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 2026
▪️ Upcoming pitching matchups
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Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to fifth place in season player rankings.
Other Player of the Game winners Friday include Adley Rutschman of the Orioles and Dansby Swanson of the Cubs.
Player of the Day: Paul Skenes, Pirates
Skenes struck out seven over seven scoreless innings, allowing one hit and no walks, in the 6-0 win over the Brewers.
Skenes carried a perfect game into the seventh inning, allowing his only baserunner on a two-out single.
Skenes earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 5.0 for the season, fifth overall and third among National League pitchers, behind Tyler Glasnow of the Dodgers (5.7) and Randy Vásquez of the Padres (5.4).
AL Player of the Day: Adley Rutschman, Orioles
Rutschman hit a pair of two-run home runs and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in six runs, in the 10-3 win over the Red Sox.
Rutschman earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, his first points of the season, and is 89th in season player rankings, 11th among American League batters.
Friday’s Sidelights Sidebar
Box-Toppers review of the day’s top pitchers, overlooked top performers & lowest B-T game scores:
⬛ Sheehan Ks 10, but does not win Player of the Game honors as Dodgers lose to Cubs Friday
NL Batter of the Day: Dansby Swanson, Cubs
Swanson tripled and hit a go-ahead, ninth-inning, two-run home run, in the 6-4 win over the Dodgers. Swanson went 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in four runs.
Swanson earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 3.0 for the season, third among NL batters, behind Max Muncy of the Dodgers (3.7) and Michael Harris II of the Braves (3.5). Harris was also Player of the Game Friday in the 5-3 win over the Phillies (2B 1-1 0R 2BI).
AL Batter of the Day
There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Friday because the overall AL Player of the Day is batter Adley Rutschman.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2026 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Friday, April 24.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | José Soriano | pi sp | Angels | 7.0 |
| 2 | Max Fried | pi sp | Yankees | 6.0 |
| 3 | Tyler Glasnow | pi sp | Dodgers | 5.7 |
| 4 | Randy Vásquez | pi sp | Padres | 5.4 |
| 5 | Paul Skenes | pi sp | Pirates | 5.0 |
| 6 | Gavin Williams | pi sp | Guardians | 4.7 |
| 7 | Taj Bradley | pi sp | Twins | 4.7 |
| 8 | Braxton Ashcraft | pi sp | Pirates | 4.7 |
| 9 | Jeffrey Springs | pi sp | Rays | 4.0 |
| 10 | Cam Schlittler | pi sp | Yankees | 4.0 |
Debut
Sam Antonacci of the White Sox made his Box-Toppers debut Friday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Antonacci (2B SF 1-1 R BI in the 5-4 win over the Nationals) made his Major League debut April 15 and was playing in his ninth career game.
Scoring
Skenes earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Rutschman earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day.
Swanson earns 1.5 points for being NL 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 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. 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).| 4/24 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +13.0 | PIT 6, MIL 0 | Paul Skenes (W, 4‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |
| AL | +6.0 | BAL 10, BOS 3 | Adley Rutschman C | 5 | 2 | 3 | 6 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +6.0 | NYY 12, HOU 4 | Jazz Chisholm Jr. 2B | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| BAT | +5.0 | CHC 6, LAD 4 | Dansby Swanson SS | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.0 | CIN 9, DET 8 | Matt McLain 2B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | CLE 8, TOR 6 | Angel Martínez CF‑LF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | ATH 8, TEX 1 | Carlos Cortes DH | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | TB 6, MIN 2 | Drew Rasmussen (W, 2‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| +2.2 | COL 4, NYM 3 | Antonio Senzatela (S, 2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| +2.0 | KC 6, LAA 3 | Isaac Collins LF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | ATL 5, PHI 3 | Michael Harris II PH | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | CHW 5, WSH 4 | Sam Antonacci LF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | SEA 3, STL 2 | Andrés Muñoz (S, 4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +1.0 | MIA 9, SF 4 | Xavier Edwards 2B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 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 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 (+/-).Back to top
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’26 | ’25‑26 | ’21‑26 | Career | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skenes, Paul 5005 | pi sp | pit nl | 5.0 | 26.1 | 39.1 | 39.1 | -16.1 |
| Harris, Michael 4682 | cf ph | atl nl | 3.5 | 5.5 | 16.5 | 16.5 | +1.5 |
| Swanson, Dansby 3751 | ss | chi nl | 3.0 | 7.0 | 27.2 | 41.7 | -1.0 |
| Rasmussen, Drew 4547 | pi sp | tb al | 2.0 | 11.7 | 33.2 | 33.2 | -7.7 |
| Senzatela, Antonio 3760 | pi cp sp | col nl | 2.0 | 4.0 | 6.0 | 17.0 | 0.0 |
| Martínez, Angel 5212 | lf cf | cle al | 2.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 0.0 |
| Rutschman, Adley 4659 | ca dh | bal al | 1.7 | 3.7 | 17.2 | 17.2 | -0.3 |
| Chisholm, Jazz Jr. 4364 | 2b | nyy al | 1.0 | 8.2 | 19.7 | 20.7 | -6.2 |
| Collins, Isaac 5165 | lf | kc al | 1.0 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | -4.5 |
| Munoz, Andres 4222 | pi cp mr | sea al | 1.0 | 4.0 | 15.0 | 16.0 | -2.0 |
| Edwards, Xavier 5122 | 2b | fla nl | 1.0 | 4.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | -2.0 |
| McLain, Matt 4847 | 2b ss | cin nl | 1.0 | 3.5 | 7.0 | 7.0 | -1.5 |
| Cortes, Carlos 5279 | dh lf | oak al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| Antonacci, Sam 5335 | lf | chi 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 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 2026 (’26)†, last year (’25), over five years (’21-25), and their career point total.Back to top
| Game | Starter | ’26 | ’25‑26 | ’21‑26 | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOS | Crochet, Garrett 4434 | 2.7 | 22.5 | 34.2 | 34.2 |
| BAL | Rogers, Trevor 4311 | 1.0 | 12.7 | 27.7 | 28.7 |
| SEA | Woo, Bryan 4842 | 3.0 | 21.0 | 41.4 | 41.4 |
| STL | Liberatore, Matthew 4662 | 2.0 | 8.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| CLE | Cantillo, Joey 5106 | 2.0 | 7.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 |
| TOR | Gausman, Kevin 3191 | 2.0 | 16.1 | 71.2 | 114.2 |
| MIA | Perez, Eury 4814 | 1.7 | 8.7 | 14.7 | 14.7 |
| SF | Ray, Robbie 3502 | 1.7 | 11.1 | 46.9 | 91.0 |
| COL | Quintana, Jose 3040 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 24.4 | 95.1 |
| NYM | Senga, Kodai 4762 | 0.0 | 8.0 | 21.7 | 21.7 |
| MIN | Ober, Bailey 4441 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 34.8 | 34.8 |
| TB | McClanahan, Shane 4399 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 30.8 | 30.8 |
| WSH | Irvin, Jake 4805 | 0.0 | 7.7 | 20.7 | 20.7 |
| CHW | Schultz, Noah 5330 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| SD | Marquez, German 3788 | 2.7 | 4.4 | 26.5 | 56.6 |
| ARI | Gallen, Zac 4171 | 1.0 | 13.7 | 65.5 | 77.2 |
| ATH | Springs, Jeffrey 4372 | 4.0 | 12.7 | 35.1 | 35.1 |
| TEX | Gore, MacKenzie 4582 | 3.0 | 11.7 | 31.4 | 31.4 |
| LAA | Urena, Walbert* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| KC | Ragans, Cole 4889 | 0.0 | 7.0 | 23.4 | 23.4 |
| NYY | Weathers, Ryan 4388 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 11.7 | 11.7 |
| HOU | Burrows, Mike 5196 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| PIT | Keller, Mitch 4230 | 1.0 | 7.7 | 38.4 | 39.4 |
| MIL | Misiorowski, Jacob 5200 | 1.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| DET | Flaherty, Jack 3971 | 1.0 | 9.4 | 32.4 | 66.7 |
| CIN | Singer, Brady 4337 | 0.0 | 10.0 | 39.7 | 43.7 |
| PHI | Wheeler, Zack 3204 | 0.0 | 20.1 | 91.7 | 125.1 |
| ATL | Elder, Bryce 4709 | 2.0 | 7.0 | 21.7 | 21.7 |
| CHC | Rea, Colin 3582 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 19.4 | 23.1 |
| LAD | Sasaki, Roki* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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