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
▪️ Tuesday’s Sidelights Sidebar
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Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, moving within 1.0 Box-Toppers point of overall leader, Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler, who has led player rankings since mid-May.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2025 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Tuesday, Aug. 19.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 20.1 |
| 2 | Tarik Skubal | pi sp | Tigers | 19.4 |
| 3 | Nick Pivetta | pi sp | Padres | 17.7 |
| 4 | Paul Skenes | pi sp | Pirates | 17.1 |
| 5 | Garrett Crochet | pi sp | Red Sox | 14.1 |
| 6 | Sonny Gray | pi sp | Cardinals | 14.0 |
| 7 | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | pi sp | Dodgers | 14.0 |
| 8 | Nathan Eovaldi | pi sp | Rangers | 13.4 |
| 9 | Bryan Woo | pi sp | Mariners | 13.0 |
| 10 | Carlos Rodón | pi sp | Yankees | 13.0 |
Skubal also bolsters his overall second-place ranking and extends his lead among American League pitchers.
Also Tuesday, Padres pitcher Nick Pivetta rises to third place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Other Player of the Game winners Tuesday include Mets pitcher David Peterson, Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sánchez, Cody Bellinger of the Yankees, Alex Call of the Dodgers and Athletics pitcher Jacob Lopez.
Player of the Day
Skubal struck out 10 over seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits and two walks, in the 1-0, 10-inning win over the Astros. Skubal did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the game was in a scoreless tie when he exited.
Skubal earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 19.4 for the season, maintaining his second-place spot, 0.7 points behind overall leader, Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler (20.1 points). Wheeler has led 2025 season player rankings continuously since May 11, but underwent surgery on Monday to remove a blood clot from his right upper arm. He is on the 15-day injured list, but the team has indicated his timetable for return is uncertain.
Skubal extends his lead among AL pitchers, now 5.3 points ahead of second-place Garrett Crochet of the Red Sox (14.1 points). It would take Crochet at least three starts (earning a maximum of 2.0 points each time) to pass Skubal.
National League Player of the Day
Mets pitcher David Peterson struck out 10 over eight innings, allowing one run, four hits and one walk, in the 8-1 win over the Nationals.
Peterson earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 5.7 for the season, 40th among NL pitchers.
American League Batter of the Day
Cody Bellinger of the Yankees hit two home runs and went 4-for-5, scoring three times and driving in four runs, in the 13-3 win over the Rays.
Belinger earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 4.2 for the season, 30th among AL batters.
National League Batter of the Day
Alex Call of the Dodgers homered, doubled and went 4-for-5, scoring three times and driving in two runs, in the 11-4 win over the Rockies.
Call earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 4.0 for the season, 41st among NL batters.
2025 Box-Toppers points—NL pitchers 1—Zack Wheeler #Phillies 20.1 2—Nick Pivetta #Padres 17.7* 3—Paul Skenes #Pirates 17.1 4—Sonny Gray #STLCards 14.0 5—Yoshinobu Yamamoto #Dodgers 14.0 6—Jesús Luzardo #Phillies 12.7 *Earns 1.0 B-T pt as Player of the Game Tuesday www.box-toppers.com/blog/2025/8/...
— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) Aug 20, 2025 at 7:54 AM
Rankings
Padres pitcher Nick Pivetta rises from fourth to third place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday.
Pivetta (6IP 3H R 2BB 10K W in the 5-1 win over the Giants) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 17.7 for the season. He passes Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (17.1 points) in overall rankings and now trails Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler (20.1 points) and Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal (19.4 points). Pivetta rises to second among NL pitchers, 2.4 points behind Wheeler.
Tuesday’s Sidelights Sidebar
Reviewing the day’s top pitchers, overlooked top performers & lowest Box-Toppers game scores.Top pitching matchup
Result—DET 1, HOU 0 (F/10)A Box-Toppers look at Tuesday’s pitching matchups Notable—HOU at DET Hunter Brown #Astros 12.4 B-T points in 2025, 6th* Tarik Skubal #Tigers 17.4 B-T points in 2025, 1st* *Rank among AL pitchers, 2025 All Tuesday pitching matchups: www.box-toppers.com/blog/2025/8/...
— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) Aug 19, 2025 at 1:12 PM
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Tarik Skubal, Tigers, was Player of the Game (7IP 3H 0R 2BB 10K ND) with +12.0 B-T game score.
Hunter Brown, Astros had +4.0 B-T game score in loss (6IP 5H 0R 3BB 6K ND).
Skubal earns 2.0 B-T points for being overall Player of the Day, giving him 19.4 for 2025, extending his lead among AL pitchers.
High scores, no points
Highest Box-Toppers game scores for the day among players who did not earn Player of the Game honors:▪️+6.0—Yohan Ramírez, Pirates (3IP 0H 0R 0BB 3K ND)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. TOR.
Player of the Game—Alejandro Kirk, Blue Jays (HR 3-5 R 3BI) with +2.0 game score.
▪️+5.0—Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees (2HR 2-3 2R 4BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. TB.
Player of the Game—Teammate Cody Bellinger (2HR 4-5 3R 3BI) with +5.0 game score.
Bellinger beat Stanton for Player of the Game on a tiebreker with more at bats—5 vs. 4.
▪️+4.0—Jeff McNeil, Mets (HR 2B 3-4 2R 3BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. WSH.
Player of the Game—Teammate David Peterson (8IP 4H R BB 10K W) with +11.0 game score.
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 451 total players Tuesday, 133 pitchers-20.0—Austin Gomber, Rockies (3IP 9H 7R 2BB 2K L vs. LAD)
-19.8—Bryce Elder, Braves
-15.0—Shane Baz, Rays
-14.0—Jake Irvin, Nationals
-13.0—Ian Seymour, Rays
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 318 total batters Tuesday-5.0—Abraham Toro, Red Sox 0-5 2K
-5.0—Ha-Seong Kim, Rays 0-5 K
-5.0—Pete Alonso, Mets 0-5 K
-4.0—Jorge Polanco, Mariners 0-4 4K
Box-Toppers uses MLB.com and other sources to compile this information.
Notable
In addition to Skubal and Pivetta, two other players with 10 or more Box-Toppers points in 2025 earned Player of the Game honors:
Athletics pitcher Jacob Lopez (6IP 4H 3R 2ER BB 8K W in the 6-3 win over the Twins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.4 for the season, 14th overall and seventh among AL pitchers.
Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sánchez (6.1IP 6H 2R 2BB 12K ND in the 6-4 win over the Mariners) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.0 for the season, 16th overall and eighth among NL pitchers.
Debut
Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Tuesday, each with their first career Player of the Game honor:
Thomas Saggese of the Cardinals (SF 3-4 2R BI in the 7-4 win over the Marlins) made his Major League debut Sept. 10, 2024, and was playing in his 66th career game.
Owen Caissie of the Cubs (HR 2-4 R 3BI in the 6-4 win over the Brewers) made his Major League debut Aug. 14 and was playing in his fourth career game.
Scoring
Skubal earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Peterson earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day.
Bellinger and Call 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) 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.
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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).| 8/19 | BTG | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +12.0 | `DET 1, HOU 0 (F/10) | Tarik Skubal | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | |
| NL | +11.0 | NYM 8, WSH 1 | David Peterson (W, 8‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 8.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | |
| +9.0 | SD 5, SF 1 | Nick Pivetta (W, 13‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 | ||
| +6.1 | `PHI 6, SEA 4 | Cristopher Sánchez | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.1 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 12 | ||
| +6.1 | `CIN 6, LAA 4 | Hunter Greene | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.1 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 12 | ||
| BAT | +5.0 | NYY 13, TB 3 | Cody Bellinger LF‑RF‑CF | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| BAT | +4.0 | LAD 11, COL 4 | Alex Call LF | 5 | 3 | 4 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.0 | ATH 6, MIN 3 | Jacob Lopez (W, 7‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | ||
| +2.1 | `KC 5, TEX 2 | Seth Lugo | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | ||
| +2.0 | ATL 11, CHW 10 | Matt Olson 1B | 5 | 3 | 4 | 0 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | TOR 7, PIT 3 | Alejandro Kirk C | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | STL 7, MIA 4 | Thomas Saggese 2B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | CHC 6, MIL 4 | Owen Caissie RF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | ARI 6, CLE 5 | Geraldo Perdomo SS | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | CHC 4, MIL 1 | Jameson Taillon (W, 8‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| +2.0 | `BAL 4, BOS 3 (F/11) | Tomoyuki Sugano | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
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.
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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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skubal, Tarik 4414 | pi sp | det al | 19.4 | 40.5 | 70.6 | 70.6 | -1.7 |
| Pivetta, Nick 3825 | pi sp | sd nl | 17.7 | 27.4 | 50.1 | 71.8 | +8.0 |
| Lopez, Jacob 5202 | pi sp | oak al | 11.4 | 11.4 | 11.4 | 11.4 | +11.4 |
| Sanchez, Cristopher 4850 | pi sp | phi nl | 11.0 | 22.4 | 26.4 | 26.4 | -0.4 |
| Greene, Hunter 4651 | pi sp | cin nl | 8.4 | 18.1 | 29.8 | 29.8 | -1.3 |
| Sugano, Tomoyuki 5163 | pi sp | bal al | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 | +6.7 |
| Taillon, Jameson 3658 | pi sp | chi nl | 6.4 | 14.4 | 39.5 | 65.9 | -1.6 |
| Peterson, David 4347 | pi sp | nym nl | 5.7 | 10.4 | 23.4 | 23.4 | +1.0 |
| Perdomo, Geraldo 4601 | ss | ari nl | 5.5 | 5.5 | 11.0 | 11.0 | +5.5 |
| Lugo, Seth 3729 | pi sp | kc al | 5.0 | 19.1 | 30.5 | 43.5 | -9.1 |
| Olson, Matt 3836 | 1b | atl nl | 4.5 | 9.0 | 25.2 | 35.9 | 0.0 |
| Kirk, Alejandro 4353 | ca | tor al | 4.5 | 4.5 | 13.5 | 13.5 | +4.5 |
| Bellinger, Cody 3781 | lf rf cf | nyy al | 4.2 | 6.7 | 16.9 | 36.8 | +1.7 |
| Call, Alex 4732 | rf cf lf ph | lad nl | 4.0 | 4.0 | 7.5 | 7.5 | +4.0 |
| Caissie, Owen 5260 | rf | chi nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
| Saggese, Thomas 5259 | 2b | stl nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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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 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOR | Bassitt, Chris 3413 | 5.0 | 12.7 | 63.9 | 76.6 |
| PIT | Oviedo, Johan 4442 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 12.7 | 12.7 |
| SEA | Castillo, Luis Miguel 3840 | 10.4 | 21.1 | 61.2 | 92.0 |
| PHI | Luzardo, Jesus 4282 | 12.7 | 14.7 | 48.6 | 48.6 |
| HOU | Valdez, Framber 4048 | 9.7 | 25.1 | 60.8 | 66.5 |
| DET | Morton, Charlie 2503 | 6.0 | 15.4 | 50.5 | 119.5 |
| CLE | Messick, Parker* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| ARI | Pfaadt, Brandon 4812 | 5.7 | 18.1 | 21.8 | 21.8 |
| STL | Pallante, Andre 4656 | 5.7 | 14.4 | 16.4 | 16.4 |
| MIA | Alcantara, Sandy 4061 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 45.8 | 52.2 |
| NYM | Senga, Kodai 4762 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 21.7 | 21.7 |
| WSH | Lord, Brad 5234 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| CHW | Perez, Martin 3213 | 1.7 | 7.4 | 22.2 | 41.9 |
| ATL | Waldrep, Hurston 5248 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 |
| NYY | Schlitter, Cam* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| TB | Rasmussen, Drew 4547 | 9.7 | 11.4 | 31.2 | 31.2 |
| ATH | Ginn, J.T. 5142 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| MIN | Ober, Bailey 4441 | 1.0 | 14.4 | 32.8 | 32.8 |
| TEX | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| KC | Cameron, Noah 5167 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| MIL | Misiorowski, Jacob 5200 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| CHC | Rea, Colin 3582 | 2.0 | 12.4 | 17.4 | 21.1 |
| LAD | Ohtani, Shohei 3933 | 4.5 | 15.5 | 75.7 | 90.2 |
| COL | Gordon, Tanner 5230 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| CIN | Martinez, Nick 3430 | 5.7 | 15.4 | 27.8 | 34.5 |
| LAA | Kikuchi, Yusei 4136 | 6.7 | 17.4 | 40.8 | 44.8 |
| SF | Roupp, Landen 5079 | 4.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 |
| SD | Sears, JP 4627 | 4.0 | 11.7 | 20.7 | 20.7 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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