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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
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Braves pitcher Chris Sale is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Tuesday, Brewers pitcher Freddy Peralta rises to 10th place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Other Player of the Game winners Tuesday include Dominic Canzone of the Mariners and Rafael Marchán of the Phillies.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2025 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Tuesday, Sept. 16.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tarik Skubal | pi sp | Tigers | 22.1 |
| 2 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 20.1 |
| 3 | Paul Skenes | pi sp | Pirates | 20.1 |
| 4 | Garrett Crochet | pi sp | Red Sox | 18.8 |
| 5 | Nick Pivetta | pi sp | Padres | 17.7 |
| 6 | Bryan Woo | pi sp | Mariners | 17.0 |
| 7 | Ranger Suárez | pi sp | Phillies | 15.8 |
| 8 | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | pi sp | Dodgers | 15.7 |
| 9 | Jesús Luzardo | pi sp | Phillies | 15.7 |
| 10 | Freddy Peralta | pi sp | Brewers | 14.7 |
Player of the Day
Sale struck out nine over eight scoreless innings, allowing three hits and no walks, in the 5-0, 10-inning win over the Nationals. Sale did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the game was in a scoreless tie when he exited.
Sale earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 10.4 for the season, 34th among all players and 15th among National League pitchers.
Sale becomes the 38th player in 2025 to reach 10 Box-Toppers points. It is his 10th season with 10 or more points and his second in a row. He had 10 or more points for eight straight seasons from 2012 to 2019, including his best season in 2017 with the Red Sox, when his 25.1 Box-Toppers points led all players. In 2024, he earned 19.1 Box-Toppers points with the Braves, fifth overall and fourth among NL pitchers.
Sale now has 182.8 career Box-Toppers points, 11th among all players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. He trails 10th-ranked player, Alex Rodriguez (187.0). Sale ranks ninth among all pitchers since 1995. He ranks fourth among active, signed players in career points and third among active NL pitchers, behind Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers (279.8) and Justin Verlander of the Giants (248.0).
American League Player of the Day
Dominic Canzone of the Mariners hit three home runs and went 5-for-5, scoring four times and driving in four runs, in the 12-5 win over the Royals.
Canzone earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, his first points of the season, and is 115th among AL batters.
National League Batter of the Day
Rafael Marchán of the Phillies hit a ninth-inning, three-run, go-ahead home run and went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 9-6 win over the Dodgers.
American League Batter of the Day
There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Monday because the overall AL Player of the Day is batter Dominic Canzone.
Rankings
Brewers pitcher Freddy Peralta rises to 10th place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday.
Peralta (6IP 2H R 2BB 10K W in the 9-2 win over the Angels) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 14.7 for the season. He ranks seventh among NL pitchers.
All-time leaders
Here are Box-Toppers top 20 players since record keeping began in 1995:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Randy Johnson | pi sp | Retired | 282.5 |
| 2 | Clayton Kershaw | pi sp | Dodgers | 279.8 |
| 3 | Max Scherzer | pi sp | Rangers | 256.7 |
| 4 | Justin Verlander | pi sp | Astros | 248.0 |
| 5 | Pedro Martinez | pi sp | Retired | 244.8 |
| 6 | Zack Greinke | pi sp | Free agent | 224.5 |
| 7 | Albert Pujols | 1b | Retired | 207.8 |
| 8 | CC Sabathia | pi sp | Retired | 203.4 |
| 9 | Curt Schilling | pi sp | Retired | 194.1 |
| 10 | Alex Rodriguez | 3b | Retired | 187.0 |
| 11 | Chris Sale | pi sp | Braves | 182.8 |
| 12 | Jon Lester | pi sp | Retired | 179.3 |
| 13 | Felix Hernandez | pi sp | Retired | 175.1 |
| 14 | Cole Hamels | pi sp | Retired | 174.2 |
| 15 | Roy Halladay | pi sp | Retired | 170.7 |
| 16 | Johan Santana | pi sp | Retired | 166.6 |
| 17 | Manny Ramirez | lf dh | Retired | 166.2 |
| 18 | Gerrit Cole | pi sp | Yankees | 165.0 |
| 19 | Roger Clemens | pi sp | Retired | 164.8 |
| 20 | John Smoltz | pi sp | Retired | 160.9 |
Debut
Orioles pitcher Yaramil Hiraldo made his Box-Toppers debut Monday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Hiraldo (1.1IP 0H 0R BB 2K ND in the 8-7 win over the White Sox) made his Major League debut May 27 and was playing in his 13th career game.
Scoring
Sale earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Canzone earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day.
Marchán earns 1.5 points for being NL 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.
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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).| 9/16 | BTG | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +14.0 | `ATL 5, WSH 0 (F/10) | Chris Sale | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 8.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | |
| +10.0 | MIL 9, LAA 2 | Freddy Peralta (W, 17‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 | ||
| +10.0 | MIA 6, COL 5 | Eury Pérez (W, 7‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| AL | +8.0 | SEA 12, KC 5 | Dominic Canzone DH | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +7.0 | STL 3, CIN 0 | Michael McGreevy (W, 7‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | ||
| +7.0 | `HOU 6, TEX 5 | AJ Blubaugh | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 3.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | ||
| +5.0 | ATL 6, WSH 3 | José Suarez (W, 2‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | ||
| +5.0 | CHC 4, PIT 1 | Cade Horton (W, 11‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| +3.0 | NYY 10, MIN 9 | Trent Grisham CF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| BAT | +3.0 | PHI 9, LAD 6 | Rafael Marchán C | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +3.0 | NYM 8, SD 3 | Sean Manaea (W, 2‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | ||
| +2.1 | `BAL 8, CHW 7 | Yaramil Hiraldo (H, 1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| +2.0 | ATH 2, BOS 1 | Tyler Soderstrom PH‑LF | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | ARI 6, SF 5 | Adrian Del Castillo DH | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +1.1 | TOR 6, TB 5 | Eric Lauer (W, 9‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +1.0 | CLE 7, DET 5 (F/10) | Angel Martínez PH‑CF | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ |
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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peralta, Freddy 3965 | pi sp | mil nl | 14.7 | 28.1 | 67.9 | 84.6 | +1.3 |
| Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | atl nl | 10.4 | 29.5 | 40.2 | 182.8 | -8.7 |
| Horton, Cade 5216 | pi sp | chi nl | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 | +9.7 |
| Lauer, Eric 4017 | pi sp mr | tor al | 9.0 | 9.0 | 26.4 | 39.8 | +9.0 |
| Soderstrom, Tyler 5039 | 1b lf ph | oak al | 6.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | +4.5 |
| Grisham, Trent 4246 | cf | nyy al | 5.7 | 8.2 | 17.7 | 20.2 | +3.2 |
| Perez, Eury 4814 | pi sp | fla nl | 5.0 | 5.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 | +5.0 |
| McGreevy, Michael 5113 | pi sp cp | stl nl | 4.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | +2.0 |
| Marchan, Rafael 4346 | ca | phi nl | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | +3.0 |
| Manaea, Sean 3637 | pi sp cp | nym nl | 2.0 | 17.4 | 44.8 | 71.3 | -13.4 |
| Del Castillo, Adrian 5087 | dh ca | ari nl | 2.0 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | +0.5 |
| Blubaugh, AJ 5243 | pi mr sp | hou al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| Martínez, Angel 5212 | cf pr ph | cle al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| Canzone, Dominic 4945 | dh lf | sea al | 1.7 | 1.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | +1.7 |
| Suarez, Jose 4425 | pi sp cp | atl nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 18.4 | 18.4 | 0.0 |
| Hiraldo, Yaramil 5290 | pi mr | bal al | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHC | Boyd, Matthew 3550 | 10.7 | 13.7 | 17.7 | 42.5 |
| PIT | Oviedo, Johan 4442 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 13.7 | 13.7 |
| CIN | Singer, Brady 4337 | 10.0 | 20.0 | 43.7 | 43.7 |
| STL | Pallante, Andre 4656 | 5.7 | 14.4 | 16.4 | 16.4 |
| BAL | Wells, Tyler 4428 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 12.7 | 12.7 |
| CHW | Perez, Martin 3213 | 1.7 | 7.4 | 22.2 | 41.9 |
| SF | Verlander, Justin 2112 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 42.4 | 248.0 |
| ARI | Pfaadt, Brandon 4812 | 7.7 | 20.1 | 23.8 | 23.8 |
| ATL | Waldrep, Hurston 5248 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| WSH | Lord, Brad 5234 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| CLE | Allen, Logan T. 4789 | 5.0 | 8.0 | 15.7 | 15.7 |
| DET | Flaherty, Jack 3971 | 8.4 | 20.4 | 36.1 | 65.7 |
| ATH | Barnett, Mason* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| BOS | Giolito, Lucas 3900 | 9.4 | 9.4 | 36.8 | 57.5 |
| TOR | Gausman, Kevin 3191 | 14.1 | 24.1 | 70.2 | 112.2 |
| TB | Seymour, Ian 5265 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 |
| SD | Pivetta, Nick 3825 | 17.7 | 27.4 | 50.1 | 71.8 |
| NYM | Peterson, David 4347 | 5.7 | 10.4 | 23.4 | 23.4 |
| LAA | Soriano, Jose 4884 | 12.7 | 15.7 | 16.7 | 16.7 |
| MIL | Woodruff, Brandon 3868 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 60.6 | 70.3 |
| NYY | Gil, Luis 4498 | 1.0 | 18.4 | 19.4 | 19.4 |
| MIN | Bradley, Taj 4780 | 6.0 | 18.1 | 23.1 | 23.1 |
| SEA | Miller, Bryce 4797 | 3.0 | 18.7 | 31.8 | 31.8 |
| KC | Ragans, Cole 4889 | 5.0 | 17.0 | 21.4 | 21.4 |
| TEX | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | 10.0 | 11.0 | 53.5 | 150.2 |
| HOU | Javier, Cristian 4290 | 1.7 | 2.7 | 33.4 | 33.4 |
| MIA | Weathers, Ryan 4388 | 2.0 | 7.0 | 9.7 | 9.7 |
| COL | Brown, McCade* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| PHI | Luzardo, Jesus 4282 | 15.7 | 17.7 | 51.6 | 51.6 |
| LAD | Snell, Blake 3688 | 5.0 | 20.7 | 63.6 | 109.8 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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