Top-seeded AL team Blue Jays face Yankees, Box-Toppers’ top-ranked AL team
Both American League Division Series begin Saturday.
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The Detroit Tigers face the Seattle Mariners in one best-of-five game series and the New York Yankees face the Toronto Blue Jays in the other. The top two AL seeds, the Blue Jays (first) and the Mariners (second) received byes from the first round of playoffs and face the winners of the best-of-three Wild Card series played this week.
AL Division Series: Tigers at Mariners
The Mariners are the second-seeded AL playoff team and their 117.6 Box-Toppers points ranks sixth overall, third among AL teams. The Tigers are the sixth-seeded AL playoff team and their 109.3 Box-Toppers points ranks 11th overall, sixth among AL teams.
The Tigers, however, had been one of Box-Toppers’ top teams through much of the season, leading AL teams for 14 of 16 weeks from May 15 to Sept. 4 and leading all teams for 10 of those weeks, including five straight weeks from July 31 to Aug. 28. They went 7-18 in September and lost their commanding lead in the AL Central, finishing second and barely clinging to the sixth and final Wild Card spot.
The Tigers advance to the ALDS by defeating the AL Central champion Cleveland Guardians in the Wild Card series in three games, 2-1. The Mariners, as the second-seeded AL team, had a bye from the Wild Card round.
The pitching matchup Saturday
Tigers—Troy Melton, 3.7 Box-Toppers points in 2025, 279th among all players, 87th among AL pitchers.
Mariners—George Kirby, 11.0 Box-Toppers points in 2025, 34th among all players, 19th among AL pitchers.
A look at all four of Saturday’s Division Series pitching matchups
Key Tigers players
Starting pitcher Tarik Skubal leads all players in 2025 Box-Toppers points with 22.1. It is his second straight season to lead AL pitchers. His 21.1 Box-Toppers points in 2024 was second among all players.
Skubal started Game 1 of the Wild Card series against the Guardians, leading the Tigers to a win and earning Player of the Game honors.
Other key Tigers players include:
Outfielder Riley Greene, 9.0 Box-Toppers points, fourth among AL batters.
Starting pitcher Jack Flaherty, 8.4 points, 30th among AL pitchers. Flaherty started Game 3 of the Wild Card series against the Guardians, leading the Tigers to a win and earning Player of the Game honors.
Starting pitcher Casey Mize, 7.0 points, 45th among AL pitchers.
Other notable Tigers players include starting pitcher Chris Paddack (5.0), shortstop Javier Baez (5.0) and designated hitter/outfielder Kerry Carpenter (4.5).
Key Mariners players
Starting pitcher Bryan Woo leads all Mariners with 18.0 Box-Toppers points, fifth overall and third among AL pitchers. But his postseason status is in doubt after missing his final regular season start with inflammation in his pectoral muscle.
Four of the Mariners top players, including Woo, are starting pitchers. The others:
Luis Castillo, 16.1 Box-Toppers points, ninth overall, fourth among AL pitchers.
Logan Gilbert, 13.1 points, 10th among AL pitchers.
George Kirby, 11.0 points, 19th among AL pitchers and the Game 1 starter.
Other notable Mariners players:
Third baseman Eugenio Suárez, 7.5 points, 11th among AL batters.
Catcher Cal Raleigh, 6.0 points, 24th among AL batters. Though he has 60 home runs and is a favorite for AL Most Valuable Player, he ranked comparatively lower in Box-Toppers rankings because in Mariners wins, there was often another player who was a more key contributor to the win.
Centerfielder Julio Rodríguez, 5.5 points, 28th among AL batters.
Leftfielder Randy Arozarena, 5.5 points, 29th among AL batters.
Designated hitter/first baseman Josh Naylor, 4.5 points, 37th among AL batters.
The Box-Toppers point totals of all players on the teams’ active rosters at season’s end are here. Players who did not earn Box-Toppers points in 2025 are not listed. Players who earned points in 2025 are listed even if they are not on the roster for the upcoming postseason series due to injury or for other reasons.
Tigers vs. Mariners
Here are players for both teams in the AL Divisional Series beginning Saturday. Players are listed for both teams ranked by Box-Toppers points earned in 2025. All players listed were on active Major or Minor League rosters at the end of the season—not necessarily all of them will be included on postseason rosters. Players not listed earned no Box-Toppers points in 2025.| Detroit Tigers | Seattle Mariners | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Pos | BTP | Player | Pos | BTP | |
| Skubal, Tarik 4414 | pi sp | 22.1 | Woo, Bryan 4842 | pi sp | 18.0 | |
| Greene, Riley 4675 | lf cf | 9.0 | Castillo, Luis Miguel 3840 | pi sp | 16.1 | |
| Flaherty, Jack 3971 | pi sp | 8.4 | Gilbert, Logan 4439 | pi sp | 13.1 | |
| Mize, Casey 4377 | pi sp | 7.0 | Kirby, George 4595 | pi sp | 11.0 | |
| Vest, Will 4608 | pi cp mr | 6.0 | Suarez, Eugenio 3355 | 3b | 7.5 | |
| Paddack, Chris 4093 | pi sp | 5.0 | Raleigh, Cal 4481 | ca | 6.0 | |
| Baez, Javier 3395 | cf ss | 5.0 | Rodriguez, Julio 4590 | cf | 5.5 | |
| Carpenter, Kerry 4711 | dh rf | 4.5 | Arozarena, Randy 4331 | lf | 5.5 | |
| Olson, Reese 4861 | pi sp | 4.4 | Naylor, Josh 4154 | dh 1b | 4.5 | |
| Montero, Keider 5057 | pi sp | 4.0 | Crawford, J.P. 3937 | ss | 3.5 | |
| Melton, Troy 5231 | pi sp | 3.7 | Miller, Bryce 4797 | pi sp | 3.0 | |
| Dingler, Dillon 5081 | ca | 3.5 | Munoz, Andres 4222 | pi cp mr | 3.0 | |
| Finnegan, Kyle 4535 | pi cp mr | 3.0 | Polanco, Jorge 3739 | dh 2b | 3.0 | |
| Torres, Gleyber 3972 | 2b | 3.0 | Speier, Gabe 4268 | pi mr | 3.0 | |
| Keith, Colt 5015 | 1b 2b | 2.0 | Hancock, Emerson 4985 | pi sp | 2.7 | |
| Perez, Wenceel 4991 | rf dh | 2.0 | Taveras, Leody 4687 | rf | 2.0 | |
| McKinstry, Zach 5086 | ss dh | 2.0 | Ferguson, Caleb 4006 | pi mr | 2.0 | |
| Malloy, Justyn‑Henry 5031 | dh rf ph | 2.0 | Canzone, Dominic 4945 | dh lf | 1.7 | |
| Hanifee, Brenan 5137 | pi mr | 2.0 | Rivas, Leo 5168 | 2b | 1.5 | |
| Lee, Chase 5185 | pi mr | 2.0 | Garver, Mitch 3950 | ca dh | 1.0 | |
| Montero, Rafael 3410 | pi cp | 1.7 | Brash, Matt 4786 | pi cp mr | 1.0 | |
| Hurter, Brant 5099 | pi mr | 1.0 | Kowar, Jackson 4944 | pi cp mr | 1.0 | |
| Sewald, Paul 3940 | pi mr cp | 1.0 | Evans, Logan 5192 | pi sp | 1.0 | |
| Vierling, Matt 4652 | rf 3b ph | 1.0 | Legumina, Casey 5226 | pi mr | 1.0 | |
| Holton, Tyler 4775 | pi mr sp | 1.0 | ||||
| Kahnle, Tommy 4138 | pi cp mr | 1.0 | ||||
| Gipson‑Long, Sawyer 4940 | pi mr sp | 1.0 | ||||
| Jobe, Jackson 5141 | pi sp | 1.0 | ||||
| Totals | 109.3 | Totals | 117.6 | |||
AL Division Series: Yankees at Blue Jays
Even though the Toronto Blue Jays are the top-seeded AL postseason team and finished first in the AL East Division, they rank far behind the New York Yankees in Box-Toppers team rankings. The Yankees are Box-Toppers’ top AL team, with 127.1 Box-Toppers points, second among all teams, while the Blue Jays rank 10th with 111.7, fifth among AL teams.
The Blue Jays, as top seed, received a bye from the Wild Card round. The Yankees advanced to the AL Division Series by defeating the Boston Red Sox in the Wild Card round in three games, 2-1.
The pitching matchup Saturday
Yankees—Luis Gil, 1.0 Box-Toppers point in 2025, 571st among all players, 149th among AL pitchers. Gil had 17.4 Box-Toppers points in his 2024 rookie season, most among AL rookies and sixth overall, second among AL pitchers. Gil was on the injured list much of this season with a lat strain he suffered in spring training. He made his first start Aug. 3, but earned only 1.0 Box-Toppers point in 11 starts.
Blue Jays—Kevin Gausman, 14.1 Box-Toppers points in 2025, 15th among all players, seventh among AL pitchers.
A look at all four of Saturday’s Division Series pitching matchups
Key Yankees players
Starting pitcher Max Fried leads all Yankees with 14.4 Box-Toppers points, 13th among all players and fifth among AL pitchers. (Fried started in the Wild Card series Game 1 loss to the Red Sox.)
The Yankees’ top four players in 2025 Box-Toppers points are pitchers. The other three are:
Carlos Rodón, 13.7 Box-Toppers points, eighth among AL pitchers. (Rodon started in the Wild Card series Game 2 win over the Red Sox, but did not earn Player of the Game honors.)
Will Warren, 9.4 points, 27th among AL pitchers.
Cam Schlittler, 7.4 points, 38th among AL pitchers. (Schlittler started in the Wild Card series Game 3 win over the Red Sox, winning Player of the Game honors.)
Other notable Yankees players include:
Second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., 7.2 Box-Toppers points, 12th among AL batters.
Closing pitcher David Bednar, 7.0 points, third among AL closing pitchers.
Rightfielder Aaron Judge, 6.5 points, 20th among AL batters. Though he is a favorite for AL Most Valuable Player, he ranked comparatively lower in Box-Toppers rankings because in Yankees wins, there was often another player who was a more key contributor to the win.
Other Yankees players include leftfielder Cody Bellinger (5.9), starting pitcher Clarke Schmidt (4.7), first baseman Ben Rice (4.5) and shortstop Anthony Volpe (4.0).
Key Blue Jays players
Starting pitcher Kevin Gausman leads all Blue Jays with 14.1 Box-Toppers points in 2025, 24th among all players and seventh among AL pitchers. He is the Game 1 starter.
Three starting pitchers, including Gausman, lead Blue Jays players. The others are:
José Berríos, 11.7 Box-Toppers points, 14th among AL pitchers.
Eric Lauer, 10.0 points, 24th among AL pitchers.
Other notable Blue Jays players:
Designated hitter/rightfielder George Springer, 9.7 points, first among AL batters. (His 9.7-point total is the lowest point total to lead a season category since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995).
Closing pitcher Jeff Hoffman, 8.0 points, first among AL closing pitchers.
Catcher Alejandro Kirk, 7.0 points, 17th among AL batters.
Outfielder Myles Straw, 4.7 points, 36th among AL batters.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 4.0 points, 47th among AL batters.
Starting pitcher Max Scherzer, 3.0 points, 97th among AL pitchers. Scherzer, 41, ranks second among active players in career Box-Toppers points (256.7).
The Box-Toppers point totals of all players on the teams’ active rosters at season’s end are here. Players who did not earn Box-Toppers points in 2025 are not listed. Players who earned points in 2025 are listed even if they are not on the roster for the upcoming postseason series due to injury or for other reasons.
Yankees vs. Blue Jays
Here are players for both teams in the AL Divisional Series beginning Saturday. Players are listed for both teams ranked by Box-Toppers points earned in 2025. All players listed were on active Major or Minor League rosters at the end of the season—not necessarily all of them will be included on postseason rosters. Players not listed earned no Box-Toppers points in 2025.| New York Yankees | Toronto Blue Jays | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Pos | BTP | Player | Pos | BTP | |
| Fried, Max 4011 | pi sp | 14.4 | Gausman, Kevin 3191 | pi sp | 14.1 | |
| Rodon, Carlos 3494 | pi sp | 13.7 | Berrios, Jose 3791 | pi sp | 11.7 | |
| Warren, Will 5143 | pi sp | 9.4 | Lauer, Eric 4017 | pi sp mr | 10.0 | |
| Schlittler, Cam 5261 | pi sp | 7.4 | Springer, George 3337 | dh rf | 9.7 | |
| Chisholm, Jazz Jr. 4364 | 2b | 7.2 | Hoffman, Jeff 3806 | pi cp | 8.0 | |
| Grisham, Trent 4246 | cf | 7.2 | Bassitt, Chris 3413 | pi sp | 7.0 | |
| Bednar, David 4499 | pi cp | 7.0 | Kirk, Alejandro 4353 | ca | 7.0 | |
| Judge, Aaron 3767 | dh rf | 6.5 | Straw, Myles 4152 | lf cf | 4.7 | |
| Bellinger, Cody 3781 | lf | 5.9 | Guerrero, Vladimir Jr. 4142 | 1b | 4.0 | |
| Schmidt, Clarke 4581 | pi sp | 4.7 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | 3.0 | |
| Rice, Ben 5055 | 1b | 4.5 | Bieber, Shane 4005 | pi sp | 3.0 | |
| Volpe, Anthony 4793 | ss | 4.2 | Gimenez, Andres 4288 | 2b | 2.5 | |
| Yarbrough, Ryan 3962 | pi sp | 4.0 | Varsho, Daulton 4398 | cf | 2.5 | |
| Stanton, Giancarlo 2737 | rf dh ph | 4.0 | Barger, Addison 5214 | rf | 2.5 | |
| Wells, Austin 5098 | ca | 3.5 | Lucas, Easton 5068 | pi sp mr | 2.0 | |
| McMahon, Ryan 4004 | 3b | 3.0 | Varland, Louie 4758 | pi mr cp sp | 2.0 | |
| Domínguez, Jasson 5146 | lf | 2.5 | Fluharty, Mason 5197 | pi mr cp | 2.0 | |
| Doval, Camilo 4658 | pi cp | 2.0 | Lukes, Nathan 5128 | cf rf | 2.0 | |
| Weaver, Luke 3719 | pi cp | 2.0 | France, Ty 4243 | 1b | 1.5 | |
| Caballero, Jose 4968 | rf 3b 2b ss | 2.0 | Bichette, Bo 4233 | dh ss | 1.5 | |
| Williams, Devin 4319 | pi cp | 2.0 | Francis, Bowden 5034 | pi sp | 1.0 | |
| De los Santos, Yerry 5238 | pi mr | 2.0 | Garcia, Yimi 3440 | pi cp | 1.0 | |
| Gil, Luis 4498 | pi sp | 1.0 | Schneider, Davis 4890 | lf 2b | 1.0 | |
| Blackburn, Paul 3869 | pi sp | 1.0 | Clement, Ernie 4482 | 2b 3b dh | 1.0 | |
| Cabrera, Oswaldo 4747 | 3b | 1.0 | Dominguez, Seranthony 3968 | pi mr cp | 1.0 | |
| Rosario, Amed 3879 | 3b 2b ss | 1.0 | Kiner‑Falefa, Isiah 4130 | 2b 3b ph | 1.0 | |
| Leiter, Mark Jr. 3834 | pi mr cp | 1.0 | Clase, Jonatan 5120 | lf | 1.0 | |
| Slater, Austin 3818 | rf | 1.0 | Heineman, Tyler 4620 | ca | 1.0 | |
| Cruz, Fernando 4768 | pi mr | 1.0 | Burr, Ryan 5219 | pi mr | 1.0 | |
| Hill, Tim 4237 | pi mr | 1.0 | Estrada, Lazaro 5217 | pi mr | 1.0 | |
| Yesavage, Trey 5287 | pi sp | 1.0 | ||||
| Total | 127.1 | Total | 111.7 | |||
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. (No Box-Toppers points are awarded in postseason games.)
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A Box-Toppers look at Saturday’s League Division Series 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 2025 (’25), this year and last year (’24-25), over a six-year period (’20-25) and their career point total.Back to top
| Game | BOS | ’25 | ’24‑25 | ’20‑25 | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHC | Boyd, Matthew 3550 | 10.7 | 13.7 | 17.7 | 42.5 |
| MIL | Peralta, Freddy 3965 | 14.7 | 28.1 | 67.9 | 84.6 |
| NYY | Gil, Luis 4498 | 1.0 | 18.4 | 19.4 | 19.4 |
| TOR | Gausman, Kevin 3191 | 14.1 | 24.1 | 70.2 | 112.2 |
| LAD | Ohtani, Shohei 3933 | 5.5 | 16.5 | 76.7 | 91.2 |
| PHI | Sanchez, Cristopher 4850 | 15.4 | 26.8 | 30.8 | 30.8 |
| DET | Melton, Troy 5231 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
| SEA | Kirby, George 4595 | 11.0 | 26.4 | 51.5 | 51.5 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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