Middle relievers, led by Guardians’ Griffin, sweep LDS top player honors Wednesday

Guardians pitcher Foster Griffin led Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Game winners.

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Middle relievers swept Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors Wednesday across all four Division Series games, as three teams advanced to the League Championship Series.

Guardians pitcher Foster Griffin led all winners in Cleveland's ALDS Game 3 victory over the White Sox, staving off elimination and forcing a Game 4.

Wednesday’s other Player of the Game winners:

  • Aaron Ashby, Brewers: Earned top player honors in Milwaukee’s NLDS Game 4 victory, eliminating San Diego.

  • Tanner Scott, Dodgers: Earned top player honors in Los Angeles' NLDS Game 4 victory, eliminating Atlanta.

  • Ian Seymour, Rays: Earned top player honors in Tampa Bay's ALDS Game 3 victory, completing a three-game sweep of New York.

AL Division Series Game 3: Guardians 9, White Sox 3

(White Sox lead best-of-five series, 2-1)

Foster Griffin struck out seven over 2.2 innings of relief, allowing one run, two hits, no walks and earning the win, as the Guardians forced Game 4.

Griffin entered with two outs in the first inning trailing 1-0 with two runners on. By the time he exited in the fourth, the Guardians held a 4-2 lead.

Griffin 2026 Regular Season

Griffin earned 9.4 Box-Toppers points (48th overall, 23rd among AL pitchers). However, Griffin last earned Player of the Game honors July 8 with the Nationals, prior to his Aug. 3 trade to Cleveland.

Game Scores

  • Foster Griffin posted a +5.2 Box-Toppers game score.

  • Guardians closer Cade Smith posted a higher game score (+7.0) but did not qualify for Player of the Game honors, as he pitched fewer than three innings without earning a win or save (2IP 0H 0R 0BB 5K ND).

  • Guardians starting pitcher Daniel Espino posted a -2.8 game score (0.2IP 2H R BB 2K ND).

  • Guardians top batter José Ramírez recorded a +2.0 game score (3B 2B 2-4 2R 2BI).

  • White Sox starting pitcher Sean Newcomb had a +2.0 game score (2IP H 0R 0BB K ND).

  • White Sox relief pitcher Bryan Hudson recorded a -8.9 game score (0.1IP 2H 3R BB 0K L).

  • White Sox top batter Sam Antonacci posted a +1.0 game score (1-2 R BI).

Aaron Ashby, Brewers: Earned top player honors in Milwaukee’s NLDS Game 4 victory, eliminating San Diego.

NL Division Series Game 4: Brewers 3, Padres 1

(Brewers win best-of-five series, 3-1)

Aaron Ashby struck out three over three scoreless and hitless innings, allowing two walks, and picking up the win as the Brewers eliminated the Padres to advance to the NL Championship Series.

Ashby pitched the fourth, fifth and sixth innings.

Ashby 2026 Regular Season

Ashby earned 5.0 Box-Toppers points (164th overall, 56th among NL pitchers, 6th among NL middle relievers).

Game Scores

  • Ashby posted a +4.0 Box-Toppers game score.

  • Brewers closing pitcher Trevor Megill recorded a +3.0 game score (1IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K Sv).

  • Brewers starting pitcher Robert Gasser had a +1.0 game score (4IP 3H R BB 3K ND).

  • Brewers top batter Jake Bauers posted a +1.0 game score (1-1 R 0BI).

  • Padres starting pitcher Walker Buehler recorded a -4.0 game score (3IP 3H R 2BB 0K ND).

  • Padres top batter Fernando Tatis Jr. had a 0.0 game score (HR 1-3 R BI).

Brewers advance, Padres eliminated

The Brewers advance to the best-of-seven NL Championship Series against the Dodgers. Milwaukee is the NL's top playoff seed but ranks second overall in Box-Toppers team standings (136.3 points), behind Los Angeles (142.7).

The Padres, who finished second in the NL West, were the 5th seed and ranked 11th overall (104.5 points, 6th among NL teams).

Tanner Scott, Dodgers: Earned top player honors in Los Angeles' NLDS Game 4 victory, eliminating Atlanta.

NL Division Series Game 4: Dodgers 4, Braves 1

(Dodgers win best-of-five series, 3-1)

Tanner Scott won Box-Toppers Player of the Game by pitching a scoreless, hitless eighth inning, striking out two, as the Dodgers eliminated the Braves and advanced to the NL Championship Series.

Though Scott did not earn a win or save, he earned Player of the Game over closer Edwin Díaz (1IP 0H 0R 0BB K Sv, +2.0 score) by posting a higher Box-Toppers game score (+3.0) over the same inning length.

Scott 2026 Regular Season

Scott earned 4.0 Box-Toppers points (238th overall, 72nd among NL pitchers, 8th among NL closers).

Other Game Scores

  • Dodgers starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow posted a +1.2 game score (4.2IP H R 5K ND).

  • Dodgers relief pitcher Edgardo Henriquez recorded a +0.2 game score (1.2IP H 0R 0BB 0K W).

  • Dodgers top batter Andy Pages had a +1.0 game score (2-3 0R 2BI).

  • Braves starter Tyler Mahle had a game-high +3.1 game score in the loss (6.1IP 3H 2R BB 4K L).

  • Braves top batter Michael Harris II posted a 0.0 game score (2B 2-3 R 0BI).

Dodgers advance, Braves eliminated

The Dodgers advance to face the Brewers in the NL Championship Series. Los Angeles finished 2026 as Box-Toppers’ top-ranked overall team with 142.7 points, but are the second-seeded NL playoff team, finishing three games behind the Brewers for MLB's best record.

The Braves were the 3rd seed in the NL and ranked 4th among NL teams in Box-Toppers points (6th overall) with 113.7.

Ian Seymour, Rays: Earned top player honors in Tampa Bay's ALDS Game 3 victory, completing a three-game sweep of New York.

AL Division Series Game 3: Rays 4, Yankees 3

(Rays win best-of-five series, 3-0)

Ian Seymour pitched 1.1 scoreless innings of middle relief—striking out two and allowing one hit and no walks—to lead the Rays as they sweep the Yankees in three games.

Seymour pitched in the fourth and fifth innings and earned the win. He is the first player to win Player of the Game honors twice in the 2026 postseason, having also won in ALDS Game 2 on Monday.

Seymour 2026 Regular Season

Seymour made 47 appearances in 2026 (16 starts, 24 middle-relief outings). Thirteen of his final 17 appearances after July 1 were starts. He earned 8.7 Box-Toppers points (65th overall, 28th among AL pitchers).

Game Scores

  • Seymour posted a game-high +2.1 Box-Toppers game score.

  • Two other Rays relievers recorded +2.0 game scores—Griffin Jax (2IP H R BB 4K ND) and closer Bryan Baker (1IP 0H 0R BB 2K Sv).

  • Rays starting pitcher Nick Martinez posted a -3.8 game score (3.2IP 5H 2R BB 3K ND).

  • Rays top batter Ryan Vilade had a +1.0 game score (HR 1-2 R BI).

  • Yankees starting pitcher Max Fried recorded a -2.8 game score (5.2IP 7H 4R 0BB 7K L).

  • Yankees top batter Spencer Jones had a +1.0 game score (2B 1-2 R BI).

Rays advance, Yankees eliminated

The Rays advance to the best-of-seven game AL Championship Series beginning Monday against the winner of the White Sox-Guardians series.

Although the Tampa Bay Rays won the AL East by 4.5 games over New York to secure the AL's top seed, they rank behind the Yankees in Box-Toppers team standings. The Yankees were Box-Toppers' top-ranked AL team with 120.1 points (third overall), while Tampa Bay ranked fifth overall (115.0 points, second among AL teams).

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

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).
10/7 BTG Game Player AB R H BI   IP H R ER BB K
  5.2 CLE 9, CHW 3 Foster Griffin (W, 1‑0) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑   2.2 2 1 1 0 7
  4.0 MIL 3, SD 1 Aaron Ashby (W, 1‑0) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑   3.0 0 0 0 2 3
  3.0 `LAD 4, ATL 1 Tanner Scott (H, 2) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑   1.0 0 0 0 0 2
  2.1 TB 4, NYY 3 Ian Seymour (W, 1‑0) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑   1.1 1 0 0 0 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 +/‑
Griffin, Foster 5317 pi sp cle al 9.4 9.4 9.4 9.4 +9.4
Seymour, Ian 5265 pi sp tb al 8.7 12.4 12.4 12.4 +5.0
Ashby, Aaron 4511 pi mr mil nl 5.0 7.0 14.4 14.4 +3.0
Scott, Tanner 4292 pi cp lad nl 4.0 6.0 16.0 18.0 +2.0
What are those numbers after players' names?
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
Chart is sortable. Click a column header to re-sort the chart by the values in that column. Refresh page to restore chart to default view.

Thursday’s pitching matchups (for more, see matchups chart below):

ALDS Game 4, White Sox lead Guardians, 2-1

It’s a rematch of the Game 1 starters won by the White Sox. Neither starter was Player of the Game.

Guardians—Parker Messick, 11.7 Box-Toppers points in 2026, 28th among all players, 14th among AL pitchers.

White Sox—Hagen Smith, 2.0 Box-Toppers points in 2026, 516th among all players, 136th among AL pitchers.

More details—Previews of AL Division Series

A Box-Toppers look at Thursday’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 2026 ('26), this year and last year ('25-26), over six years ('21-26), and their career point total.
Game Starter ’26 ’25‑26 ’21‑26 Career
CLE Messick Parker 5266 11.7 12.7 12.7 12.7
CHW Smith, Hagen 5466 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0
Starters subject to change.
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
Chart is sortable. Click a column header to re-sort the chart by the values in that column. Refresh page to restore chart to default, game-by-game view.

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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