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
▪️ Thursday’s Sidelights Sidebar
▪️ Subscribe to newsletter
▪️ Support Box-Toppers
Cardinals pitcher JoJo Romero is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Other Player of the Game winners Thursday include Athletics pitcher Osvaldo Bido, Jesús Sánchez of the Astros and Manny Machado of the Padres.
Player of the Day
Romero struck out three over two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and no walks, closing the game and earning the save, in the 7-4 win over the Rays.
Romero earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, his first points of the season, and ranks 361st among all players, 95th among National League pitchers and 15th among NL closing pitchers.
American League Player of the Day
Athletics pitcher Osvaldo Bido struck out four over three innings, allowing one run, two hits and no walks, closing the game and earning the save, in the 8-3 win over the Twins.
Bido earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, his first points of the season, and ranks 128th among AL pitchers, 25th among AL closing pitchers.
American League Batter of the Day
Jesús Sánchez of the Astros doubled and went 5-for-5, scoring once and driving in one run, in the 7-2 win over the Orioles.
Sánchez earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 4.5 for the season, 28th among AL batters.
National League Batter of the Day
Manny Machado of the Padres doubled and went 2-for-4, scoring once and driving in three runs, in the 8-4 win over the Giants.
Machado earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 7.0 for the season, most among Thursday’s Player of the Game winners, 75th among all players and eighth among NL batters.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2025 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Thursday, Aug. 21.| 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 | Jesús Luzardo | pi sp | Phillies | 14.7 |
| 6 | Garrett Crochet | pi sp | Red Sox | 14.1 |
| 7 | Sonny Gray | pi sp | Cardinals | 14.0 |
| 8 | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | pi sp | Dodgers | 14.0 |
| 9 | Nathan Eovaldi | pi sp | Rangers | 13.4 |
| 10 | Bryan Woo | pi sp | Mariners | 13.0 |
Scoring
Romero earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Bido earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day.
Sánchez and Machado each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day.
All of Thursday’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.
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Thursday’s Sidelights Sidebar
Reviewing the day’s top pitchers, overlooked top performers & lowest Box-Toppers game scores.Top pitching matchup
Result—MIL 4, CHC 1A Box-Toppers look at Thursday’s pitching matchups Notable—MIL at CHC Quinn Priester #Brewers 8.0 B-T points in 2025, 23rd* Shota Imanaga #Cubs 7.0 B-T points in 2025, 27th* *Rank among NL pitchers, 2025 All Thursday pitching matchups: www.box-toppers.com/blog/2025/8/...
— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) Aug 21, 2025 at 11:43 AM
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Neither starter was Player of the Game.
Quinn Priester, Brewers, had -1.9 B-T game score (4.1IP 3H R 5BB 4K ND).
Shota Imanaga, Cubs, had +3.0 B-T game score in loss (7IP 3H 2R 2BB 5K L).
Player of the Game—Brice Turang, Brewers (HR 2-4 R 2BI) with +1.0 B-T game score.
High scores, no points
Highest Box-Toppers game scores for the day among players who did not earn Player of the Game honors:▪️+4.0—Brenton Doyle, Rockies (HR 2-3 R 4BI)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. LAD.
Player of the Game—Freddie Freeman, Dodgers (HR 2-5 2R 2BI) with +1.0 game score.
▪️+3.0—Shota Imanaga, Cubs (7IP 3H 2R 2BB 5K L)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. MIL.
Player of the Game—Brice Turang, Brewers (HR 2-4 R 2BI) with +1.0 game score.
▪️+2.0—Brady House, Nationals (2B 3-4 2R BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. NYM.
Player of the Game—Teammate Jose A. Ferrer (1.1IP H 0R 0BB 3K Sv) with +3.1 game score.
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 271 total players Thursday, 85 pitchers-16.9—Brandon Young, Orioles (5.1IP 9H 7R 2BB K L vs. HOU)
-16.8—Chase Dollander, Rockies
-14.0—Joe Boyle, Rays
-13.9—Justin Verlander, Giants
-13.0—José Ureña, Twins
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 186 total batters Thursday-5.0—Juan Soto, Mets 0-5 3K
-5.0—Trent Grisham, Yankees 0-5 K
-5.0—Dalton Rushing, Dodgers 0-5 K
-4.0—Christian Koss, Giants 0-4 3K
Box-Toppers uses Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and other sources to compile this information.
Craig Kimbrel, 37, signed by #Astros to play in #MLB. He has 94.1 career Box-Toppers points from 2010-24, 4th among all closing pitchers since 1995 & has made 1 relief appearance in 2025 (6/6) for #Braves. Recently, he was on a minor league deal with #Rangers.
— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) Aug 22, 2025 at 3:33 PM
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Cal Quantrill, 30, claimed off waivers by #Braves. He earned 6.7 Box-Toppers points in 2025 with #Marlins, 30th among NL pitchers. The move boosts #Braves in B-T team rankings (from 16th to 11th) but their postseason chances remain slim. B-T team rankings: www.box-toppers.com/blog/2025/8/...
— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) Aug 22, 2025 at 3:40 PM
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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).| 8/21 | BTG | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +4.0 | STL 7, TB 4 | JoJo Romero (S, 4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| +3.1 | WSH 9, NYM 3 | Jose A. Ferrer (S, 4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| AL | +3.0 | ATH 8, MIN 3 | Osvaldo Bido (S, 1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 3.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| +2.2 | KC 6, TEX 4 | Angel Zerpa (W, 5‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| BAT | +2.0 | HOU 7, BAL 2 | Jesús Sánchez RF | 5 | 1 | 5 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +2.0 | BOS 6, NYY 3 | Roman Anthony RF | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| BAT | +2.0 | SD 8, SF 4 | Manny Machado 3B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +1.0 | LAD 9, COL 5 | Freddie Freeman 1B | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +1.0 | MIL 4, CHC 1 | Brice Turang 2B | 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.
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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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Machado, Manny 3087 | 3b | sd nl | 7.0 | 14.0 | 31.4 | 67.8 | 0.0 |
| Sanchez, Jesus 4551 | rf lf | hou al | 4.5 | 10.5 | 17.7 | 17.7 | -1.5 |
| Freeman, Freddie 2887 | 1b | lad nl | 3.0 | 8.5 | 35.0 | 94.4 | -2.5 |
| Romero, JoJo 4878 | pi cp mr | stl nl | 2.0 | 4.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 0.0 |
| Turang, Brice 4779 | 2b | mil nl | 2.0 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | +1.0 |
| Zerpa, Angel 4939 | pi mr | kc al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | +2.0 |
| Anthony, Roman 5220 | dh rf | bos al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| Ferrer, José A. 5179 | pi mr cp | dc nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| Bido, Osvaldo 4882 | pi cp sp | oak al | 1.7 | 6.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 | -3.3 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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A Box-Toppers look at Friday’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COL | Senzatela, Antonio 3760 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 7.0 | 15.0 |
| PIT | Ashcraft, Braxton 5208 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| WSH | Cavalli, Cade 5244 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| PHI | Walker, Taijuan 3453 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 35.8 | 62.2 |
| BOS | Bello, Brayan 4727 | 6.4 | 14.1 | 17.1 | 17.1 |
| NYY | Fried, Max 4011 | 10.7 | 24.1 | 66.6 | 77.6 |
| HOU | McCullers, Lance 3488 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 18.8 | 51.7 |
| BAL | Povich, Cade 5029 | 1.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| KC | Bergert, Ryan 5198 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| DET | Mize, Casey 4377 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 14.7 | 14.7 |
| TOR | Bieber, Shane 4005 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 37.8 | 62.3 |
| MIA | Quantrill, Cal 4195 | 6.7 | 11.7 | 27.4 | 29.4 |
| NYM | McLean, Nolan 5255 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| ATL | Wentz, Joey 4639 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| STL | Mikolas, Miles 3034 | 7.0 | 11.0 | 29.8 | 47.2 |
| TB | Houser, Adrian 4162 | 5.7 | 6.7 | 20.1 | 22.1 |
| MIN | Matthews, Zebby 5186 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| CHW | Civale, Aaron 4173 | 3.0 | 10.1 | 35.5 | 38.5 |
| CLE | Cecconi, Slade 4913 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| TEX | Eovaldi, Nathan 2928 | 13.4 | 26.4 | 60.2 | 95.7 |
| SF | Whistenhunt, Carson* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| MIL | Quintana, Jose 3040 | 2.0 | 12.0 | 24.4 | 95.1 |
| CHC | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| LAA | Anderson, Tyler 3656 | 4.0 | 12.0 | 36.4 | 49.4 |
| CIN | Littell, Zack 4533 | 5.7 | 14.1 | 20.1 | 20.1 |
| ARI | Nelson, Ryne 4728 | 8.4 | 16.8 | 25.2 | 25.2 |
| LAD | Snell, Blake 3688 | 3.0 | 18.7 | 61.6 | 107.8 |
| SD | Darvish, Yu 3003 | 3.7 | 12.4 | 59.0 | 143.4 |
| ATH | Morales, Luis* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| SEA | Woo, Bryan 4842 | 13.0 | 24.7 | 33.4 | 33.4 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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