Brewers pitcher Corbin Burnes is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to ninth in season player rankings.
Burnes struck out 13 over six scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks, in the 1-0 win over the Reds.
Read MorePadres’ Darvish tops players for Saturday, June 3; Braves’ Strider rises to 9th
Padres pitcher Yu Darvish is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Saturday, Braves pitcher Spencer Strider rises to ninth in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Read MoreMets’ deGrom tops players for Wednesday, Aug. 31; Padres’ Musgrove rises to 6th
Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Wednesday, Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove rises to sixth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Read MorePhillies’ Nola tops players for Thursday, Aug. 25; Rays’ Rasmussen tops AL players
Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Nola pitched a complete-game, five-hit shutout, striking out 11 and walking none, in the 4-0 win over the Reds.
Read MoreRed Sox’ Pivetta tops players for Wednesday, May 18; Phillies’ Wheeler tops NL players
Red Sox pitcher Nick Pivetta is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Pivetta pitched a complete-game two-hitter, allowing one run and no walks, and striking out eight, in the 5-1 win over the Astros.
Read MoreDiamondbacks’ Gallen tops players for Sunday, May 8; Padres’ Musgrove rises to 2nd in player rankings
Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Sunday, Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove rises to second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings—first among National League pitchers—after earning Player of the Game honors.
Read MoreDiamondbacks’ Bumgarner tops players for Sunday, April 25, pitching 7-inning no-hitter
Diamondbacks pitcher Madison Bumgarner is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, pitching a seven-inning no-hitter.
Also Sunday, Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff rises to fourth in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Read MorePhillies’ Nola tops players for Sunday, April 18; Indians’ Bieber rises to 2nd in player rankings
Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to seventh place in season player rankings.
Meanwhile, Indians pitcher Shane Bieber rises to second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.
Read MoreAngels’ Bundy tops players for Saturday, July 25; Phillies’ Gosselin tops NL players
Angels pitcher Dylan Bundy is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Bundy struck out seven over 6 2/3 innings, allowing one run, three hits and no walks, in the 4-1 win over the Athletics.
Read MoreAstros’ Gerrit Cole tops players for Friday, Sept. 13, extends lead in Box-Toppers player rankings
Astros pitcher Gerrit Cole, Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, extends his lead in season player rankings and now has the 11th-best single-season Box-Toppers point total in 25 seasons.
Cole struck out 11 over eight innings, allowing one run, four hits and two walks, in the 4-1 win over the Royals.
Read MoreNationals’ Stephen Strasburg tops players for Sunday, April 21, rises to 10th in season player rankings
Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to 10th place in season player rankings.
Strasburg struck out 11 over eight scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks, in the 5-0 win over the Marlins.
Read MoreRockies’ German Marquez tops players for Sunday, April 14, rises to 3rd in season player rankings
Rockies pitcher German Marquez is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to third place in season player rankings.
Marquez pitched a complete-game, one-hit shutout, striking out nine and walking none, in the 4-0 win over the Giants.
Read MoreHow 2019 Hall of Fame candidates fared in Box-Toppers
Four players—Mariano Rivera, Roy Halladay, Edgar Martinez and Mike Mussina—were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame Tuesday.
The three pitchers selected—Rivera, Halladay and Mussina—are among the top 40 players in career Box-Toppers points (tracking began in 1995). Martinez ranks ninth among designated hitters in career Box-Toppers points since 1995, but he started his career in 1987, before the advent of Box-Toppers tracking.
Read MoreBox-Toppers votes eight players to Hall of Fame in internet writers’ ballot
Box-Toppers is voting for eight players to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) ballot.
Read MoreNationals’ Scherzer tops players for Friday, July 27, regains player rankings lead
Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and regains the lead in season player rankings.
Also Friday, Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale rises to second place ranking in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning American League Player of the Day honors.
Plus, three players in Box-Toppers “all-time” top 10 in career points earned Player of the Game honors Friday—Scherzer, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw and Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke.
Read MoreDbacks’ Greinke tops players for Sunday, July 22, rises to 7th on ‘all-time’ career points list; Red Sox’ Sale rises to 3rd in season rankings
Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to seventh place in “all-time” career Box-Toppers points, passing Alex Rodriguez.
Also Sunday, Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale rises to third place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning American League Player of the Day honors.
Read MoreDodgers' Rich Hill tops players for Wednesday, Sept. 27; Yankees' Severino rises to 5th in Box-Toppers rankings
Dodgers pitcher Rich Hill is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Wednesday, Yankees pitcher Luis Severino rises to fifth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Read MoreReds' Adam Duvall tops players for Monday, Sept. 26; Angels' Weaver tops AL players
Adam Duvall of the Reds is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of Sept. 26:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 24.7 |
| 2 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 24.4 |
| 3 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | died* | 22.4 |
| 4 | Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 22.1 |
| 5 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 21.2 |
| 6 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 17.8 |
| 7 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 15.7 |
| 8 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym al | 15.7 |
| 9 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 15.4 |
| 10 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 15.1 |
* Jose Fernandez died in a boating accident Sept. 25. His team was the Miami Marlins.
Duvall hit two homers, including a three-run shot, in the 15-2 win over the Cardinals. Duvall went 4-for-6, scoring four times and driving in five runs.
American League Player of the Day—Angels pitcher Jered Weaver pitched five scoreless innings, allowing one hit, one walk and striking out three, in the 2-1 win over the Athletics. Weaver did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the Athletics tied the game after he exited.
Weaver earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 127.8 for his career, rising to 35th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Monday, he passes Roy Oswalt (127.2) and A.J. Burnett (127.8) on the “all-time” list and now trails 34th-ranked player Vladimir Guerrero (128.3). Weaver has 4.7 Box-Toppers points on the season, his lowest point total in his 11-year career.
American League Batter of the Day—Robinson Cano of the Mariners hit two homers and a double in the 4-3, 11-inning win over the Astros. Cano went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in two runs.
Cano earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 7.0 for the season, the highest point total of any of the 10 who earned Player of the Game honors Monday. He ranks 20th among AL batters.
National League Batter of the Day—There is no separate NL Batter of the Day for Monday because the overall Player of the Day was NL batter Adam Duvall.
Kluber—Corey Kluber, ranked fifth in Box-Toppers season player rankings, started in the Indians’ win Monday but failed to earn Player of the Game honors.
Kluber (4IP 5H 2R BB 3K ND in the 7-4 win over the Tigers) had a Box-Toppers game score of −4.0. Player of the Game was middle reliever Andrew Miller (1.2IP H 0R 0BB 4K W) who had a Box-Toppers game score of +4.2.
Kluber has 21.2 Box-Toppers points on the season, fifth among all players and first among AL players.
Streak—Justin Morneau of the White Sox has now earned Box-Toppers points in 13 straight seasons after earning his first Player of the Game honor of the season Monday.
Morneau (HR 2-3 R 3BI in the 7-1 win over the Rays) earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2004 with the Twins and has 74.3 career points, fourth among active AL first basemen. His best season was 2006 with the Twins, when he had 12.2 Box-Toppers points, seventh among AL batters. In 2015, he had 2.0 Box-Toppers points with the Rockies.
Scoring—Duvall earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Weaver earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Cano earns 1.5 points for being AL 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.
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Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 9/26 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 7.0 | CIN 15, STL 2 | Adam Duvall, LF | 6 | 4 | 4 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 6.0 | MIL 8, TEX 3 | Jonathan Villar, 2B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| AL | 6.0 | `LAA 2, OAK 1 | Jered Weaver | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |
| 5.0 | ARI 14, WSH 4 | Zack Godley (W,5-4) | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 4.2 | CLE 7, DET 4 | Andrew Miller (W,10-1; H,24) | - | - | - | - | 1.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 4.0 | CHC 12, PIT 2 | Javier Baez, 2B-SS | 5 | 1 | 2 | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | SEA 4, HOU 3 (11) | Robinson Cano, 2B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | MIA 7, NYM 3 | Justin Bour, 1B | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | CHW 7, TB 1 | Justin Morneau, DH | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | NYY 7, TOR 5 | Adam Warren (W,7-4) | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 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 point totals of the day’s top players
Here are Box-Toppers point totals of each of the Players of the Game. Players are ranked by their Box-Toppers point total for the current season (16). Also shown are each players’ Box-Toppers point total for this season and last (15-16), the period 2011-2016 (11-16) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2016 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2015 total (+/-).| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Cano, Robinson 2092 | 2b | sea al | 7.0 | 13.5 | 42.5 | 74.4 | 0.5 |
| Miller, Andrew 2436 | pi cp mr | cle al | 7.0 | 11.0 | 15.0 | 22.0 | 3.0 |
| Duvall, Adam 3573 | lf | cin nl | 6.5 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 5.0 |
| Weaver, Jered 2178 | pi sp | ana al | 4.7 | 12.4 | 67.0 | 127.8 | -3.0 |
| Villar, Jonathan 3233 | ss 2b ph | mil nl | 4.0 | 4.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 4.0 |
| Warren, Adam 3169 | pi mr | nyy al | 3.0 | 6.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 | -0.7 |
| Bour, Justin 3433 | 1b ph | fla nl | 2.5 | 11.0 | 12.5 | 12.5 | -6.0 |
| Baez, Javier 3395 | 2b ss | chi nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 2.0 |
| Godley, Zack 3538 | pi mr sp | ari nl | 1.0 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | -2.7 |
| Morneau, Justin 1900 | dh 1b | chi al | 1.0 | 3.0 | 19.7 | 74.3 | -1.0 |
Nationals' Max Scherzer tops players for Tuesday, Aug. 30, extending his season Box-Toppers points lead
Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and extends his lead in season player rankings.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of Aug. 30:| 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 | 17.2 |
| 5 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 16.8 |
| 6 | Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 15.4 |
| 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 |
Scherzer struck out 11 over eight innings, allowing two runs, three hits and one walk, in the 3-2 win over the Phillies.
Scherzer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 22.7 for the season. Scherzer took the Box-Toppers points lead in his last start Aug. 25, passing previous leader Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (20.0 Box-Toppers points).
Scherzer’s 22.7 points is now his single-season career high, passing his 2014 point total of 22.1 he earned with the Tigers.
Scherzer also now has 128.7 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 32nd place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Tuesday, he passes three players on the “all-time” list—Roy Oswalt (127.2), A.J. Burnett (127.8) and Vladimir Guerrero (128.3). Scherzer now trails 31st-ranked player Trevor Hoffman (129.4).
American League Player of the Day—Astros pitcher Collin McHugh pitched six scoreless innings, allowing four hits, one walk and striking out five, in the 3-1 win over the Athletics.
National League Batter of the Day—Curtis Granderson of the Mets hit two homers and went 2-for-2, driving in three runs, in the 7-4 win over the Marlins.
American League Batter of the Day—Adrian Beltre of the Rangers homered and went 3-for-5, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 8-7 win over the Mariners.
Beltre earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 111.3 career points, rising to 52nd place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Tuesday, he passes Tom Glavine (110.6) on the “all-time” list and now trails 51st-ranked player Kevin Brown (112.8).
Beltre has 9.5 Box-Toppers points on the season, fifth among AL batters.
Notable—Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright now has 110.0 career Box-Toppers points—54th-most among players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995—after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday.
Wainwright (7IP 3H R 0BB 7K ND in the 3-1, 10-inning win over the Brewers) passes Jeff Kent (109.7) on the “all-time” list and now trails 53rd-ranked player Tom Glavine (110.6).
Wainwright has 8.2 Box-Toppers points on the season, 21st among NL pitchers.
Also notable—Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks has 11.7 Box-Toppers points on the season after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday.
Hendricks (7IP 3H 0R BB 4K W in the 3-0 win over the Pirates) ranks 18th among all players and 12th among NL pitchers.
Debut—Rays pitcher Enny Romero made his Box-Toppers debut Tuesday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Romero (1IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K W in the 4-3 win over the Red Sox) made his Major League debut Sept. 22, 2013, and was playing in his 68th career game. He is the 3,726th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Scherzer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and McHugh earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Granderson and Beltre 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.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 8/30 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 11.0 | WSH 3, PHI 2 | Max Scherzer (W,15-7) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 11 | |
| 9.0 | `STL 2, MIL 1 (10) | Adam Wainwright | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | ||
| 7.0 | CHC 3, PIT 0 | Kyle Hendricks (W,13-7) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| AL | 6.0 | HOU 3, OAK 1 | Collin McHugh (W,9-10) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |
| 5.2 | CLE 5, MIN 4 | Dan Otero (W,4-1) | - | - | - | - | 2.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | NYM 7, MIA 4 | Curtis Granderson, PH-RF | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | ATL 7, SD 3 | Julio Teheran (W,4-9) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | TEX 8, SEA 7 | Adrian Beltre, 3B | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | NYY 5, KC 4 (10) | Dellin Betances (W,3-4; BS,4) | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | LAA 4, CIN 2 | C.J. Cron, 1B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | DET 8, CHW 4 | J.D. Martinez, RF | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | TB 4, BOS 3 | Enny Romero (W,2-0) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.1 | BAL 5, TOR 3 | Brad Brach (W,8-2) | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 0.0 | ARI 4, SF 3 | Welington Castillo, C | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||
Box-Toppers point totals of the day’s top players
Here are Box-Toppers point totals of each of the Players of the Game. Players are ranked by their Box-Toppers point total for the current season (16). Also shown are each players’ Box-Toppers point total for this season and last (15-16), the period 2011-2016 (11-16) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2016 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2015 total (+/-).| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 22.7 | 43.7 | 108.3 | 128.7 | 1.7 |
| Hendricks, Kyle 3386 | pi sp | chi nl | 11.7 | 21.4 | 26.4 | 26.4 | 2.0 |
| Beltre, Adrian 1141 | 3b | tex al | 9.5 | 22.0 | 47.9 | 111.3 | -3.0 |
| Wainwright, Adam 2150 | pi sp | stl nl | 8.2 | 11.2 | 59.3 | 110.0 | 5.2 |
| Teheran, Julio 3176 | pi sp | atl nl | 7.0 | 14.7 | 42.8 | 42.8 | -0.7 |
| McHugh, Collin 3316 | pi sp | hou al | 6.7 | 16.4 | 28.2 | 28.2 | -3.0 |
| Castillo, Wellington 3251 | ca | ari nl | 5.0 | 8.5 | 11.5 | 11.5 | 1.5 |
| Martinez, J.D. 2922 | rf | det al | 4.5 | 6.2 | 16.2 | 16.2 | 2.8 |
| Cron, C.J. 3338 | 1b dh | ana al | 3.7 | 9.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 | -2.3 |
| Betances, Dellin 3333 | pi mr cp | nyy al | 3.0 | 7.0 | 11.7 | 11.7 | -1.0 |
| Granderson, Curtis 2051 | rf ph | nym nl | 3.0 | 7.0 | 31.9 | 64.3 | -1.0 |
| Brach, Brad 3374 | pi mr | bal al | 3.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 0.0 |
| Otero, Dan 3365 | pi mr | cle al | 3.0 | 4.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 1.3 |
| Romero, Enny 3726 | pi mr | tb al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Nationals' Max Scherzer passes Kershaw for Box-Toppers points lead after topping players for Thursday, Aug. 25
Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and takes the season lead in Box-Toppers points, passing Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who had led since May 7.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of Aug. 25:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 20.7 |
| 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 | 17.2 |
| 5 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 16.8 |
| 6 | Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 15.4 |
| 7 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 14.4 |
| 8 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 14.1 |
| 9 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 13.7 |
| 10 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym nl | 13.0 |
Also Thursday, Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels rises to fifth in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning American League Player of the Day honors.
Player of the Day—Scherzer pitched eight scoreless innings, striking out 10 and allowing two hits and no walks, in the 4-0 win over the Orioles.
Scherzer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 20.7 for the season, rising from second to first among all players. Scherzer becomes the second player this season to 20 points; previous leader Kershaw (20.0 Box-Toppers points) did it first it more than two months ago on June 20, the last time he earned Player of the Game before going on the disabled list.
Kershaw has led all players in Box-Toppers points this season since May 7, nearly 16 weeks, despite going on the disabled list two months ago on June 26. Kershaw is eligible to return from the disabled list Saturday and reports indicate he could return to pitch by mid-September.
Kershaw finished second in Box-Toppers points in 2015 with 25.7, behind overall leader, Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta (29.1). Kershaw led all National League players in Box-Toppers points from 2011 to 2014 and led all players in 2011, 2013 and 2014.
Lead changes
Here are the season’s lead changes among players in Box-Toppers points. Chart shows the date and the player’s Box-Toppers point (BTP) total when they took the lead.| Date | Player | Team | BTP |
| 4/3 | Francisco Liriano | pit nl | 2.0 |
| 4/4 | Clayton Kershaw | lad nl | 2.0 |
| 4/14 | Vince Velasquez | phi nl | 4.0 |
| 4/21 | Jake Arrieta | chi nl | 5.0 |
| 5/1 | Clayton Kershaw | lad nl | 6.0 |
| 5/3 | Jake Arrieta | chi nl | 6.0 |
| 5/7 | Clayton Kershaw | lad nl | 7.0 |
| 8/25 | Max Scherzer | dc nl | 20.7 |
This is Scherzer’s third straight 20-point season. He earned 22.1 points in 2014 with the Tigers, when he ranked fifth overall and second among American League pitchers. He earned 21.0 points in 2015 with the Nationals, when he ranked sixth overall and fourth among NL pitchers.
Scherzer now has 126.7 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 35th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Thursday, he passes two players on the “all-time” list—Angels pitcher Jered Weaver (125.1) and Mariano Rivera (126.4). Scherzer now trails 34th-ranked player Roy Oswalt (127.2).
American League Player of the Day—Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels pitched eight scoreless innings, striking out eight and allowing two hits and no walks, in the 9-0 win over the Indians.
Hamels earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 16.8 for the season, rising to fifth among all players and maintaining his spot in second place among AL pitchers, behind Corey Kluber of the Indians (17.2).
Hamels also now has 143.0 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 23rd place among players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Thursday, he passes three players (all active) on the “all-time” list—Giants pitcher Jake Peavy (141.8), David Ortiz of the Red Sox (142.9) and Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers (142.9). Hamels now has the seventh-most career Box-Toppers points among active players. Hamels now trails 22nd-ranked player, Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon (145.8).
National League Batter of the Day—Alejandro De Aza of the Mets hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in five runs, in the 10-6 win over the Cardinals.
American League Batter of the Day—James McCann of the Tigers hit a three-run homer, doubled and went 4-for-5, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 8-5 win over the Twins.
Debut—Rays pitcher Tyler Sturdevant made his Box-Toppers debut Thursday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Sturdevant (0.2IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K ND in the 2-1 win over the Red Sox) made his Major League debut May 24 and was playing in his 16th career game. He is the 3,718th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Scherzer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Hamels earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. De Aza and McCann 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.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 8/25 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 16.0 | WSH 4, BAL 0 | Max Scherzer (W,14-7) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | |
| AL | 14.0 | TEX 9, CLE 0 | Cole Hamels (W,14-4) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| 11.2 | SF 4, LAD 0 | Matt Moore (W,8-10) | - | - | - | - | 8.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | NYM 10, STL 6 | Alejandro De Aza, CF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | ATL 3, ARI 1 | Matt Wisler (W,5-11) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | DET 8, MIN 5 | James McCann, C | 5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | LAA 6, TOR 3 | Mike Trout, CF | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | KC 5, MIA 2 | Kelvin Herrera (S,9) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.2 | `TB 2, BOS 1 | Tyler Sturdevant | - | - | - | - | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | PIT 3, MIL 2 (10) | Andrew McCutchen, CF | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | CHW 7, SEA 6 | Tim Anderson, SS | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||
Box-Toppers point totals of the day’s top players
Here are Box-Toppers point totals of each of the Players of the Game. Players are ranked by their Box-Toppers point total for the current season (16). Also shown are each players’ Box-Toppers point total for this season and last (15-16), the period 2011-2016 (11-16) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2016 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2015 total (+/-).| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 20.7 | 41.7 | 106.3 | 126.7 | -0.3 |
| Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 16.8 | 32.2 | 83.8 | 143.0 | 1.4 |
| Trout, Mike 2949 | cf | ana al | 8.5 | 20.5 | 45.0 | 45.0 | -3.5 |
| Moore, Matt 2975 | pi sp | sf nl | 7.7 | 7.7 | 33.2 | 33.2 | 7.7 |
| McCutchen, Andrew 2637 | cf | pit nl | 5.5 | 16.0 | 46.7 | 52.4 | -5.0 |
| Wisler, Matt 3522 | pi sp | atl nl | 3.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 0.0 |
| Anderson, Tim 3659 | ss | chi al | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| McCann, James 3649 | ca | det al | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| De Aza, Alejandro 2950 | cf | nym nl | 1.5 | 3.0 | 11.7 | 11.7 | 0.0 |
| Herrera, Kelvin 3149 | pi cp | kc al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 1.0 |
| Sturdevant, Tyler 3718 | pi mr | tb al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |