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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.
Read MoreClayton Kershaw and Albert Pujols lead Box-Toppers All-Decade All-Star team for the 2010s.
Kershaw earned the most Box-Toppers points of any player from 2010-2019 (210.1) and Pujols earned the most of any batter over that span (79.9), which is 25th among all players. The All-Decade All-Star team is made up of players who led their position in Box-Toppers points over the span of 2010-2019.
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Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Grienke is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 7.0 |
| 2 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 6.7 |
| 3 | Santana, Ervin 2005 | pi sp | min al | 6.7 |
| 4 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 6.0 |
| 5 | Vargas, Jason 2055 | pi sp | kc al | 6.0 |
| 6 | Carrasco, Carlos 2885 | pi sp | cle al | 5.4 |
| 7 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 5.4 |
| 8 | Triggs, Andrew 3723 | pi sp | oak al | 5.4 |
| 9 | Kimbrel, Craig 2825 | pi cp | bos al | 5.0 |
| 10 | Nova, Ivan 2796 | pi sp | pit nl | 5.0 |
Also Thursday, two players rise in Box-Toppers top 10 season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors—Royals pitcher Jason Vargas rises to fifth place and Astros pitcher Dallas Keuchel rises to seventh place.
Player of the Day—Greinke struck out 11 over eight innings, allowing one hit—an eighth-inning home run—in the 2-1 win over the Pirates. Greinke allowed just the one run and walked only one.
Greinke earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 160.8 for his career, 14th among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He trails 13th-place player John Smoltz (160.9) on the “all-time” list. Greinke ranks fifth among all active players.
American League Player of the Day—Tigers pitcher Michael Fulmer struck out nine over six innings, allowing one run and five hits, in the 7-1 win over the Angels.
American League Batter of the Day—Justin Smoak of the Blue Jays homered and went 3-for-3, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 7-2 win over the Mariners.
National League Batter of the Day—Nolan Arenado of the Rockies hit two doubles and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in two runs, in the 10-7 win over the Dodgers.
Rankings—Two players rise in Box-Toppers top 10 season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday:
Streak—Mike Napoli of the Rangers has now earned Box-Toppers points for 12 straight seasons after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday (2HR 2-3 2R 4BI in the 5-2 win over the Padres).
Napoli earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2006 with the Angels and has 58.7 career points, sixth among active AL first basemen. His best season was 2011 with the Rangers when he had 9.0 Box-Toppers points, ninth among AL batters. In 2016, he had 6.5 points with the Indians, ninth among AL first basemen.
Scoring—Greinke earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Fulmer earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Smoak and Arenado each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Thursday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Box-Toppers strives for accuracy. See a mistake in a post? A wrong name, wrong team, grammar error, spelling goof, etc.? Thanks for pointing it out! Contact Box-Toppers here. Let's fix it and make it right.
| 5/11 | Score | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 15.0 | ARI 2, PIT 1 | Zack Greinke (W,4-2) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 | |
| 8.0 | HOU 3, NYY 2 | Dallas Keuchel (W,6-0) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9 | ||
| AL | 7.0 | DET 7, LAA 1 | Michael Fulmer (W,4-1) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | |
| 7.0 | KC 6, TB 0 | Jason Vargas (W,5-1) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| BAT | 6.0 | TOR 7, SEA 2 | Justin Smoak, 1B | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 6.0 | `BOS 4, MIL 1 | Eduardo Rodriguez | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 5.0 | TEX 5, SD 2 | Mike Napoli, DH | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.2 | MIN 7, CHW 6 | Brandon Kintzler (S,8) | - | - | - | - | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | COL 10, LAD 7 | Nolan Arenado, 3B | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.1 | CIN 3, SF 2 | Wandy Peralta (W,2-0) | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’17 | ’16-17 | ’12-17 | Career | +/- |
| Vargas, Jason 2055 | pi sp | kc al | 6.0 | 7.0 | 32.4 | 53.2 | 5.0 |
| Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 5.4 | 12.4 | 48.2 | 48.2 | -1.6 |
| Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | ari nl | 4.7 | 14.4 | 83.7 | 160.8 | -5.0 |
| Rodriguez, Eduardo 3480 | pi sp | bos al | 4.7 | 9.4 | 15.4 | 15.4 | 0.0 |
| Fulmer, Michael 3640 | pi sp | det al | 3.7 | 16.4 | 16.4 | 16.4 | -9.0 |
| Arenado, Nolan 3306 | 3b | col nl | 3.0 | 13.7 | 23.7 | 23.7 | -7.7 |
| Kintzler, Brandon 3150 | pi cp | min al | 3.0 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 3.0 |
| Smoak, Justin 2731 | 1b | tor al | 2.5 | 6.0 | 19.2 | 25.4 | -1.0 |
| Peralta, Wandy 3782 | pi mr | cin nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Napoli, Mike 2161 | dh 1b | tex al | 1.0 | 7.5 | 30.7 | 58.7 | -5.5 |
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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Indians closing pitcher Andrew Miller is Box-Toppers Player of the Game Monday in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series.
Miller pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit, no walks, striking out three and earning the save, in the 4-2 win over the Blue Jays. The Indians take a 3-0 lead over the Blue Jays in the best-of-seven game series.
Miller had 8.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranked 92nd among all players and 32nd among AL pitchers. Miller earned 3.0 of his Box-Toppers points as a middle reliever and 5.0 as a closer during the season. He ranks third among AL closers and first among AL middle relievers. He started the season with the Yankees (earning 4.0 Box-Toppers points) before being traded to the Indians (earning 4.0 more points).
This is the second time this postseason Miller has earned Player of the Game honors. He was also Player of the Game on Oct. 6 in Game 1 of the AL Division Series against the Red Sox.
Miller had a Box-Toppers game score Monday of +3.1, most among Indians players. He narrowly beat first baseman Mike Napoli, who had a Box-Toppers game score of +3.0 (HR 2B 2-3 2R 2BI).
Blue Jays starting pitcher Marcus Stroman had a Box-Toppers game score Monday of −3.9 (5.1IP 3H 4R 3BB 5K L).
The series resumes Tuesday with Game 4 in Toronto (more details below).
See Box-Toppers ALCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.
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 | |
| 3.1 | CLE 4, TOR 2 | Andrew Miller (S,1) | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| BTG: Box-Toppers game score | |||||||||||||
Coming Tuesday:
The tentative pitching matchup Tuesday:
Indians—Corey Kluber, 21.2 Box-Toppers points, fifth among all players, first among AL pitchers. Kluber was also Player of the Game in ALCS Game 1 and ALDS Game 2.
Blue Jays—Aaron Sanchez, 10.7 Box-Toppers points, 45th among all players, 19th among AL pitchers.
See Box-Toppers ALCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.
The pitching matchup Tuesday:
Cubs—Jake Arrieta, 15.7 Box-Toppers points, ninth among all players, sixth among NL pitchers.
Dodgers—Rich Hill, 14.4 Box-Toppers points, 13th among all players, eighth among NL pitchers.
See Box-Toppers NLCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.
Astros pitcher Collin McHugh is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 23.7 |
| 2 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 21.0 |
| 3 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 20.4 |
| 4 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 20.2 |
| 5 | Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 20.1 |
| 6 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 16.8 |
| 7 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym al | 15.7 |
| 8 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 15.4 |
| 9 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 15.1 |
| 10 | Hill, Rich 2215 | pi sp | lad nl | 14.4 |
Also Friday, two pitchers with more than 20.0 Box-Toppers points this season started and both earned the win, but neither earned Player of the Game honors—Max Scherzer of the Nationals (23.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked first) and Corey Kluber of the Indians (20.2 points, ranked fourth).
Player of the Day—McHugh pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing two hits, two walks and striking out six, in the 6-0 win over the Mariners.
National League Player of the Day—Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits, two walks and striking out six, in the 3-0 win over the Twins.
Colon earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 147.5 for his career. He rises to 21st place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began, passing Jim Thome (146.7) on the “all-time” list and now trails 20th-ranked player Javier Vazquez (148.3).
Colon now has 7.4 Box-Toppers points on the season, 31st among NL pitchers.
National League Batter of the Day—Trea Turner of the Nationals homered, doubled and went 4-for-5, scoring four times and driving in two runs, in the 7-2 win over the Braves.
American League Batter of the Day—Mike Napoli of the Indians homered, doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 11-4 win over the Tigers.
Notable—The overall Box-Toppers points leader, Max Scherzer, and the overall AL Box-Toppers points leader, Corey Kluber, both started games Friday and both earned the win, but neither earned Player of the Game honors and did not increase their season Box-Toppers point totals:
Also notable—White Sox pitcher Chris Sale has the most season Box-Toppers points among the 15 who earned Player of the Game honors Friday.
Sale (CG 8H 4R BB 10K W in the 7-4 win over the Royals) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 13.4 for the season. He ranks 14th among all players and fifth among AL pitchers.
And finally—Phillies pitcher Frank Herrmann earned his first Player of the Game honor in nearly five years Friday.
Herrmann (2IP 0H 0R 0BB 0K W in the 4-3, 13-inning win over the Marlins) last earned Player of the Game honors on Sept. 24, 2011, with the Indians. He had 3.0 Box-Toppers points in 2011 and now has 4.0 career points.
Scoring—McHugh earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Colon earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Turner and Napoli each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Friday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Box-Toppers strives for accuracy. See a mistake in a post? A wrong name, wrong team, grammar error, spelling goof, etc.? Thanks for pointing it out! Contact Box-Toppers here. Let's fix it and make it right.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 9/16 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 9.0 | HOU 6, SEA 0 | Collin McHugh (W,11-10) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | |
| NL | 8.0 | NYM 3, MIN 0 | Bartolo Colon (W,14-7) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | |
| BAT | 5.0 | WSH 7, ATL 2 | Trea Turner, CF | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 5.0 | CLE 11, DET 4 | Mike Napoli, 1B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | SF 8, STL 2 | Buster Posey, C | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | PIT 9, CIN 7 (10) | Jung Ho Kang, 3B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | CHC 5, MIL 4 (10) | Aroldis Chapman (W,4-1) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 3.0 | CHW 7, KC 4 | Chris Sale (W,16-8) | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 3.0 | LAD 3, ARI 2 | Kenta Maeda (W,15-9) | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 2.2 | BOS 7, NYY 4 | Craig Kimbrel (S,26) | - | - | - | - | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | COL 8, SD 7 | DJ LeMahieu, 2B | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | TOR 5, LAA 0 | R.A. Dickey (W,10-14) | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 2.0 | PHI 4, MIA 3 (13) | Frank Herrmann (W,1-2) | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1.0 | BAL 5, TB 4 | J.J. Hardy, SS | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | TEX 7, OAK 6 | Nomar Mazara, RF | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 13.4 | 32.2 | 84.4 | 86.4 | -5.4 |
| McHugh, Collin 3316 | pi sp | hou al | 9.7 | 19.4 | 31.2 | 31.2 | 0.0 |
| Maeda, Kenta 3609 | pi sp | lad nl | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 |
| LeMahieu, DJ 3091 | 2b | col nl | 8.0 | 15.0 | 21.0 | 21.0 | 1.0 |
| Chapman, Aroldis 2826 | pi cp | chi nl | 7.4 | 15.4 | 45.4 | 46.4 | -0.6 |
| Colon, Bartolo | pi sp | nym nl | 7.4 | 14.1 | 56.0 | 147.5 | 0.7 |
| Dickey, R.A. 1734 | pi sp | tor al | 7.0 | 12.0 | 56.2 | 77.9 | 2.0 |
| Napoli, Mike 2161 | 1b | cle al | 6.5 | 11.0 | 38.7 | 57.7 | 2.0 |
| Hardy, J.J. 2071 | ss | bal al | 6.2 | 6.2 | 27.6 | 54.8 | 6.2 |
| Kimbrel, Craig 2825 | pi cp | bos al | 6.0 | 12.0 | 55.7 | 56.7 | 0.0 |
| Mazara, Nomar 3614 | rf lf | tex al | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 |
| Posey, Buster 2745 | ca 1b | sf nl | 3.5 | 7.5 | 28.5 | 33.0 | -0.5 |
| Kang, Jung-Ho 3464 | 3b ss | pit nl | 3.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 0.5 |
| Turner, Trea 3730 | 2b cf | dc nl | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Herrmann, Frank 2902 | pi cp | phi nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 1.0 |
Diamondbacks pitcher Braden Shipley is Thursday’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 Thursday, Jose Altuve of the Astros became the first batter in nearly two months to land a spot among Box-Toppers top 10 season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors. Altuve, the Box-Toppers points leader among American League batters, rises to 10th place among all players.
Player of the Day—Shipley pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out seven and allowing three hits and one walk, in the 9-0 win over the Mets.
American League Player of the Day—Astros pitcher Chris Devenski pitched five scoreless innings, allowing two hits, no walks and striking out five, in the 10-2 win over the Twins.
This was Devenski’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Devenski made his Major League debut April 8 and was playing in his 32nd career game. He is the 3,702nd player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
American League Batter of the Day—Mike Napoli of the Indians hit a three-run homer and two doubles, going 4-for-4, scoring three times and driving in four runs, in the 14-4 win over the Angels.
National League Batter of the Day—Hernan Perez of the Brewers homered and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 11-3 win over the Braves.
Rankings—Jose Altuve of the Astros rises to 10th place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday.
Altuve (2B 4-5 3R 3BI in the 15-7 win over the Twins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 12.5 for the season. He extends his Box-Toppers points lead among AL batters (second place Manny Machado of the Orioles has 10.2 points).
Altuve is the first batter in the overall top 10 in Box-Toppers points since June 14, when Machado was among the top 10 with 8.7 points. Altuve’s 12.5 points for the season also matches the 12.5 points Adrian Beltre of the Rangers had in 2015 to lead AL batters at the end of the season.
Debut—Yankees pitcher Luis Cessa made his Box-Toppers debut Thursday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Cessa (2IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K W in the 4-2 win over the Red Sox) made his Major League debut April 8 and was playing in his seventh career game. He is the 3,703rd player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Shipley earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Devenski earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Napoli and Perez 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
| 8/11 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 10.0 | ARI 9, NYM 0 | Braden Shipley (W,2-1) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | |
| AL | 8.0 | HOU 10, MIN 2 | Chris Devenski (W,1-4) | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
| BAT | 7.0 | CLE 14, LAA 4 | Mike Napoli, 1B | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 7.0 | PIT 4, SD 0 | Jameson Taillon (W,3-2) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 6.0 | KC 2, CHW 1 | Danny Duffy (W,9-1) | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 5.0 | HOU 15, MIN 7 | Jose Altuve, 2B | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 5.0 | BAL 9, OAK 6 | Mark Trumbo, RF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | NYY 4, BOS 2 | Luis Cessa (W,2-0) | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 4.0 | COL 12, TEX 9 | Adam Ottavino (S,1) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | MIL 11, ATL 3 | Hernan Perez, 3B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | CHC 4, STL 3 (11) | Mike Montgomery (W,4-5) | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Altuve, Jose 3007 | 2b | hou al | 12.5 | 19.5 | 29.0 | 29.0 | 5.5 |
| Duffy, Danny 2915 | pi sp | kc al | 9.7 | 13.7 | 28.7 | 28.7 | 5.7 |
| Trumbo, Mark 2851 | rf | bal al | 8.2 | 10.7 | 33.9 | 33.9 | 5.7 |
| Napoli, Mike 2161 | 1b | cle al | 5.0 | 9.5 | 37.2 | 56.2 | 0.5 |
| Taillon, Jameson 3658 | pi sp | pit nl | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Montgomery, Mike 3513 | pi cp mr sp | chi nl | 4.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 0.0 |
| Perez, Hernan 3577 | 3b ss ph | mil nl | 3.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 2.5 |
| Shipley, Braden 3695 | pi sp | ari nl | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Devenski, Chris 3702 | pi sp | hou nl | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| Ottavino, Adam 3054 | pi cp | col nl | 1.0 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | -1.0 |
| Cessa, Luis 3703 | pi mr | nyy al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Mariners pitcher Wade Miley is Saturday’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 | 17.0 |
| 2 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 16.4 |
| 4 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 14.4 |
| 5 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 14.1 |
| 6 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 12.5 |
| 7 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 12.4 |
| 8 | Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 12.4 |
| 9 | Bumgarner, Madison 2753 | pi sp | sf nl | 11.0 |
| 10 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym nl | 11.0 |
Miley struck out nine over seven innings, allowing one run, one hit and one walk, in the 4-1 win over the Cubs.
National League Player of the Day—Marlins pitcher Colin Rea pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit, no walks and striking out four, in the 11-0 win over the Cardinals. Rea did not pitch the requisite five innings to earn the win, picking up a no decision. He exited in the fourth with elbow soreness.
American League Batter of the Day—Mike Napoli of the Indians homered, doubled and went 3-for-3, driving in two runs, in the 6-3 win over the Athletics.
National League Batter of the Day—Cameron Rupp of the Phillies went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in one run, in the 9-5 win over the Braves.
Notable—Blue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ became the 18th player with 10 or more Box-Toppers points on the season after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.
Happ (7IP 3H R 3BB 11K W in the 9-1 win over the Orioles) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.0 for the season, most of any of the 15 who earned Player of the Game honors Saturday. Happ now ranks 17th among all players and seventh among AL pitchers.
Also notable—Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander now has 130.6 career Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.
Verlander (CG 5H 2R BB 11K W in the 3-2 win over the Astros) now ranks 30th among all players in career points since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He trails 29th-ranked player Jason Giambi (133.4). Verlander has 6.0 Box-Toppers points on the season, 26th among AL pitchers.
Debut—Diamondbacks pitcher Braden Shipley made his Box-Toppers debut Saturday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors.
Shipley (6IP 5H 0R BB 4K in the 4-2 win over the Pirates) made his Major League debut July 25 and was playing in his second career game. He is the 3,695th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Miley earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Rea earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Napoli and Rupp each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Saturday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 7/30 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 12.0 | SEA 4, CHC 1 | Wade Miley (W,7-8) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | |
| 10.0 | DET 3, HOU 2 | Justin Verlander (W,11-6) | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 11 | ||
| 10.0 | TOR 9, BAL 1 | J.A. Happ (W,14-3) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 11 | ||
| NL | 6.1 | `MIA 11, STL 0 | Colin Rea | - | - | - | - | 3.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 5.0 | MIL 5, PIT 3 | Chase Anderson (W,6-10) | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | ||
| 4.0 | ARI 4, LAD 2 | Braden Shipley (W,1-1) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 4.0 | TB 6, NYY 3 | Alex Colome (S,24) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | CLE 6, OAK 3 | Mike Napoli, 1B | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | `TEX 2, KC 1 | Martin Perez | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | ||
| 3.0 | `LAA 5, BOS 2 | Cam Bedrosian (H,7) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 2.0 | `CHW 6, MIN 5 (10) | Miguel Gonzalez | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 2.0 | SD 2, CIN 1 (10) | Brad Hand (W,3-2) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| BAT | 1.0 | PHI 9, ATL 5 | Cameron Rupp, C | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1.0 | SF 5, WSH 3 | Brandon Belt, 1B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | COL 7, NYM 2 | Daniel Descalso, PH | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||
| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Happ, J.A. 2536 | pi sp | tor al | 10.0 | 23.1 | 38.5 | 46.5 | -3.1 |
| Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | det al | 6.0 | 12.4 | 75.6 | 130.6 | -0.4 |
| Anderson, Chase 3328 | pi sp | mil nl | 6.0 | 10.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 | 2.0 |
| Belt, Brandon 2943 | 1b | sf nl | 6.0 | 7.5 | 19.5 | 19.5 | 4.5 |
| Gonzalez, Miguel 3062 | pi sp | chi al | 5.7 | 12.4 | 34.5 | 34.5 | -1.0 |
| Colome, Alex 3189 | pi cp | tb al | 5.0 | 10.0 | 13.7 | 13.7 | 0.0 |
| Rupp, Cameron 3556 | ca | phi nl | 5.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 4.0 |
| Miley, Wade 3006 | pi sp | sea al | 4.0 | 11.0 | 34.4 | 34.4 | -3.0 |
| Napoli, Mike 2161 | 1b | cle al | 3.5 | 8.0 | 35.7 | 54.7 | -1.0 |
| Hand, Brad 2907 | pi mr cp sp | sd nl | 3.0 | 4.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 2.0 |
| Rea, Colin 3582 | pi sp | fla nl | 2.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 1.7 |
| Perez, Martin 3213 | pi sp | tex al | 2.0 | 3.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 1.0 |
| Bedrosian, Cam 3694 | pi cp mr | ana al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Descalso, Daniel 2855 | ss ph | col nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 10.2 | 10.2 | 0.0 |
| Shipley, Braden 3695 | pi sp | ari nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Brewers pitcher Junior Guerra is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 20.0 |
| 2 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 13.4 |
| 3 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 12.0 |
| 4 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 11.7 |
| 5 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 10.8 |
| 6 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 10.7 |
| 7 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 10.7 |
| 8 | Salazar, Danny 3223 | pi sp | cle al | 10.5 |
| 9 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 10.4 |
| 10 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym nl | 10.0 |
Guerra pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings, striking out seven and allowing two hits and no walks, in the 1-0 win over the Nationals.
American League Player of the Day—Astros pitcher Lance McCullers struck out 10 over seven innings, allowing one run, five hits and one walk, in the 2-1 win over the Mariners.
National League Batter of the Day—Kris Bryant of the Cubs hit a two-run homer, going 1-for-1 and scoring three times, in the 10-4 win over the Reds.
Bryant earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 7.0 Box-Toppers points for the season, most of any of the 15 who earned Player of the Game honors Monday. Bryant rises to 29th place among all players and third among NL batters, behind Matt Carpenter of the Cardinals (7.5) and Wil Myers of the Padres (7.2).
American League Batter of the Day—Todd Frazier of the White Sox hit two doubles and went 3-for-3, scoring twice and driving in a run, in the 8-2 win over the Yankees.
Streak—Mike Napoli of the Indians has now earned Box-Toppers points in 11 straight seasons after earning his first Player of the Game honor of the season Monday.
Napoli (HR 2B 2-3 2R 2BI in the 5-3 win over the Tigers) earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2006 with the Angels and has 52.2 career points, ninth among active AL first basemen. His best season was 2011 with the Rangers when he had 9.0 Box-Toppers points, ninth among AL batters. In 2015, he had 4.5 points with the Red Sox, a season in which he also played for the Rangers.
Notable—Giants pitcher Jake Peavy now has 141.8 career Box-Toppers points—24th-most since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began—after earning Player of the Game honors Monday.
Peavy (6.2IP 5H R 2BB 6K W in the 3-1 win over the Rockies) trails 23rd-ranked player on the “all-time” list, David Ortiz of the Red Sox (142.9). Peavy has 5.0 Box-Toppers points for the season, 29th among NL pitchers.
Debut—Dodgers pitcher Pedro Baez made his Box-Toppers debut Monday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors.
Baez (2IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K ND in the 7-5 win over the Orioles) made his Major League debut May 5, 2014, and was playing in his 110th career game. He is the 3,678th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Guerra earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and McCullers earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Bryant and Frazier 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
| 7/4 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 10.1 | MIL 1/DC 0 | Junior Guerra (W,6-1) | - | - | - | - | 7.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |
| AL | 9.0 | HOU 2/SEA 1 | Lance McCullers (W,4-2) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | |
| BAT | 5.0 | CHC 10/CIN 4 | Kris Bryant, LF | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | TOR 6/KC 2 | Aaron Sanchez (W,9-1) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 4.0 | `LAD 7/BAL 5 | Pedro Baez | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.2 | PHI 8/ATL 2 | Jerad Eickhoff (W,6-9) | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 8 | ||
| 3.2 | SF 3/COL 1 | Jake Peavy (W,5-7) | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 3.0 | NYM 8/MIA 6 | Travis d'Arnaud, C | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | SD 8/ARI 4 | Derek Norris, C | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | CHW 8/NYY 2 | Todd Frazier, 3B | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | CLE 5/DET 3 | Mike Napoli, 1B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | BOS 12/TEX 5 | Travis Shaw, 3B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | PIT 4/STL 2 | Gregory Polanco, RF | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | TB 4/LAA 2 | Logan Morrison, 1B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 0.2 | OAK 3/MIN 1 | Kendall Graveman (W,4-6) | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | ||
| `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 | +/- |
| Bryant, Kris 3465 | lf 3b rf | chi nl | 7.0 | 15.5 | 15.5 | 15.5 | -1.5 |
| Eickhoff, Jerad 3566 | pi sp | phi nl | 7.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 2.0 |
| Guerra, Junior 3633 | pi sp | mil nl | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| Sanchez, Aaron 3392 | pi sp | tor al | 5.7 | 7.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 3.7 |
| Peavy, Jake 1635 | pi sp | sf nl | 5.0 | 10.0 | 38.1 | 141.8 | 0.0 |
| Shaw, Travis 3544 | 1b 3b | bos al | 4.5 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 0.3 |
| Polanco, Gregory 3361 | rf | pit nl | 4.5 | 7.5 | 11.5 | 11.5 | 1.5 |
| McCullers, Lance 3488 | pi sp | hou al | 3.4 | 10.1 | 10.1 | 10.1 | -3.3 |
| Frazier, Todd 2929 | 3b | chi al | 3.2 | 12.1 | 26.1 | 26.1 | -5.7 |
| Graveman, Kendall 3444 | pi sp | oak al | 3.0 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 | -1.7 |
| Napoli, Mike 2161 | 1b | cle al | 1.0 | 5.5 | 33.2 | 52.2 | -3.5 |
| Norris, Derek 3198 | ca | sd nl | 1.0 | 5.5 | 13.0 | 13.0 | -3.5 |
| Morrison, Logan 2794 | 1b | tb al | 1.0 | 5.0 | 15.0 | 16.5 | -3.0 |
| d’Arnaud, Travis 3384 | ca | nym nl | 1.0 | 3.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | -1.5 |
| Baez, Pedro 3678 | pi mr | lad nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Twins pitcher Kyle Gibson is Sunday’s Player of the Day.
Gibson struck out eight over eight innings, allowing one run, in the 8-1 win over the White Sox.
National League Player of the Day—Braves pitcher Mike Foltynewicz struck out seven over 7 2/3 innings, allowing one run, in the 2-1 win over the Brewers.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 9.7 |
| 2 | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | pit nl | 8.0 |
| 3 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 7.0 |
| 4 | Archer, Chris 3194 | pi sp | tb al | 7.0 |
| 5 | Miller, Shelby 3134 | pi sp | atl nl | 7.0 |
| 6 | Harvey, Matt 3075 | pi sp | nym nl | 6.7 |
| 7 | Harper, Bryce 3011 | lf rf | dc nl | 6.5 |
| 8 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | phi nl | 6.0 |
| 9 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 5.7 |
| 10 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 5.7 |
National League Batter of the Day—Nolan Arenado of the Rockies hit a three-run homer, tripled and went 4-for-5, scoring three times and driving in four runs, in the 11-2 win over the Giants.
American League Batter of the Day—Evan Gattis of the Astros homered, tripled and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 10-8 win over the Tigers.
Notable—Mike Napoli of the Red Sox earned Player of the Game honors for the second straight day. Napoli (two-run HR, two-run 2B, 2-3 2R 4BI in the 6-1 win over the Angels) was also Player of the Game Saturday. He earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point each day and has 3.5 Box-Toppers points this season, ranked ninth among AL batters.
Debut—Ryan Goins of the Blue Jays made his Box-Toppers debut Sunday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Goins (2R HR 2-3 3BI in the 8-2 win over the Mariners) made his Major League debut Aug. 23, 2013, and was playing in his 134th career game. He is the 3,478th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Gibson earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Foltynewicz earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Arenado and Gattis 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
| 5/24 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 10.0 | Twins | Kyle Gibson (W, 4-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | |
| NL | 8.2 | Braves | Mike Foltynewicz (W, 3-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | |
| 8.0 | Pirates | Francisco Liriano (W, 2-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 12 | ||
| BAT | 6.0 | Rockies | Nolan Arenado 3B | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 6.0 | Padres | Justin Upton LF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | Astros | Evan Gattis DH | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | Red Sox | Mike Napoli 1B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 5.0 | Athletics | Sonny Gray (W, 5-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 4.2 | Indians | Trevor Bauer (W, 4-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 4.0 | Rangers | Shawn Tolleson (S, 3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 3.1 | Nationals | Gio Gonzalez (W, 4-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| 3.0 | Dbacks | Paul Goldschmidt 1B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Blue Jays | Ryan Goins SS | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Cardinals | Michael Wacha (W, 7-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2.0 | Marlins | Martin Prado 3B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Yankees pitcher Michael Pineda is Sunday’s Player of the Day.
Meanwhile, Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez extended his lead in Box-Toppers player rankings and moved into 15th place on Box-Toppers “all-time” player rankings, passing Greg Maddux.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 8.7 |
| 2 | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | pit nl | 6.0 |
| 3 | Archer, Chris 3194 | pi sp | tb al | 5.0 |
| 4 | Harper, Bryce 3011 | lf rf | dc nl | 5.0 |
| 5 | Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | 1b | det al | 4.7 |
| 6 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 4.7 |
| 7 | Gray, Sonny 3259 | pi sp | oak al | 4.7 |
| 8 | Harvey, Matt 3075 | pi sp | nym nl | 4.7 |
| 9 | Stanton, Giancarlo 2737 | rf | fla nl | 4.5 |
| 10 | Rodriguez, Alex | dh | nyy al | 4.5 |
Player of the Day—Pineda struck out 16 batters over seven innings, allowing one run, in the 6-2 win over the Orioles.
Pineda had a Box-Toppers game score of 15, the highest recorded so far this season. However, another player also had a Box-Toppers game score of 15 Sunday—Indians pitcher Danny Salazar, Player of the Game in the 8-2 win over the Twins (7IP H R 11K). However, Pineda won the tiebreaker to earn overall Player of the Day because he had more strikeouts than Salazar—16 vs. 11. And though Salazar had one of the two highest Box-Toppers game scores of the season, he earns only 1.0 Box-Toppers point as Player of the Game, while Pineda earns 2.0 for being Player of the Day.
National League Player of the Day—Brewers pitcher Matt Garza struck out nine over seven innings, allowing one run, in the 3-2, 11-inning win over the Cubs. After Garza exited the game, the Cubs tied the score 2-2 in the top of the eighth inning, so Garza did not earn the win, but picked up a no-decision.
National League Batter of the Day—Adrian Gonzalez of the Dodgers hit two doubles and drove in four runs in the 9-5 win over the Rockies.
American League Batter of the Day—Mike Napoli of the Red Sox hit a three-run home run in the 6-3 win over the Blue Jays.
Napoli has now earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point for 10 straight seasons. He earned his first points in 2006 with the Angels. His best year was 2011 with the Rangers when he had 9.0, ninth among AL batters. In 2014, he had 5.5 Box-Toppers points with the Red Sox.
Napoli has 48.2 career Box-Toppers points, ranking 23rd among active batters currently in the AL.
Rankings—Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez extended his lead in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.
Hernandez (7IP 2R 6K W in the 4-3 win over the Athletics) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 8.7 for the season. He is 2.7 Box-Toppers points ahead of the second place player, Gerrit Cole of the Pirates (6.0).
With the Box-Toppers point earned Sunday, Hernandez now has 152.0 for his career, which moves him up to 15th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. He passes Greg Maddux (151.7) on the list. It should be noted that Maddux pitched nine seasons, many of them stellar, before Box-Toppers record keeping began, so his actual Box-Toppers career total would likely be much higher. Hernandez now trails Tim Hudson of the Giants (153.0) and Barry Bonds (153.2).
Streak—Ryan Zimmerman of the Nationals has now earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point for 10 straight seasons.
Zimmerman was Player of the Game in Sunday’s 5-4 win over the Braves (2B 2-4 2R 2BI) and earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, his first of the season.
Zimmerman earned his first Box-Toppers point in 2006 with the Nationals. His best year was 2013 with the Nationals when he had 9.2, sixth among NL batters. In 2014, he had 3.5 Box-Toppers points with the Nationals.
Zimmerman has 52.8 career Box-Toppers points and ranks 13th among active batters currently in the NL.
Debut—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Sunday, the first time in their career they earned Player of the Game honors:
Scoring—Pineda earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Garza earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Gonzalez and Napoli 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
| 5/10 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 15.0 | Yankees | Michael Pineda (W, 5-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 16 | |
| 15.0 | Indians | Danny Salazar (W, 4-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 11 | ||
| 9.2 | Angels | Garrett Richards (W, 3-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 10 | ||
| NL | 8.0 | `Brewers | Matt Garza | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 9 | |
| 7.0 | `Rangers | Wandy Rodriguez | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 6.0 | `Giants | Ryan Vogelsong | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 5.0 | `Royals | Chris Young | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 4.1 | `Dbacks | Daniel Hudson | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Dodgers | Adrian Gonzalez 1B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 3.0 | Red Sox | Mike Napoli 1B | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Mariners | Felix Hernandez (W, 6-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 2.0 | Nationals | Ryan Zimmerman 1B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Mets | Johnny Monell PH | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Pirates | Jung-Ho Kang 3B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | White Sox | Tyler Flowers C | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn is Friday’s Player of the Day. Lynn pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing only two hits and striking out eight in the 1-0 win over the Nationals.
Rays pitcher Alex Cobb is American League Player of the Day. Cobb struck out 11 over 6 1/3 innings in the 6-1 win over the Astros.
Ryan Wheeler of the Rockies is National League Batter of the Day. Wheeler hit a pinch-hit single to drive in two runs in the 7-4 win over the Giants. This was Wheeler’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors. He is the 3,353rd player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995. Wheeler made his Major League debut July 20, 2012, and was playing in his 90th game.
Mike Napoli of the Red Sox is AL Player of the Game. Napoli went 2-for-3 with a double and drove in two runs in the 10-3 win over the Indians.
Notable: Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw rises to eighth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday (see the updated top 10 player list on the home page). Kershaw (7IP 1R 7K W in the 4-3 win over the Diamondbacks) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 8.7 for the season. He ranks fourth among NL pitchers.
Lynn receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Cobb receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Wheeler and Napoli 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 Friday, 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
| 613 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 14.0 | Cardinals | Lance Lynn (W, 7-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| 13.0 | Cubs | Jake Arrieta (W, 2-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | ||
| AL | 10.1 | Rays | Alex Cobb (W, 2-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 11 | |
| 7.1 | `Rangers | Nick Tepesch | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | ||
| 6.0 | Pirates | Jeanmar Gomez (W, 1-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 5.2 | Yankees | David Phelps (W, 2-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 5.1 | Mets | Bartolo Colon (W, 6-5) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | ||
| 4.0 | Blue Jays | Drew Hutchison (W, 5-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Rockies | Ryan Wheeler PH, 3B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Dodgers | Clayton Kershaw (W, 6-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| 3.0 | Twins | Kyle Gibson (W, 6-5) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 3.0 | Reds | Aroldis Chapman (S, 11) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | Braves | Craig Kimbrel (S, 19) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| BAT | 2.0 | Red Sox | Mike Napoli 1B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | Royals | Eric Hosmer 1B | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
Mets pitcher Matt Harvey is Sunday's Player of the Day, while Indians pitcher Justin Masterson regained the lead among players in Box-Toppers points.
Also Sunday, seven of the day's 15 Players of the Game are among the top 15 players in Box-Toppers points for the season.
Harvey pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out 10 in the 5-0 win over the Phillies. Harvey earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 13.0 for the season, putting him in sixth place overall among players (see the updated top 10 player list for the season on the home page).
Masterson is Sunday's American League Player of the Day. Masterson, who had a no-hitter into the seventh inning, gave up only one hit and one run while striking out eight in the 7-1 win over the Twins. Masterson earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 15.4 for the season, retaking the season Box-Toppers points lead from pitcher Patrick Corbin of the Diamondbacks (14.4 points). (See the updated top 10 player list).
Mike Napoli of the Red Sox is AL Batter of the Day. Napoli homered twice, including hitting the walk-off home run in the 11th inning, to beat the Yankees 8-7.
Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies is National League Batter of the Day. Gonzalez went 2-for-3 in the 4-1 win over the Cubs. Gonzalez earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 11.0 for the season, moving him up to 11th place among all players.
Notables: It was a big day and a busy day for top Box-Toppers players Sunday:
Harvey receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Masterson receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Napoli and Gonzalez each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.
All of Sunday'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
| 721 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 14.0 | Mets | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Matt Harvey (W, 8-2) | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | ||
| AL | 12.0 | Indians | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Justin Masterson (W, 11-7) | 7.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 11.0 | `Brewers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Wily Peralta | 8.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |||
| 10.0 | Dodgers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Clayton Kershaw (W, 9-6) | 7.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 | |||
| 9.0 | Athletics | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Bartolo Colon (W, 13-3) | 9.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |||
| 8.0 | Mariners | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Felix Hernandez (W, 11-4) | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | |||
| 5.0 | Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Jeff Locke (W, 9-2) | 6.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | |||
| BAT | 2.0 | Red Sox | Mike Napoli 1B | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| BAT | 2.0 | Rockies | Carlos Gonzalez LF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2.0 | Diamondbacks | Paul Goldschmidt 1B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2.0 | Orioles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Chris Tillman (W, 12-3) | 8.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | |||
| 2.0 | Tigers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Doug Fister (W, 8-5) | 6.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |||
| 2.0 | White Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Addison Reed (S, 25) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 1.0 | Rays | Kelly Johnson 2B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1.0 | Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Adam Wainwright (W, 13-5) | 8.0 | 8 | 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.
Rays pitcher Matt Moore is Monday's Player of the Day. Moore allowed only two hits over eight innings and struck out nine in the 5-1 win over the Yankees.
Cardinals pitcher Shelby Miller is National League Player of the Day. Miller struck out eight over 6 2/3 innings in the 3-2 win over the Nationals.
MIke Napoli of the Red Sox is American League Batter of the Day. Napoli hit a grand slam and went 2-for-4 in the 9-6 win over the Athletics.
Jay Bruce of the Reds is National League Batter of the Day. Bruce homered and doubled and drove in three runs in the 5-4, 13-inning win over the Cubs.
Moore receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Day. Miller receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Napoli receives 1.5 points for AL Batter of the Day. Bruce receives 1.5 points for NL Batter of the Day.
All of Monday's other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point:
| 422 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 10.0 | Rays | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Matt Moore (W, 4-0) | 8.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 9 | ||
| 9.0 | Mariners | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Felix Hernandez (W, 2-2) | 6.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | |||
| BAT | 5.0 | Red Sox | Mike Napoli 1B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| NL | 4.2 | Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Shelby Miller (W, 3-1) | 6.2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 2.2 | Phillies | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Raul Valdes (W, 1-0) | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
| BAT | 2.0 | Reds | Jay Bruce RF | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2.0 | Brewers | Ryan Braun LF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2.0 | Giants | Buster Posey C | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2.0 | Rangers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Tanner Scheppers (W, 2-0) | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 2.0 | Orioles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Jim Johnson (W, 1-1) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 2.0 | `Indians | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Vinnie Pestano (H, 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.
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.