Box-Toppers Toppers Box
Today’s key Box-Toppers numbers. Click links to jump to charts elsewhere on this page.▪️ Box-Toppers Player of the Game winners.
▪️ Box-Toppers points of the day’s top players.
▪️ Top 10 players in 2022 Box-Toppers points.
▪️ A B-T look at today’s pitching matchups.
▪️ A look at lead changes in 2022 B-T points.
Astros pitcher Justin Verlander is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, retaking the season Box-Toppers points lead on the next-to-last day of the season.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 in Box-Toppers season player rankings for 2022. Players are ranked by Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned this season through Tuesday, Oct. 4.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | hou al | 26.0 |
| 2 | Ohtani, Shohei 3933 | pi sp | ana al | 24.7 |
| 3 | Alcantara, Sandy 4061 | pi sp | fla nl | 21.1 |
| 4 | Woodruff, Brandon 3868 | pi sp | mil nl | 20.8 |
| 5 | Cease, Dylan 4231 | pi sp | chi al | 20.4 |
| 6 | Rodon, Carlos 3494 | pi sp | sf nl | 19.8 |
| 7 | Urias, Julio 3652 | pi sp | lad nl | 19.4 |
| 8 | Gallen, Zac 4171 | pi sp | ari nl | 18.7 |
| 9 | Musgrove, Joe 3705 | pi sp | sd nl | 17.4 |
| 10 | Darvish, Yu 3003 | pi sp | sd nl | 16.8 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
Back to top
Verlander struck out 10 over five hitless and scoreless innings, allowing one walk, in the 10-0 win over the Phillies. Verlander was pitching a no-hitter through five innings, but was pulled after 77 pitches, saving himself for the postseason. The no-hitter continued until the ninth inning, when Astros reliever Will Smith gave up three hits.
Verlander earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 26.0 for the season, rising from second to first in season player rankings, passing previous leader Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani (24.7). Ohtani took the lead from Verlander last Thursday, Sept. 29, after Verlander had led since Aug. 4. Passing Ohtani, Verlander also regains the lead among American League pitchers.
Ohtani has the chance to overtake Verlander on the regular season’s final day as he makes a pitching start Wednesday against the Athletics. Ohtani is also expected to serve as designated hitter. Trailing Verlander by 1.3 Box-Toppers points, Ohtani would not only have to win Player of the Game honors (worth 1.0 point), but would have to earn bonus Box-Toppers points by being either AL Batter of the Day (worth 1.5 total points), AL Player of the Day (worth 1.7 total points) or overall Player of the Day (worth 2.0 total points).
If Ohtani fails to earn more than 1.0 Box-Toppers point Wednesday, Verlander will win his second career Box-Toppers Player of the Year honor and do it 10 years after his first in 2012, when he led all players with 24.8 points, when he was with the Tigers.
Verlander also becomes the 31st player to reach 25.0 Box-Toppers points in a season since player tracking began in 1995. His 26.0 points ranks 21st among all players for highest single-season point total since 1995. The record is 33.7 by Randy Johnson of the Diamondbacks in both 2000 and 2002. This is Verlander’s second season with 25.0 or more points. In 2019, he had 27.5 points with the Astros, second overall that year, behind then-teammate Gerrit Cole (32.2).
Verlander earned no Box-Toppers points in 2021 as he was recovering from Tommy John surgery. So his 26.0-point gain from 2021 not only makes him 2022’s most improved player (ahead of the 14.7-point gain this season by Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen), but gives him the biggest point gain of any player in Box-Toppers tracking history from one season to the next. The previous high was the 22.2-point gain for Rays pitcher Blake Snell in 2018, earning 5.0 points in 2017 and 27.2 in 2018.
Verlander also now has 232.6 career Box-Toppers points, fifth among all players since player tracking began in 1995. He trails fourth-ranked player, Mets pitcher Max Scherzer (236.3), by 3.7 points. Verlander ranks third among active players in career points, behind Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (257.6) and Scherzer. He ranks first among active AL pitchers, ahead of Zack Greinke of the Royals (222.5).
National League Player of the Day—Mets pitcher Taijuan Walker struck out 10 over 4 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing four hits and no walks, in the 8-0 win over the Nationals. Walker did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because he did not pitch the required five innings to earn the win.
Walker earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 7.7 for the season, 37th among NL pitchers.
American League Batter of the Day—Dylan Moore of the Mariners went 1-for-1, scoring once and driving in three runs, in the 9-6 win over the Tigers.
2022 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4/7 | Framber Valdez | hou al | 2.0 |
| 4/8 | Sean Manaea | sd nl | 2.0 |
| 4/12 | Tylor Megill | nym nl | 3.7 |
| 4/19 | Joe Musgrove | sd nl | 4.0 |
| 4/20 | Shohei Ohtani | ana al | 5.0 |
| 4/29 | Tylor Megill | nym nl | 5.7 |
| 5/5 | Shohei Ohtani | ana al | 7.0 |
| 6/2 | Nestor Cortes | nyy al | 8.4 |
| 6/3 | Joe Musgrove | sd nl | 8.7 |
| 6/4 | Pete Alonso | nym nl | 9.2 |
| 6/9 | Shane McClanahan | tb al | 10.7 |
| 6/16 | Joe Musgrove | sd nl | 11.4 |
| 6/22 | Shohei Ohtani | ana al | 13.0 |
| 8/4 | Justin Verlander | hou al | 19.0 |
| 9/29 | Shohei Ohtani | ana al | 24.7 |
| 10/4 | Justin Verlander | hou al | 26.0 |
National League Batter of the Day—Corey Dickerson of the Cardinals doubled and went 2-for-2, scoring once and driving in two runs, in the 8-7, 10-inning win over the Pirates.
Scoring—Verlander earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Walker earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Moore and Dickerson each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Tuesday’s other Player of the Game winners (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.
Julio Urias @Dodgers, 7th in 2022 Box-Toppers points (19.4), did not earn Player of the Game honors Tuesday in LAD loss to COL, with 0.0 B-T game score (5IP 4H 2R BB 4K ND).
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 5, 2022
Player of the Game—Ryan McMahon @Rockies +1.0 game score (PR 0-0 R 0BI).https://t.co/T14JzGqy7P https://t.co/1h3k1fvw42 pic.twitter.com/GnMFZNOQ27
Zac Gallen @Dbacks, 8th in 2022 Box-Toppers points (18.7), does not win Player of the Game honors Tuesday in ARI loss to MIL, with -3.0 B-T game score (5IP 5H 3R 3BB 6K L).
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 5, 2022
Player of the Game—Eric Lauer @Brewers +9.0 game score (6IP 0H 0R 4BB 7K W).https://t.co/T14JzGqy7P https://t.co/1h3k1fvw42 pic.twitter.com/vtinyQGz3A
Aaron Judge @Yankees hits 62nd HR, breaking AL single-season record, but does not earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors in loss to TEX, w/ +1.0 B-T game score (HR 1-2 R BI).
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 5, 2022
Player of the Game—Kolby Allard @Rangers +4.0 game score (4IP 2H R 2BB 6K W).https://t.co/T14JzGqy7P pic.twitter.com/rGkrIPHAQ3
Box‑Toppers Player of the Game winners
Here is the top player from each of the day’s games listed from highest to lowest Box‑Toppers game score (BTG).Back to top
| 10/4 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +14.0 | HOU 10, PHI 0 | Justin Verlander, (W 18‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| NL | +10.1 | `NYM 8, WSH 0 | Taijuan Walker | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 4.1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | |
| +10.0 | SD 6, SF 2 | Sean Manaea, (W 8‑9) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| +9.0 | MIL 3, ARI 0 | Eric Lauer, (W 11‑7) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | ||
| +7.0 | ATL 2, MIA 1 | Jake Odorizzi, (W 2‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| +7.0 | `OAK 2, LAA 1 (F/10) | Cole Irvin | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | ||
| +5.0 | BOS 6, TB 0 (F/5) | Nathan Eovaldi, (W 6‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| +5.0 | `CIN 3, CHC 2 | Luis Cessa | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| BAT | +4.0 | SEA 9, DET 6 | Dylan Moore, SS | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.0 | TEX 3, NYY 2 | Kolby Allard, (W 1‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 4.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| +3.0 | CHW 8, MIN 3 | Elvis Andrus, SS | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| BAT | +3.0 | STL 8, PIT 7 (F/10) | Corey Dickerson, PH‑DH | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +3.0 | CLE 5, KC 3 | Cal Quantrill, (W 15‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | ||
| +3.0 | NYY 5, TEX 4 | Aroldis Chapman, (W 4‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +2.2 | NYM 4, WSH 2 | Adam Ottavino, (W 6‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| +1.0 | SEA 7, DET 6 (F/10) | Carlos Santana, DH | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +1.0 | COL 5, LAD 2 | Ryan McMahon, PR‑3B | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ |
AL—Overall American League Player of the Day, worth 1.7 total Box‑Toppers points.
NL—Overall National League Player of the Day, worth 1.7 total Box‑Toppers points.
BAT—Top AL or NL Batter of the Day, worth 1.5 total Box‑Toppers points.
All other players listed here earn Player of the Game honors, worth 1.0 Box‑Toppers point.
` Pitcher had a no‑decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
Back to top
Box-Toppers point totals of the day’s Player of the Game winners
Here are Box-Toppers point totals of each of the Player of the Game winners. Players are ranked by their Box-Toppers point total in 2022 (’22). Also shown is their point total for this season and last (’21-22), the period 2017-2022 (’17-22) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2022 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2021 total (+/-).Back to top
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’22 | ’21‑22 | ’17‑22 | Career | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | hou al | 26.0 | 26.0 | 93.3 | 232.6 | +26.0 |
| Lauer, Eric 4017 | pi sp | mil nl | 9.4 | 15.4 | 28.8 | 28.8 | +3.4 |
| Odorizzi, Jake 3291 | pi sp | atl nl | 9.4 | 13.4 | 43.9 | 70.0 | +5.4 |
| Walker, Taijuan 3453 | pi sp | nym nl | 7.7 | 17.1 | 28.1 | 49.5 | -1.7 |
| Irvin, Cole 4140 | pi sp | oak al | 7.7 | 12.4 | 15.4 | 15.4 | +3.0 |
| Manaea, Sean 3637 | pi sp | sd nl | 6.0 | 21.7 | 43.5 | 50.2 | -9.7 |
| Eovaldi, Nathan 2928 | pi sp | bos al | 6.0 | 20.1 | 33.8 | 59.6 | -8.1 |
| Quantrill, Cal 4195 | pi sp | cle al | 6.0 | 11.7 | 15.7 | 15.7 | +0.3 |
| Santana, Carlos 2757 | 1b | sea al | 4.5 | 4.5 | 16.0 | 38.7 | +4.5 |
| Dickerson, Corey 3222 | lf rf dh ph | stl nl | 3.5 | 3.5 | 15.7 | 32.2 | +3.5 |
| Ottavino, Adam 3054 | pi mr cp | nym nl | 3.0 | 7.0 | 13.0 | 20.0 | -1.0 |
| Cessa, Luis 3703 | pi sp | cin nl | 3.0 | 5.0 | 7.0 | 9.0 | +1.0 |
| Andrus, Elvis 2582 | ss | chi al | 3.0 | 4.5 | 17.5 | 37.2 | +1.5 |
| McMahon, Ryan 4004 | 2b 3b pr | col nl | 2.5 | 6.7 | 17.4 | 17.4 | -1.7 |
| Chapman, Aroldis 2826 | pi mr cp | nyy al | 2.0 | 6.0 | 15.7 | 62.1 | -2.0 |
| Moore, Dylan 4289 | ss 2b lf ph | sea al | 1.5 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | -2.0 |
| Allard, Kolby 4232 | pi mr sp | tex al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | +1.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
Chart is sortable. Click a column header to re-sort the chart by the values in that column. Refresh page to restore chart to default view.
Back to top
A Box-Toppers look at Wednesday’s pitching matchups
A Box-Toppers look at the upcoming day’s probable pitching matchups. Teams are paired below with visiting teams on top and home teams on the bottom. Each team’s starting pitcher is shown with their Box-Toppers point total from 2022 (’22), over a two-year period (’21-22), over a six-year period (’17-22) and their career point total.Back to top
| Game | Starter | ’22 | ’21‑22 | ’17‑22 | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOR | White, Mitch 4519 | 2.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| BAL | Baumann, Mike 4572 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| LAA | Ohtani, Shohei 3933 | 24.7 | 40.8 | 55.3 | 55.3 |
| OAK | Waldichuk, Ken* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| TOR | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| BAL | Watkins, Spenser 4479 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| STL | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| PIT | Oviedo, Johan 4442 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| NYY | German, Domingo 3957 | 1.0 | 5.7 | 24.4 | 24.4 |
| TEX | Otto, Glenn 4584 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| PHI | Falter, Bailey 4473 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| HOU | Valdez, Framber 4048 | 14.0 | 19.0 | 29.4 | 29.4 |
| ARI | Kelly, Merrill 4143 | 10.0 | 13.0 | 25.0 | 25.0 |
| MIL | Burnes, Corbin 4029 | 15.4 | 33.5 | 44.2 | 44.2 |
| KC | Heasley, Jonathan 4655 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| CLE | Civale, Aaron 4173 | 4.0 | 15.7 | 21.4 | 21.4 |
| DET | Alexander, Tyler 4196 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 |
| SEA | Gonzales, Marco 3408 | 3.0 | 7.0 | 33.5 | 36.5 |
| ATL | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| MIA | Hernandez, Elieser 4181 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 7.7 | 7.7 |
| WSH | Fedde, Erick 4065 | 3.4 | 13.8 | 18.5 | 18.5 |
| NYM | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| SF | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| SD | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| TB | Fleming, Josh 4316 | 1.0 | 7.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 |
| BOS | Pivetta, Nick 3825 | 7.7 | 12.7 | 35.4 | 35.4 |
| CHC | Sampson, Adrian 4147 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 |
| CIN | Ashcraft, Graham 4645 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| MIN | Varland, Louie* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| CHW | Martin, Davis 4657 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| COL | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| LAD | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | 9.0 | 22.4 | 73.9 | 257.6 |
* Player has yet to earn Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
Chart is sortable. Click a column header to re-sort the chart by the values in that column. Refresh page to restore chart to default, game-by-game view.
Back to top