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
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▪️ Support Box-Toppers
Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Other Player of the Game winners Saturday include Cubs pitcher Jameson Taillon, Royals pitcher Michael Wacha, Zach Cole of the Astros, Giants pitcher Justin Verlander and Sal Stewart of the Reds.
Player of the Day
Schlittler struck out nine over seven scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk, in the 6-1 win over the Orioles.
Saturday’s Sidelights Sidebar
Box-Toppers post reviewing the day’s top pitchers, overlooked top performers & lowest Box-Toppers game scores is on Substack:
⬛ Burke Ks 10 but does not win Player of the Game in White Sox loss to Nationals
Schlittler earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 7.4 for the season, 93rd among all players and 38th among American League pitchers.
National League Player of the Day
Cubs pitcher Jameson Taillon struck out eight over six innings, allowing one run, three hits and two walks, in the 7-3 win over the Cardinals.
Taillon earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 10.1 for the season, 42nd among all players and 17th among NL pitchers.
Taillon becomes the 43rd player to reach 10 Box-Toppers points in 2025. It is his third season with 10 or more points. His best season was 2018 with the Pirates, when he had 12.4 points, 12th among NL pitchers. In 2024, he had 8.0 points with the Cubs, 40th among NL pitchers.
American League Batter of the Day
Zach Cole of the Astros homered and went 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 6-1 win over the Angels.
National League Batter of the Day
Sal Stewart of the Reds homered and went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 7-4 win over the Brewers.
Notable
Royals pitcher Michael Wacha becomes the 44th player to reach 10 Box-Toppers points in 2025 after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.
Wacha (6IP 2H 0R 3BB 5K W in the 4-2 win over the Athletics) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.1 for the season, 41st among all players and 23rd among AL pitchers.
This is Wacha’s third season with 10 or more points. His best season was 2023 with the Padres, when he had 11.0 points, 17th among NL pitchers. In 2024, he had 10.4 points with the Royals, 25th among AL pitchers.
All-time leaders
Here are Box-Toppers top 10 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 | 250.0 |
| 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 |
Also notable
Giants pitcher Justin Verlander now has 250.0 career Box-Toppers points—fourth-most among all players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995—after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.
Verlander (6IP 5H 2R BB 7K W in the 4-3 win over the Rockies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point and trails third-ranked player on the “all-time” career points list, Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer (256.7). Verlander ranks third among active players in career points, behind Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (279.8) and Scherzer. He ranks second among active NL pitchers behind Kershaw.
Verlander now has 3.0 Box-Toppers points in 2025, 96th among NL pitchers. He and Scherzer have both earned 3.0 points in 2025, meaning the 5.6-point gap between their career point totals remains the same as it was at the start of the season.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2025 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Saturday, Sept. 27.| 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 |
Debut
Nationals pitcher Julian Fernández made his Box-Toppers debut Saturday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Fernández (1IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K W in the 6-5 win over the White Sox) made his Major League debut Sept. 5, 2021, and was playing in his 10th career game.
Scoring
Schlittler earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Taillon earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day.
Cole and Stewart each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s 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.
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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).| 9/27 | BTG | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +13.0 | NYY 6, BAL 1 | Cam Schlittler (W, 4‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | |
| +11.0 | MIN 5, PHI 0 | Mick Abel (W, 3‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | ||
| NL | +7.0 | CHC 7, STL 3 | Jameson Taillon (W, 11‑7) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | |
| +6.2 | `CLE 3, TEX 2 | Joey Cantillo | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | ||
| +6.0 | KC 4, ATH 2 | Michael Wacha (W, 10‑13) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | ||
| +5.2 | PIT 3, ATL 1 | Bubba Chandler (W, 4‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | ||
| +4.1 | `DET 2, BOS 1 | Keider Montero | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 4.1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | ||
| +4.0 | NYM 5, MIA 0 | Clay Holmes (W, 12‑8) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | ||
| +4.0 | LAD 5, SEA 3 | Alex Vesia (W, 4‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | +3.0 | HOU 6, LAA 1 | Zach Cole CF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +3.0 | TOR 5, TB 1 | Ernie Clement 2B‑3B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | SF 4, COL 3 | Justin Verlander (W, 4‑11) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | ||
| +3.0 | WSH 6, CHW 5 | Julian Fernández (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| BAT | +2.0 | CIN 7, MIL 4 | Sal Stewart 1B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +2.0 | SD 5, ARI 1 | Elias Díaz C | 2 | 1 | 1 | 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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wacha, Michael 3276 | pi sp | kc al | 10.1 | 20.5 | 47.0 | 81.7 | -0.3 |
| Taillon, Jameson 3658 | pi sp | chi nl | 10.1 | 18.1 | 43.2 | 69.6 | +2.1 |
| Schlittler, Cam 5261 | pi sp | nyy al | 7.4 | 7.4 | 7.4 | 7.4 | +7.4 |
| Cantillo, Joey 5106 | pi sp | cle al | 5.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 | +2.7 |
| Holmes, Clay 4022 | pi sp | nym nl | 5.0 | 8.0 | 17.0 | 18.0 | +2.0 |
| Vesia, Alex 4504 | pi cp mr | lad nl | 5.0 | 6.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | +4.0 |
| Chandler, Bubba 5269 | pi sp | pit nl | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | +4.7 |
| Montero, Keider 5057 | pi sp | det al | 4.0 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 | -0.7 |
| Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | sf nl | 3.0 | 5.0 | 44.4 | 250.0 | +1.0 |
| Abel, Mick 5184 | pi sp | min al | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | +3.0 |
| Cole, Zach 5284 | lf cf | hou al | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | +2.5 |
| Stewart, Sal 5288 | 1b | cin nl | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | +2.5 |
| Diaz, Elias 3813 | ca | sd nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 11.0 | 14.5 | +2.0 |
| Clement, Ernie 4482 | 2b 3b dh | tor al | 1.0 | 2.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | -0.5 |
| Fernández, Julian 5298 | pi mr | dc 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 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 | BOS | ’25 | ’24‑25 | ’20‑25 | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAL | Bradish, Kyle 4597 | 1.0 | 6.0 | 26.0 | 26.0 |
| NYY | Gil, Luis 4498 | 1.0 | 18.4 | 19.4 | 19.4 |
| CHW | Smith, Shane 5158 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| WSH | Lord, Brad 5234 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| DET | Paddack, Chris 4093 | 5.0 | 10.7 | 20.7 | 36.5 |
| BOS | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| MIN | Woods Richardson, Simeon 4974 | 6.0 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 |
| PHI | Sanchez, Cristopher 4850 | 13.7 | 25.1 | 29.1 | 29.1 |
| COL | Brown, McCade* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| SF | Webb, Logan 4258 | 8.0 | 19.0 | 57.6 | 59.3 |
| KC | Ragans, Cole 4889 | 6.0 | 18.0 | 22.4 | 22.4 |
| ATH | Basso, Brady* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| TB | Seymour, Ian 5265 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
| TOR | Gausman, Kevin 3191 | 14.1 | 24.1 | 70.2 | 112.2 |
| HOU | McCullers, Lance 3488 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 18.8 | 51.7 |
| LAA | Aldegheri, Samuel 5103 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| NYM | Manaea, Sean 3637 | 2.0 | 17.4 | 44.8 | 71.3 |
| MIA | Cabrera, Edward 4641 | 10.7 | 12.7 | 22.8 | 22.8 |
| TEX | Corbin, Patrick 3027 | 7.0 | 12.0 | 29.8 | 104.4 |
| CLE | Allen, Logan T. 4789 | 6.0 | 9.0 | 16.7 | 16.7 |
| CIN | Singer, Brady 4337 | 10.0 | 20.0 | 43.7 | 43.7 |
| MIL | Peralta, Freddy 3965 | 14.7 | 28.1 | 67.9 | 84.6 |
| ARI | Pfaadt, Brandon 4812 | 7.7 | 20.1 | 23.8 | 23.8 |
| SD | Sears, JP 4627 | 4.0 | 11.7 | 20.7 | 20.7 |
| LAD | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | 7.4 | 9.4 | 52.3 | 279.8 |
| SEA | Miller, Bryce 4797 | 3.0 | 18.7 | 31.8 | 31.8 |
| PIT | Oviedo, Johan 4442 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 14.7 | 14.7 |
| ATL | Morton, Charlie 2503 | 7.0 | 16.4 | 51.5 | 120.5 |
| STL | Leahy, Kyle 5001 | 3.0 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| CHC | Assad, Javier 4899 | 1.0 | 7.0 | 11.7 | 11.7 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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