Braves’ Kerr tops players in Thursday’s Wild Card Series-clinching win over Phillies

Ray Kerr, the pitcher deployed as Atlanta's opener, earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors Thursday.

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Ray Kerr, the pitcher deployed as Atlanta's opener, earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors Thursday as the Braves defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 6-2 to win their National League Wild Card Series.

NL Wild Card Game 3: Braves 6, Phillies 2

(Braves win best-of-three series, 2-1)

Kerr struck out two over 3.1 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk to lead Atlanta to the series-clinching victory. Kerr did not earn the win, receiving a no-decision because he fell short of the five innings required for a starter.

Kerr made nine appearances during the 2026 regular season, pitching 3.1 innings twice. Eight of his appearances came in relief, along with one previous start as an opener (3.0 IP on Sept. 25). Kerr earned no Box-Toppers points during the 2026 regular season. Across 48 career MLB games since 2022, his only Box-Toppers point came on May 13, 2024.

  • Kerr 2026 Regular Season: 0.0 Box-Toppers points (Tied for 1,270th overall, tied for 289th among NL pitchers). Kerr ranks outside the 810 players who earned Box-Toppers points in 2026 with his ranking based on the 1.0 Box-Toppers point he earned in 2024.

  • Game Scores: Kerr posted a game-high +3.1 Box-Toppers game score. Teammate Grant Holmes, who relieved Kerr and picked up the win, recorded a -2.0 game score (2IP 2H R BB K W). Braves top batter Michael Harris II had a +2.0 game score (HR 1-3 R 3BI). Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola posted a -7.8 game score (1.2IP 2H 3R 2BB K L), the lowest among all players Thursday. Box-Toppers’ top 10 player Zack Wheeler (18.7 Box-Toppers points, fifth overall), who came on in relief for the Phillies, recorded a -3.0 game score (4IP 3H 2R 3BB 3K ND). Phillies top batter Derek Hill had a +1.0 game score (3B 1-1 R 0BI).

  • Season Recap: The Braves finished 2026 ranked 6th overall in Box-Toppers team rankings (113.7 points, 4th in NL) as the 3rd NL playoff seed. The Phillies finished 4th overall (117.4 points, 3rd in NL) as the 6th NL seed. The Phillies are Box-Toppers’ highest-ranked team to be eliminated in the postseason. (Although Atlanta won the NL East by six games, Philadelphia ranks higher in Box-Toppers points by 3.7 total points.)

  • What’s Next: The Braves advance to face the second-seeded Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Division Series beginning Saturday in Los Angeles. Though the Dodgers are the second seed, they are Box-Toppers’ top-ranked team—their 142.7 Box-Toppers points ranks ahead of top NL seed Milwaukee Brewers, who are second with 136.3 points.

All of Thursday’s Player of the Game winners are listed in the chart.

No games are scheduled Friday as baseball resets for four League Division Series games beginning Saturday.

About Box-Toppers

Box-Toppers tracks who contributes most to their team’s victory. Using standard box score statistics, we identify the Player of the Game for every MLB contest. In the regular season, winners earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point, with bonus points awarded to the top overall and league-specific players of the day. (No Box-Toppers points are awarded in postseason games.) More on how Box-Toppers works.

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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).
10/1 BTG Game Player AB R H BI   IP H R ER BB K
  3.1 `ATL 6, PHI 2 Ray Kerr ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑   3.1 1 0 0 1 2
No Box-Toppers points are awarded in postseason games.
` Pitcher had a no‑decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

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 2026 (’26). Also shown is their point total for this season and last (’25-26), the period 2021-2026 (’21-26) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2026 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2025 total (+/-).
Player of the Game Pos Team ’26 ’25‑26 ’21‑26 Career +/‑
Kerr, Ray 5002 pi mr atl nl 0.0 0.0 1.0 1.0 0.0
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