stl nl | 2.5 | 3.5 | 16.2 | 33.2 | 1.5 |
| Morgan, Adam 3572 | pi sp | phi nl | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 |
| Austin, Tyler 3732 | 1b | nyy al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Hoyt, James 3731 | pi mr | hou al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Rockies pitcher Jorge De La Rosa is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 15.0 |
| 2 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 11.7 |
| 3 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 9.0 |
| 4 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 8.7 |
| 5 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 8.7 |
| 6 | Machado, Manny 3087 | ss 3b | bal al | 8.7 |
| 7 | Matz, Steven 3516 | pi sp | nym nl | 8.7 |
| 8 | Lackey, John 1640 | pi sp | chi nl | 8.4 |
| 9 | Hill, Rich 2215 | pi sp | oak al | 8.4 |
| 10 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 8.0 |
De La Rosa pitched four scoreless innings of middle relief, allowing no hits and striking out five, in the 11-5 win over the Pirates.
American League Player of the Day—White Sox pitcher Miguel Gonzalez allowed one run over six innings, striking out five, in the 3-1 win over the Nationals.
National League Batter of the Day—Marcell Ozuna of the Marlins doubled and went 4-for-5, scoring once and driving in three runs, in the 10-3 win over the Twins.
American League Batter of the Day—Mitch Moreland of the Rangers doubled and went 2-for-4, scoring once and driving in one run, in the 5-3 win over the Astros.
Notable—Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright now has 105.3 career Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday.
Wainwright (6IP 2H 2R 9K ND in the 3-2 win over the Reds) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point and maintains his rank of 60th place among all players in Box-Toppers points since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He trails 59th-ranked player Aramis Ramirez (105.8).
Wainwright has 3.5 Box-Toppers points for the season, 33rd among NL pitchers.
Debut—Orioles pitcher Dylan Bundy made his Box-Toppers debut Thursday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors.
Bundy (2.1IP H 0R 3K W in the 6-5 win over the Blue Jays) made his Major League debut Sept. 23, 2012, and was playing in his 19th career game. He is the 3,655th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—De La Rosa earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Gonzalez earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Ozuna and Moreland each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Thursday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 6/8 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 9.0 | COL 11/PIT 5 | Jorge De La Rosa (W,2-4) | - | - | - | - | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
| 8.0 | `STL 3/CIN 2 | Adam Wainwright | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 | ||
| AL | 6.0 | CHW 3/DC 1 | Miguel Gonzalez (W,1-1) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |
| 3.1 | BAL 6/TOR 5 | Dylan Bundy (W,2-1) | - | - | - | - | 2.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | MIA 10/MIN 3 | Marcell Ozuna, CF | 5 | 1 | 4 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | NYM 5/MIL 2 | Jeurys Familia (S,20) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | NYY 6/LAA 3 | Aroldis Chapman (S,11) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1.1 | CLE 5/SEA 3 | Cody Allen (S,13) | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| BAT | 0.0 | TEX 5/HOU 3 | Mitch Moreland, 1B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 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 | +/- |
| Wainwright, Adam 2150 | pi sp | stl nl | 3.5 | 6.5 | 54.6 | 105.3 | 0.5 |
| Allen, Cody 3265 | pi mr cp | cle al | 3.0 | 7.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | -1.0 |
| Ozuna, Marcell 3190 | cf | fla nl | 3.0 | 6.0 | 16.5 | 16.5 | 0.0 |
| Moreland, Mitch 2799 | 1b | tex al | 2.5 | 8.7 | 16.7 | 17.7 | -3.7 |
| Chapman, Aroldis 2826 | pi cp | nyy al | 2.0 | 10.0 | 40.0 | 41.0 | -6.0 |
| Familia, Jeurys 3446 | pi cp | nym nl | 2.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | -6.0 |
| De La Rosa, Jorge 1970 | pi sp mr | col nl | 2.0 | 8.0 | 21.8 | 48.6 | -4.0 |
| Gonzalez, Miguel 3062 | pi sp | chi al | 1.7 | 8.4 | 30.5 | 30.5 | -5.0 |
| Bundy, Dylan 3655 | pi mr | bal al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Brewers pitcher Mike Fiers is Saturday’s Player of the Day.
Fiers struck out 12 over six innings, allowing one run, in the 6-1 win over the Cubs.
American League Player of the Day—Orioles pitcher Miguel Gonzalez pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out six, in the 4-0 win over the Rays.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 6.0 |
| 2 | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | pit nl | 6.0 |
| 3 | Archer, Chris 3194 | pi sp | tb al | 5.0 |
| 4 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 4.7 |
| 5 | Harvey, Matt 3075 | pi sp | nym nl | 4.7 |
| 6 | Stanton, Giancarlo 2737 | rf | fla nl | 4.5 |
| 7 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | cin nl | 4.4 |
| 8 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | det al | 3.7 |
| 9 | Kazmir, Scott 1947 | pi sp | oak al | 3.7 |
| 10 | Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | 1b | det al | 3.7 |
American League Batter of the Day—Kyle Blanks of the Rangers homered, doubled and went 4-for-5, scoring twice and driving in three, in the 8-7, 10-inning win over the Athletics.
National League Batter of the Day—Zack Cozart of the Reds homered and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 8-4 win over the Braves.
Rankings—Tigers pitcher David Price rose to eighth place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday (CG 5H R 3K W in the 2-1 win over the Royals). Price earns 1.0 Box-Toppers points, giving him 3.7 for the season.
Streak—Two players extended their lengthy streaks of consecutive seasons scoring at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point:
Hunter was Player of the Game in Saturday’s 5-3 win over the White Sox (HR 3-4 2R 2BI) and earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, his first of the season.
Hunter earned his first Box-Toppers point in 1999 with the Twins. His best season was 2008 with the Angels when he had 12.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked second among AL batters.. In 2014, he had 5.5 Box-Toppers points with the Tigers.
Hunter has 108.9 career Box-Toppers points and ranks 51st among all players (since Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). With Saturday’s point, he passed three players on that list—Billy Wagner (108.7), Kevin Millwood (108.3) and Lance Berkman (108.1). Hunter ranks 16th among all batters since 1995 and ranks fifth among active batters currently in the AL.
Haren earned his first Box-Toppers point in 2003 with the Cardinals. His best season was 2011 with the Angels, when he had 16.8 Box-Toppers points, fifth among AL pitchers. In 2014, he had 8.0 Box-Toppers points with the Dodgers.
Haren has 109.2 career Box-Toppers points and ranks 50th among all players (since Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). With Saturday’s point, he also passed Billy Wagner (108.7) and Kevin Millwood (108.3) on that list. Haren ranks 35th among all pitchers since 1995 and ranks 11th among active pitchers currently in the NL, just behind Tim Lincecum of the Giants (109.3).
Scoring—Fiers earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Gonzalez earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Blanks and Cozart each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Saturday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 5/2 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 11.0 | Brewers | Mike Fiers (W, 1-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 12 | |
| AL | 8.2 | Orioles | Miguel Gonzalez (W, 3-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
| 8.0 | Nationals | Gio Gonzalez (W, 2-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | ||
| 6.0 | Marlins | Dan Haren (W, 3-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 5.1 | Yankees | Dellin Betances (S, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 5.0 | Tigers | David Price (W, 3-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 5.0 | Dodgers | Juan Nicasio (W, 1-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | Rangers | Kyle Blanks 1B | 5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Twins | Torii Hunter DH | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Padres | Craig Kimbrel (S, 7) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| BAT | 2.0 | Reds | Zack Cozart SS | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | Astros | Colby Rasmus LF | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Blue Jays | Jose Bautista DH | 5 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Giants | Casey McGehee 3B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Cardinals | Pete Kozma 2B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Orioles pitcher Miguel Gonzalez is Tuesday’s Player of the Day.
Gonzalez struck out 10 over seven innings, allowing one run, in the 4-3 win over the Yankees.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kazmir, Scott 1947 | pi sp | oak al | 3.7 |
| 2 | Harvey, Matt 3075 | pi sp | nym nl | 2.7 |
| 3 | Stanton, Giancarlo 2737 | rf | fla nl | 2.5 |
| 4 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 2.0 |
| 5 | Wainwright, Adam 2150 | pi sp | stl nl | 2.0 |
| 6 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | lad nl | 2.0 |
| 7 | Odorizzi, Jake 3291 | pi sp | tb al | 2.0 |
| 8 | Gonzalez, Miguel 3062 | pi sp | bal al | 2.0 |
| 9 | Greene, Shane 3381 | pi sp | det al | 2.0 |
| 10 | Wilson, C.J. 2074 | pi sp | ana al | 2.0 |
National League Player of the Day—Reds pitcher Anthony DeSclafani pitched seven shutout innings and struck out five in the 3-2 win over the Cubs. DeSclafani was one of four players to make his Box-Toppers debut Tuesday, the first time they earned Player of the Game honors. DeSclafani made his Major League debut May 14, 2014, and was playing in his 15th career game. He is the 3,441st player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
National League Batter of the Day—Giancarlo Stanton of the Marlins drove in four runs, scored twice and went 3-for-3 with a double in the 8-2 win over the Braves. Stanton earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 2.5 for the season and rising to third place in player rankings.
American League Batter of the Day—Robinson Chirinos of the Rangers homered, doubled and drove in five runs in the 8-2 win over the Angels.
Notable—Mets pitcher Matt Harvey rose to second place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors (6IP 3R 8K W in the 6-5 win over the Phillies). Harvey earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 2.7 for the season.
Debuts—Four players made their Box-Toppers debut Tuesday, the first time they earned Player of the Game honors. Besides DeSclafani, who earned NL Player of the Day honors, the other three are:
Scoring—Gonzalez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and DeSclafani earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Stanton and Chirinos each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Tuesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 4/14 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 10.0 | Orioles | Miguel Gonzalez (W, 1-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | |
| 8.0 | Tigers | Shane Greene (W, 2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| NL | 8.0 | Reds | Anthony DeSclafani (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | |
| BAT | 6.0 | Marlins | Giancarlo Stanton RF | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 6.0 | White Sox | Jose Quintana (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | Rangers | Robinson Chirinos C | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | Padres | Odrisamer Despaigne (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 4.0 | Rockies | Adam Ottavino (S, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 3.1 | Red Sox | Edward Mujica (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | Dodgers | Alex Guerrero PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Mets | Matt Harvey (W, 2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 1.1 | Rays | Steve Geltz (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 0.1 | Athletics | Kendall Graveman (W, 1-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
Kelvin Herrera, who pitched a perfect seventh inning in relief for the Royals in their Game 3 American League Championship Series win over the Orioles, is Box-Toppers.com Player of the Day for Tuesday.
Herrera struck out two in one scoreless inning in the 2-1 win, as the Royals took a three games to zero lead over the Orioles in the best-of-seven game ALCS.
Herrera, who held the lead for the Royals, is an unconventional player to earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors—he did not pick up a win or a save and pitched only one inning. He had a Box-Toppers game score of 3.0, the highest of any Royals player Tuesday.
Normally, a pitcher without a win or a save who pitched fewer than three innings is not even considered for Player of the Game. But they can win the honor if they pitch the same or more innings as the pitcher who otherwise would earn Player of the Game honors and have a higher Box-Toppers game score.
In this game, Jason Frasor, who pitched the sixth inning for the Royals and earned the win (because the Royals scored the winning run in the bottom of the sixth) would normally be Player of the Game with a Box-Toppers game score of +1. But two other players who also pitched one inning actually had higher Box-Toppers game scores—Wade Davis, who pitched the eighth inning, struck out one and held the lead, had a Box-Toppers game score of +2. And Herrera, Player of the Game, had a game score of +3.
No Royals batter had a positive Box-Toppers game score in the low-scoring contest. The highest score was Jarrod Dyson’s, who had a Box-Toppers game score of 0—he went 0-for-1 with a run.
Three Royals relievers have earned Player of the Game honors so far during the postseason. Previously, closer Greg Holland was Player of the Game in the ALDS Game 1 on Oct. 2. Wade Davis was Player of the Day in the ALCS Game 1 on Oct. 10.
Herrera had 2.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 439th among all players and 114th among AL pitchers.
Travis Ishikawa drove in three runs on a first inning double and is Box-Toppers.com Player of the Game in the Giants’ National League Championship Series Game 3 win over the Cardinals.
Ishikawa went 1-for-3, driving in three runs, in the 5-4, 10-inning win over the Cardinals, as the Giants take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven game series. He had a Box-Toppers game score of +1.
Giants reliever Santiago Casilla (1IP 1K) actually had a higher Box-Toppers game score than Ishikawa of +2. However, because Casilla pitched fewer than three innings and did not earn the win or save, the only way he could be considered for Player of the Game is if he had a higher Box-Toppers game score and the same or more innings pitched as a pitcher who otherwise would have earned Player of the Game.
During the regular season, Ishikawa had 1.0 Box-Toppers point, ranked 644th among all players and 159th among NL batters.
Coming Wednesday:
The pitching matchup Wednesday:
Orioles: Miguel Gonzalez, 8.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 70th among all players, 31st among AL pitchers.
Royals: Jason Vargas, 7.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 107th among all players, 38th among AL pitchers.
The pitching matchup Wednesday:
Cardinals: Shelby Miller, 9.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 64th among all players, 30th among NL pitchers.
Giants: Ryan Vogelsong, 8.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 74th among all players, 36th among NL pitchers.
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.
Players of the Game (POG) listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 1013 | Score | Team | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POG | 3.0 | `Royals | Kelvin Herrera (H, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| POG | 1.0 | Giants | Travis Ishikawa LF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
Orioles pitcher Miguel Gonzalez is Wednesday’s Player of the Day, while Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez rises to sixth place in Box-Toppers player rankings.
Gonzalez pitched a complete game, four-hit shutout, striking out eight and walking one, in the 6-0 win over the Reds.
Hernandez rose from seventh to sixth place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Hernandez (8IP R W in the 2-1 win over the Athletics) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 16.8 for the season. He ranks third among American League pitchers.
Adam LaRoche of the Nationals is National League Player of the Day. LaRoche homered and went 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in five runs in the 8-5, 14-inning win over the Dodgers. LaRoche entered the game as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning.
Dioner Navarro of the Blue Jays is AL Batter of the Day. Navarro hit a two-run homer and went 2-for-2 in the 7-4 win over the Rays.
Notable: Diamondbacks pitcher Josh Collmenter rose to 23rd place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday. Collmenter (7IP R W in the 6-1 win over the Padres) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 12.0 for the season. He ranks eighth among NL pitchers.
Gonzalez receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. LaRoche receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Navarro receives 1.5 for being AL Batter of the Day.
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, 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
| 903 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 12.0 | Orioles | Miguel Gonzalez (W, 8-7) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | |
| 10.0 | Indians | Danny Salazar (W, 6-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | ||
| 9.2 | Astros | Collin McHugh (W, 8-9) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 9.0 | Yankees | Hiroki Kuroda (W, 10-8) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | ||
| NL | 6.0 | Nationals | Adam LaRoche PH, 1B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 6.0 | `Cardinals | Shelby Miller | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | ||
| 5.2 | Royals | Jason Vargas (W, 11-7) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 5.0 | Mariners | Felix Hernandez (W, 14-5) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 3.0 | Braves | Christian Bethancourt C | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Rockies | Josh Rutledge SS | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Blue Jays | Dioner Navarro C | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Mets | Kirk Nieuwenhuis RF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Twins | Eduardo Nunez 3B | 6 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Cubs | Chris Valaika 1B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Dbacks | Josh Collmenter (W, 10-7) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
Diamondbacks pitcher Josh Collmenter, Friday’s Player of the Day, becomes the 36th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points.
Collmenter allowed one run and two hits over 6 1/3 innings in the 5-2 win over the Rockies. Collmenter left the mound with the game tied and so did not pick up the win. Collmenter earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 11.0 for the season. He ranks 29th among all players and 13th among National League pitchers.
Orioles pitcher Miguel Gonzalez is American League Player of the Day. Gonzalez struck out six over seven innings, allowing one run, in the 9-1 win over the Twins.
Buster Posey of the Giants is NL Batter of the Day. Posey tripled and went 5-for-5, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 13-2 win over the Brewers.
Michael Choice of the Rangers is AL Batter of the Day. Choice hit a three-run homer and went 3-for-4, scoring twice, in the 13-6 win over the Astros.
Notable: Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom becomes the 37th player with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points this season after earning Player of the Game honors Friday. deGrom (7IP R 5K W in the 4-1 win over the Phillies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.0 for the season. He ranks 37th among all players and 18th among NL pitchers.
Collmenter receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Gonzalez receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Posey and Choice 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.
Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed, 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
| 829 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 7.1 | `Dbacks | Josh Collmenter | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |
| BAT | 6.0 | Giants | Buster Posey C | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| AL | 6.0 | Orioles | Miguel Gonzalez (W, 7-7) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| 6.0 | `Padres | Andrew Cashner | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 5.2 | `Pirates | Edinson Volquez | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 5.0 | Cubs | Jorge Soler RF | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 5.0 | Mets | Jacob deGrom (W, 7-6) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | Rangers | Michael Choice LF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | Angels | Jered Weaver (W, 15-7) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | ||
| 3.0 | Nationals | Anthony Rendon 3B | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.1 | Yankees | David Robertson (S, 35) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2.0 | Red Sox | Mookie Betts CF | 5 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Indians | Carlos Santana 1B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Braves | Justin Upton LF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Tigers | Justin Verlander (W, 12-11) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
Orioles pitcher Miguel Gonzalez is Thursday's Player of the Day. Gonzalez allowed only one unearned run over seven innings in the 3-2 win over the Blue Jays.
Padres pitcher Robbie Erlin is National League Player of the Day. Erlin struck out seven over seven innings and picked up a no-decision (he left after the seventh with the game tied) in the 3-2, 11-inning win over the Diamondbacks.
Jason Heyward of the Braves is NL Batter of the Day. Heyward homered and went 5-for-5 in the 7-1 win over the Phillies.
Yan Gomes of the Indians is American League Batter of the Day. Gomes homered and went 3-for-4 in the 6-5 win over the Indians.
Notable: Rays pitcher Alex Cobb has the most Box-Toppers points among Thursday's nine players who earned Player of the Game honors. Cobb (7IP 0R in 4-0 win vs. Yankees) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 9.7 for the season, putting him in 54th place in Box-Toppers player rankings.
Coming Friday: Two pitchers in the top 10 of Box-Toppers player rankings are scheduled to make their final regular season start Friday:
Box-Toppers Weekly Reports update: The weekly Box-Toppers Team Power Rankings and Player Rankings reports, which usually come on Friday, will come on Monday this week, after the conclusion of the season's final games Sunday.
Gonzalez receives 2.0 Box-Toppers
points for being Player of the Day. Erlin receives 1.7 for NL Player
of the Day. Heyward and Gomes each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.
All of Thursday'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
| 926 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 8.0 | Orioles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Miguel Gonzalez (W, 11-8) | 7.0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 6.0 | Rays | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Alex Cobb (W, 11-3) | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |||
| NL | 6.0 | `Padres | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Robbie Erlin | 7.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Braves | Jason Heyward CF | 5 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Indians | Yan Gomes C | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3.0 | Royals | David Lough RF | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 3.0 | Rangers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Joe Nathan (W, 6-2) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
| 3.0 | `Brewers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Brandon Kintzler (H, 25) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
| 1.0 | Giants | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Santiago Casilla (W, 7-2) | 1.0 | 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.
Astros pitcher Brad Peacock is Thursday's Player of the Day. Peacock struck out nine over seven innings in the 3-2 win over the Athletics.
Orioles pitcher Miguel Gonzalez is American League Player of the Day. Gonzalez gave up one run over seven innings and struck out six in the 3-1 win over the White Sox.
Todd Frazier of the Reds is National League Batter of the Day. Frazier hit two homers and went 3-for-4 in the 6-2 win over the Cardinals.
Billy Butler of the Royals is AL Batter of the Day. Butler went 5-for-5 in the 13-inning, 7-6 win over the Mariners. Butler earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for AL Batter of the Day, giving him 9.0 for the season. He has the most Box-Toppers points for the season among all seven of Thursday's Players of the Game and is in 49th place overall.
Peacock receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Gonzalez receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Frazier and Butler each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.
All of Thursday'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
| 905 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 6.0 | Astros | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Brad Peacock (W, 4-5) | 7.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 | ||
| AL | 6.0 | Orioles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Miguel Gonzalez (W, 9-7) | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Reds | Todd Frazier 3B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3.0 | Red Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Craig Breslow (W, 5-2) | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |||
| BAT | 2.0 | Royals | Billy Butler DH | 5 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2.0 | `Diamondbacks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Tony Sipp (H, 2) | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
| 1.1 | Angels | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Jerome Williams (W, 6-10) | 6.1 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
` 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.