Box-Toppers Toppers Box
Today’s key Box-Toppers numbers. Click links to jump to charts elsewhere on this page.▪️ Players of the Game
▪️ B-T points of day’s top players
▪️ Top 10 players in 2025
▪️ Upcoming pitching matchups
▪️ Saturday’s Sidelights Sidebar
▪️ Subscribe to newsletter
▪️ Support Box-Toppers
Mariners pitcher Luis Castillo is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Other Player of the Game winners Saturday include Pete Alonso of the Mets and Kyle Higashioka of the Rangers.
Player of the Day
Castillo struck out eight over seven scoreless innings, allowing two hits and no walks, in the 1-0 win over the Pirates.
Castillo earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 7.7 for the season, 23rd among all players and 10th among American League pitchers.
National League Player of the Day
Pete Alonso of the Mets hit two home runs, including a three-run homer, in the 12-6 win over the Yankees. Alonso went 2-for-4, scoring three times and driving in five runs.
Alonso earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 7.2 for the season, 34th among all players and fourth among NL batters.
American League Batter of the Day
Kyle Higashioka of the Rangers homered, hit a sacrifice fly and went 3-for-3, scoring once and driving in five runs, in the 7-4 win over the Padres.
National League Batter of the Day
There is no separate NL Batter of the Day for Saturday because the overall NL Player of the Day is batter Pete Alonso.
Debut
Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Saturday, each with their first career Player of the Game honor:
Blue Jays pitcher Lazaro Estrada (4IP 2H R 0BB 4K ND in the 4-3, 11-inning win over the Angels) was also making his Major League debut.
Marlins pitcher Ronny Henriquez (1IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K W in the 4-2 win over the Brewers) made his Major League debut Sept. 19, 2022, and was playing in his 59th career game.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2025 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Saturday, July 5.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 16.1 |
| 2 | Tarik Skubal | pi sp | Tigers | 12.7 |
| 3 | Hunter Brown | pi sp | Astros | 12.4 |
| 4 | Bryan Woo | pi sp | Mariners | 12.0 |
| 5 | Nick Pivetta | pi sp | Padres | 12.0 |
| 6 | Paul Skenes | pi sp | Pirates | 11.4 |
| 7 | Garrett Crochet | pi sp | Red Sox | 11.1 |
| 8 | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | pi sp | Dodgers | 11.0 |
| 9 | Sonny Gray | pi sp | Cardinals | 10.0 |
| 10 | Max Fried | pi sp | Yankees | 9.7 |
Scoring
Castillo earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Alonso earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day.
Higashioka earns 1.5 points for being AL Batter of the Day.
All of Saturday’s other Player of the Game winners (listed in the chart) 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.
For additional updates, follow Box-Toppers on Bluesky or Twitter (X).
Saturday’s Sidelights Sidebar
Reviewing the day’s top pitchers, overlooked top performers & lowest Box-Toppers game scores.Top pitching matchup
Result—ARI 7, KC 1A Box-Toppers look at Saturday’s pitching matchups Notable—KC at ARI Michael Wacha #Royals 15.8 B-T points over 2024-25, 47th* Ryne Nelson #Dbacks 14.1 B-T points over 2024-25, 60th* *Overall rank 2024-25 All Saturday pitching matchups: www.box-toppers.com/blog/2025/7/...
— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) Jul 5, 2025 at 1:07 PM
[image or embed]
Ryne Nelson, Diamondbacks, was Player of the Game (7IP 4H R 0BB 5K W) with +6.0 B-T game score.
Michael Wacha, Royals, had -8.0 game score in loss (4IP 4H 4R 4BB 4K L).
Nelson earns 1.0 B-T point, giving him 15.1 over 2024-25, rising to 52nd overall over that span.
High scores, no points
Highest Box-Toppers game scores for the day among players who did not earn Player of the Game honors:▪️+5.0—Logan Allen, Guardians (6IP 2H R 2BB 5K L)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. DET.
Player of the Game—Casey Mize, Tigers (7IP 4H 0R 2BB 4K W) with +5.0 game score.
▪️+4.0—Matt Olson, Braves (HR 2B 3-3 2R 2BI)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. BAL Player of the Game—Felix Bautista, Orioles (1Ip 0H 0R 0BB 2K W) with +3.0 game score.
▪️+4.0—Francisco Lindor, Mets (2B 2-3 4R BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. NYY.
Player of the Game—Teammate Pete Alonso (2HR 2-4 3R 5BI) with +6.0 game score.
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 450 total players Saturday, 138 pitchers-16.0—Germán Márquez, Rockies (6IP 11H 6R BB 2K L vs. CHW)
-14.9—Stephen Kolek, Padres
-14.0—Travis Adams, Twins
-14.0—Mitchell Parker, Nationals
-13.0—Brad Keller, Cubs
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 312 total batters Saturday-5.0—Freddie Freeman, Dodgers 0-5 3K
-5.0—Michael Harris II, Braves 0-5 3K
-5.0—Xander Bogaerts, Padres 0-5 2K
-5.0—Gunnar Henderson, Orioles 0-5 2K
-5.0—Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks 0-5 K
-5.0—Matt McLain, Reds 0-5 K
Box-Toppers uses Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and other sources to compile this information.
2025 Box-Toppers points—NL batters 1—Seiya Suzuki #Cubs 8.5 2—Christian Yelich #Brewers 8.2 3—James Wood #Nationals 7.7 4—Pete Alonso #Mets 7.2* 5—Pete Crow-Armstrong #Cubs 6.5 6—Max Muncy #Dodgers 6.0 *Earns 1.7 B-T points as Saturday’s NL Player of the Day www.box-toppers.com/blog/2025/7/...
— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) Jul 6, 2025 at 9:27 AM
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).| 7/5 | BTG | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +13.0 | SEA 1, PIT 0 | Luis M. Castillo (W, 5‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| NL | +6.0 | NYM 12, NYY 6 | Pete Alonso 1B | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| BAT | +6.0 | TEX 7, SD 4 | Kyle Higashioka C | 3 | 1 | 3 | 5 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +6.0 | ARI 7, KC 1 | Ryne Nelson (W, 5‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||
| +5.0 | DET 1, CLE 0 | Casey Mize (W, 9‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| +4.0 | CHW 10, COL 3 | Lenyn Sosa 2B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | STL 8, CHC 6 | Yohel Pozo PH‑C | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | `TOR 4, LAA 3 (F/11) | Lazaro Estrada (BS, 1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 4.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | ||
| +3.0 | BAL 9, ATL 6 (F/10) | Felix Bautista (W, 1‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +3.0 | MIA 4, MIL 2 | Ronny Henriquez (W, 5‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +2.1 | HOU 6, LAD 4 | Josh Hader (S, 25) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +2.0 | SF 7, ATH 2 | Willy Adames SS | 5 | 0 | 3 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | BOS 10, WSH 3 | Romy Gonzalez 2B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | PHI 5, CIN 1 | Kyle Schwarber DH | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +1.0 | MIN 6, TB 5 | Royce Lewis 3B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ |
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 2025 (’25). Also shown is their point total for this season and last (’24-’25), the period 2020-2025 (’20-25) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2025 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2024 total (+/-).Back to top
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’25 | ’24‑25 | ’20‑25 | Career | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castillo, Luis Miguel 3840 | pi sp | sea al | 7.7 | 18.4 | 58.5 | 89.3 | -3.0 |
| Alonso, Pete 4118 | 1b | nym nl | 7.2 | 12.2 | 43.6 | 50.6 | +2.2 |
| Nelson, Ryne 4728 | pi sp | ari nl | 6.7 | 15.1 | 23.5 | 23.5 | -1.7 |
| Hader, Josh 3881 | pi cp | hou al | 6.0 | 17.0 | 31.0 | 63.4 | -5.0 |
| Mize, Casey 4377 | pi sp | det al | 6.0 | 6.0 | 13.7 | 13.7 | +6.0 |
| Adames, Willy 4041 | ss | sf nl | 4.5 | 15.0 | 31.1 | 34.1 | -6.0 |
| Schwarber, Kyle 3536 | dh | phi nl | 4.0 | 12.5 | 26.0 | 44.5 | -4.5 |
| Sosa, Lenyn 4907 | 2b 3b | chi al | 2.5 | 6.0 | 7.5 | 7.5 | -1.0 |
| Bautista, Felix 4668 | pi cp mr | bal al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 18.0 | 18.0 | +2.0 |
| Higashioka, Kyle 4505 | ca | tex al | 1.5 | 1.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | +1.5 |
| Gonzalez, Romy 4817 | 2b 1b 3b | bos al | 1.0 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | -1.5 |
| Lewis, Royce 4606 | 3b | min al | 1.0 | 3.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | -1.0 |
| Pozo, Yohel 4508 | ca dh ph | stl nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 2.5 | +1.0 |
| Estrada, Lazaro 5217 | pi mr | tor al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
| Henriquez, Ronny 5218 | pi mr | fla nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +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 Sunday’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 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 | Starter | ’25 | ’24‑25 | ’20‑25 | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAL | Rogers, Trevor 4311 | 3.7 | 5.7 | 19.7 | 19.7 |
| ATL | Holmes, Grant 5127 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| BOS | Crochet, Garrett 4434 | 11.1 | 21.8 | 22.8 | 22.8 |
| WSH | Ogasawara, Shinnosuke* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| CIN | Burns, Chase* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| PHI | Wheeler, Zack 3204 | 16.1 | 37.5 | 88.7 | 121.1 |
| LAA | Anderson, Tyler 3656 | 4.0 | 12.0 | 36.4 | 49.4 |
| TOR | Gausman, Kevin 3191 | 5.0 | 15.0 | 61.1 | 103.1 |
| DET | Skubal, Tarik 4414 | 12.7 | 33.8 | 63.9 | 63.9 |
| CLE | Williams, Gavin 4865 | 3.0 | 6.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 |
| MIL | Woodruff, Brandon 3868 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 51.9 | 61.6 |
| MIA | Cabrera, Edward 4641 | 4.7 | 6.7 | 16.8 | 16.8 |
| NYY | Fried, Max 4011 | 9.7 | 23.1 | 65.6 | 76.6 |
| NYM | Devenski, Chris 3702 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 10.7 |
| TB | Rasmussen, Drew 4547 | 7.7 | 9.4 | 29.2 | 29.2 |
| MIN | Ryan, Joe 4539 | 8.7 | 18.4 | 44.5 | 44.5 |
| CHW | Smith, Shane 5158 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| COL | Dollander, Chase 5169 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| HOU | Gordon, Colton 5210 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| LAD | Sheehan, Emmet 4886 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 5.7 | 5.7 |
| KC | Lorenzen, Michael 3479 | 3.0 | 8.0 | 22.7 | 31.2 |
| ARI | DeSclafani, Anthony 3441 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 19.1 | 41.8 |
| PIT | Skenes, Paul 5005 | 11.4 | 24.4 | 24.4 | 24.4 |
| SEA | Kirby, George 4595 | 3.0 | 18.4 | 43.5 | 43.5 |
| STL | Fedde, Erick 4065 | 2.7 | 11.4 | 26.2 | 29.9 |
| CHC | Boyd, Matthew 3550 | 7.0 | 10.0 | 14.0 | 38.8 |
| TEX | Leiter, Jack 5132 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| SD | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| SF | Birdsong, Hayden 5063 | 4.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| ATH | Lopez, Jacob 5202 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.4 |
* Player has yet to earn any career 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