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Today’s key Box-Toppers numbers. Click links to jump to charts elsewhere on this page.▪️ Players of the Game
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Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2025 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Friday, Sept. 26.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tarik Skubal | pi sp | Tigers | 22.1 |
| 2 | Paul Skenes | pi sp | Pirates | 21.1 |
| 3 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 20.1 |
| 4 | Garrett Crochet | pi sp | Red Sox | 19.8 |
| 5 | Bryan Woo | pi sp | Mariners | 18.0 |
| 6 | Nick Pivetta | pi sp | Padres | 17.7 |
| 7 | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | pi sp | Dodgers | 17.7 |
| 8 | Jesús Luzardo | pi sp | Phillies | 17.4 |
| 9 | Luis Castillo | pi sp | Mariners | 16.1 |
| 10 | Ranger Suárez | pi sp | Phillies | 15.8 |
Other Player of the Game winners Friday include Rangers pitcher Jack Leiter, Spencer Horwitz of the Pirates, Giancarlo Stanton of the Yankees and Lenyn Sosa of the White Sox.
Player of the Day
Nola struck out nine over eight innings, allowing one run, two hits and no walks, in the 3-1 win over the Twins.
Nola earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 5.7 for the season, 156th among all players and 51st among National League pitchers.
Nola now has 120.8 career Box-Toppers points, 52nd-most among all players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. With his 2.0 points Friday, he passes two players on the “all-time” career points list—Cliff Lee (119.1) and Braves pitcher Charlie Morton (120.5). He now trails 51st-ranked player Gary Sheffield (124.1). (Sheffield began his career before the 1995 advent of Box-Toppers. If his entire career from 1988 were tracked, Box-Toppers estimates his career total at 155.)
Passing Morton, Nola now ranks 10th among active, signed players in career points, seventh among active NL pitchers.
American League Player of the Day
Rangers pitcher Jack Leiter struck out 10 over seven innings, allowing two runs, four hits and one walk, in the 7-3 win over the Guardians.
Leiter earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 6.7 for the season, 121st among all players and 46th among AL pitchers.
National League Batter of the Day
Spencer Horwitz of the Pirates hit two home runs, including a three-run homer, in the 9-3 win over the Braves. Horwitz went 3-for-3, scoring three times and driving in four runs.
Horwitz earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 5.5 for the season, 31st among NL batters.
American League Batter of the Day
Giancarlo Stanton of the Yankees hit two home runs and went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in five runs, in the 8-4 win over the Orioles.
Stanton earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 4.0 for the season, 47th among AL batters. His 82.9 career Box-Toppers points is first among active AL batters ahead of second-place José Ramírez of the Guardians (76.3).
Notable
Lenyn Sosa of the White Sox has the most 2025 Box-Toppers points among Friday’s 15 Player of the Game winners.
Sosa (HR 2B 3-4 R 3BI in the 10-9 win over the Nationals) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 8.5 for the season, 66th among all players and seventh among AL batters.
Debut
Giants pitcher Trevor McDonald made his Box-Toppers debut Friday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
McDonald (7IP 5H 3R 0BB 10K W in the 6-3 win over the Rockies) made his Major League debut Sept. 29, 2024, and was playing in his fourth career game.
Scoring
Nola earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Leiter earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day.
Horwitz and Stanton each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day.
All of Friday’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).| 9/26 | BTG | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +13.0 | PHI 3, MIN 1 | Aaron Nola (W, 5‑10) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 8.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | |
| +9.2 | CHC 12, STL 1 | Colin Rea (W, 11‑7) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | ||
| AL | +8.0 | TEX 7, CLE 3 | Jack Leiter (W, 10‑10) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 | |
| BAT | +7.0 | PIT 9, ATL 3 | Spencer Horwitz 1B | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +6.0 | SF 6, COL 3 | Trevor McDonald (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 10 | ||
| BAT | +5.0 | NYY 8, BAL 4 | Giancarlo Stanton DH | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.1 | CIN 3, MIL 1 | Connor Phillips (W, 5‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| +4.0 | `ATH 4, KC 3 | Hogan Harris | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +4.0 | LAA 4, HOU 3 | Kenley Jansen (S, 29) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| +4.0 | `BOS 4, DET 3 | Garrett Whitlock | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| +3.1 | SD 7, ARI 4 | Mason Miller (S, 22) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| +3.0 | CHW 10, WSH 9 | Lenyn Sosa 1B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | TOR 4, TB 2 | Nathan Lukes RF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | MIA 6, NYM 2 | Xaiver Edwards 2B | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | LAD 3, SEA 2 | Justin Wrobleski (W, 5‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 3 | 0 | 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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sosa, Lenyn 4907 | 2b 1b | chi al | 8.5 | 12.0 | 13.5 | 13.5 | +5.0 |
| Miller, Mason 4975 | pi cp | sd nl | 7.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | +2.0 |
| Leiter, Jack 5132 | pi sp | tex al | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 | +6.7 |
| Wrobleski, Justin 5062 | pi cp mr sp | lad nl | 6.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | +4.0 |
| Nola, Aaron 3569 | pi sp | phi nl | 5.7 | 19.1 | 65.5 | 120.8 | -7.7 |
| Horwitz, Spencer 4922 | 1b | pit nl | 5.5 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | +3.0 |
| Harris, Hogan 4846 | pi cp mr | oak al | 4.0 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 0.0 |
| Stanton, Giancarlo 2737 | rf dh ph | nyy al | 4.0 | 7.0 | 22.0 | 82.9 | +1.0 |
| Whitlock, Garrett 4431 | pi mr | bos al | 4.0 | 5.0 | 16.0 | 16.0 | +3.0 |
| Rea, Colin 3582 | pi sp | chi nl | 3.0 | 13.4 | 18.4 | 22.1 | -7.4 |
| Jansen, Kenley 2871 | pi cp | ana al | 3.0 | 8.0 | 22.0 | 72.4 | -2.0 |
| Edwards, Xavier 5122 | 2b | fla nl | 3.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | +1.0 |
| Lukes, Nathan 5128 | cf rf | tor al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| Phillips, Connor 4943 | pi mr sp | cin nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +1.0 |
| McDonald, Trevor 5297 | pi sp | sf 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 Saturday’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 | Sugano, Tomoyuki 5163 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 |
| NYY | Schlittler, Cam 5261 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 |
| STL | McGreevy, Michael 5113 | 4.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| CHC | Taillon, Jameson 3658 | 8.4 | 16.4 | 41.5 | 67.9 |
| TB | Boyle, Joe 4948 | 3.0 | 4.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 |
| TOR | Yesavage, Trey 5287 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| CHW | Burke, Sean 5124 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| WSH | Irvin, Jake 4805 | 7.7 | 17.7 | 20.7 | 20.7 |
| COL | Freeland, Kyle 3763 | 4.0 | 6.0 | 25.7 | 45.1 |
| SF | Verlander, Justin 2112 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 43.4 | 249.0 |
| DET | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| BOS | Early, Connelly 5282 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| NYM | Holmes, Clay 4022 | 4.0 | 7.0 | 16.0 | 17.0 |
| MIA | Perez, Eury 4814 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| MIN | Abel, Mick 5184 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| PHI | Suarez, Ranger 4228 | 15.8 | 26.2 | 43.9 | 44.9 |
| PIT | Chandler, Bubba 5269 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
| ATL | Strider, Spencer 4626 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 40.5 | 40.5 |
| TEX | Latz, Jacob 5204 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| CLE | Cantillo, Joey 5106 | 4.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 |
| CIN | Abbott, Andrew 4839 | 10.7 | 15.7 | 26.7 | 26.7 |
| MIL | Gasser, Robert 4998 | 0.0 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 |
| ARI | Rodriguez, Eduardo 3480 | 4.7 | 5.7 | 28.7 | 72.9 |
| SD | King, Michael 4549 | 4.4 | 17.1 | 31.8 | 31.8 |
| HOU | Blubaugh, AJ 5243 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| LAA | Dana, Caden* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| LAD | Glasnow, Tyler 3948 | 5.0 | 16.7 | 49.8 | 65.5 |
| SEA | Gilbert, Logan 4439 | 13.1 | 26.1 | 60.6 | 60.6 |
| KC | Wacha, Michael 3276 | 9.1 | 19.5 | 46.0 | 80.7 |
| ATH | Morales, Luis 5268 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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