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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Red Sox pitcher Sonny Gray is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Sunday, Phillies pitcher Jesús Luzardo climbs to eighth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Other top players Sunday include Luis García Jr. of the Nationals and Josh Lowe of the Angels.
Player of the Day: Sonny Gray, Red Sox
Career Box-Toppers points—Active AL pitchers 1—Max Scherzer #BlueJays 257.7 2—Justin Verlander #Tigers 250.0 3—Gerrit Cole #Yankees 167.0 4—Jacob deGrom #Rangers 159.9 5—Sonny Gray #RedSox 133.3* 6—Kevin Gausman #BlueJays 116.2 7—Patrick Corbin #BlueJays 105.4 *Earns 2.0 B-T pts Sunday
— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) 7:46 AM · Jun 29, 2026
Gray struck out nine over 7 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk, in the 5-4, 10-inning win over the Yankees. Gray did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the Yankees tied the game after he exited.
Gray carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning before giving up a single to Amed Rosario.
Gray earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 9.0 for the season, 16th among all players and seventh among American League pitchers.
Gray also now has 133.3 career Box-Toppers points, 41st-most among all players since tracking began in 1995. He trails 40th-ranked player Jason Giambi (133.4) on the “all-time” career points list.
Gray ranks eighth among active, signed players in career points, fifth among active AL pitchers.
NL Player of the Day: Luis García Jr., Nationals
García homered, doubled and went 3-for-5, scoring three times and driving in five runs, in the 6-4 win over the Orioles.
García earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points as National League Player of the Day, his first points of the season, and is 75th among NL batters.
AL Batter of the Day: Josh Lowe, Angels
Lowe hit a grand slam and went 1-for-2, scoring once and driving in four runs, in the 4-1 win over the Athletics.
NL Batter of the Day
There is no separate NL Batter of the Day for Sunday because the overall NL Player of the Day is batter Luis García Jr.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2026 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Sunday, June 28.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacob Misiorowski | pi sp | Brewers | 14.0 |
| 2 | Cristopher Sánchez | pi sp | Phillies | 13.7 |
| 3 | Braxton Ashcraft | pi sp | Pirates | 12.4 |
| 4 | Cam Schlittler | pi sp | Yankees | 11.7 |
| 5 | Shohei Ohtani | pi sp dh | Dodgers | 11.7 |
| 6 | Bryan Woo | pi sp | Mariners | 10.4 |
| 7 | Dylan Cease | pi sp | Blue Jays | 10.4 |
| 8 | Jesús Luzardo | pi sp | Phillies | 10.0 |
| 9 | Kyle Harrison | pi sp | Brewers | 10.0 |
| 10 | José Soriano | pi sp | Angels | 9.7 |
Rankings: Jesús Luzardo, Phillies
Luzardo climbs to eighth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.
Luzardo (5IP 4H R 3BB 6K ND in the 5-4 win over the White Sox) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.0 for the season. He ranks fifth among NL pitchers.
Luzardo becomes the ninth player this season to reach 10 Box-Toppers points. It is his third season with 10 or more points. His best season was 2023 with the Marlins, when he had 17.8 points, fifth overall and second among NL pitchers. In 2025, he had 17.4 points with the Phillies, eighth overall and fifth among NL pitchers.
Debut
Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Sunday, each with their first career Player of the Game honor:
Sunday’s Sidelights Sidebar
Box-Toppers review of the day’s top pitchers, overlooked top performers & lowest B-T game scores:
⬛ Flaherty has Sunday’s 2nd-best game score but fails to win Player of the Game in Tigers' loss
Twins pitcher Connor Prielipp (6IP 6H 2R 0BB 10K ND in the 3-2 win over the Rockies) made his Major League debut April 22 and was playing in his 12th career game.
Royals pitcher Steven Cruz (1IP 0H 0R 0BB K W in the 5-4 win over the White Sox) made his Major League debut Aug. 29, 2023, and was playing in his 85th career game.
Scoring
Gray earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points as Player of the Day.
García earns 1.7 points as NL Player of the Day.
Lowe earns 1.5 points as AL Batter of the Day.
All of Sunday’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.
Help us stay accurate! Spot a mistake? Contact Box-Toppers here so we can fix it.
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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).| 6/28 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +14.1 | `BOS 5, NYY 4 (F/10) | Sonny Gray | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | |
| +7.0 | TB 5, ARI 1 | Drew Rasmussen (W, 7‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | ||
| NL | +6.0 | WSH 6, BAL 4 | Luis García Jr. 1B | 5 | 3 | 3 | 5 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +6.0 | MIN 3, COL 2 | Connor Prielipp | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10 | ||
| +6.0 | `TEX 3, TOR 2 | Kumar Rocker | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | ||
| +5.0 | PIT 9, CIN 4 | Ryan O’Hearn 1B | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.1 | `CHC 4, MIL 3 (F/10) | Bryse Wilson | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 4.1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| BAT | +4.0 | LAA 4, ATH 1 | Josh Lowe CF | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.0 | SF 3, ATL 2 | Robbie Ray (W, 7‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 8.0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| +4.0 | LAD 4, SD 2 | Emmet Sheehan (W, 4‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||
| +3.0 | STL 2, MIA 1 | Kyle Leahy (W, 6‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | ||
| +2.0 | HOU 7, DET 5 (F/10) | Isaac Paredes 3B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | CLE 6, SEA 5 | Rhys Hoskins PH‑1B | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | KC 5, CHW 4 | Steven Cruz (W, 2‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| +2.0 | `PHI 5, NYM 4 | Jesús Luzardo | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luzardo, Jesus 4282 | pi sp | phi nl | 10.0 | 27.4 | 58.6 | 63.3 | +7.7 |
| Gray, Sonny 3259 | pi sp | bos al | 9.0 | 23.0 | 64.3 | 133.3 | -4.0 |
| Rasmussen, Drew 4547 | pi sp | tb al | 7.0 | 16.7 | 38.2 | 38.2 | -2.7 |
| Ray, Robbie 3502 | pi sp | sf nl | 5.7 | 15.1 | 50.9 | 95.0 | -1.7 |
| Sheehan, Emmet 4886 | pi sp | lad nl | 4.0 | 7.0 | 11.7 | 11.7 | -4.0 |
| Rocker, Kumar 5108 | pi mr sp | tex al | 3.7 | 8.4 | 9.4 | 9.4 | -1.7 |
| O’Hearn, Ryan 4043 | rf 1b | pit nl | 3.5 | 8.0 | 17.0 | 21.5 | +2.0 |
| Paredes, Isaac 4666 | 3b dh | hou al | 3.0 | 3.0 | 16.7 | 16.7 | -4.0 |
| Garcia, Luis Jr. 4671 | 2b | dc nl | 1.7 | 2.7 | 12.9 | 12.9 | +1.7 |
| Lowe, Josh 4838 | cf dh | ana al | 1.5 | 1.5 | 7.0 | 7.0 | -5.7 |
| Hoskins, Rhys 3909 | 1b ph | cle al | 1.0 | 5.5 | 21.5 | 28.5 | -2.5 |
| Leahy, Kyle 5001 | pi sp mr cp | stl nl | 1.0 | 4.0 | 5.7 | 5.7 | -2.0 |
| Wilson, Bryse 4048 | pi mr | chi nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 9.7 | 11.7 | 0.0 |
| Cruz, Steven 5398 | pi mr | kc al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
| Prielipp, Connor 5397 | pi sp | min 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 Monday’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHW | Burke, Sean 5124 | 4.7 | 8.4 | 9.4 | 9.4 |
| BAL | Baz, Shane 4560 | 3.0 | 13.7 | 19.4 | 19.4 |
| PIT | Ashcraft, Braxton 5208 | 12.4 | 17.1 | 17.1 | 17.1 |
| PHI | Nola, Aaron 3569 | 4.7 | 10.4 | 62.5 | 125.5 |
| TEX | Alexander, Tyler 4196 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 14.4 | 19.4 |
| CLE | Messick Parker 5266 | 6.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 |
| DET | Mize, Casey 4377 | 2.0 | 9.0 | 16.7 | 16.7 |
| NYY | Weathers, Ryan 4388 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 12.7 | 12.7 |
| NYM | Manaea, Sean 3637 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 42.8 | 71.3 |
| TOR | Yesavage, Trey 5287 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| WSH | Mikolas, Miles 3034 | 2.0 | 9.0 | 31.8 | 49.2 |
| BOS | Suarez, Ranger 4228 | 6.0 | 21.8 | 49.9 | 50.9 |
| CIN | Lodolo, Nick 4586 | 1.0 | 10.7 | 26.7 | 26.7 |
| MIL | Gasser, Robert 4998 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
| SD | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| CHC | Imanaga, Shota 4960 | 5.0 | 12.0 | 32.7 | 32.7 |
| MIN | Matthews, Zebby 5186 | 1.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 |
| HOU | Lambert, Peter 4155 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 8.0 | 10.0 |
| MIA | Alcantara, Sandy 4061 | 5.7 | 13.7 | 51.5 | 60.9 |
| COL | Sullivan, Sean* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| LAA | Johnson, Ryan 5391 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| SEA | Kirby, George 4595 | 2.0 | 13.0 | 53.5 | 53.5 |
| LAD | Lauer, Eric 4017 | 2.0 | 12.0 | 29.4 | 42.8 |
| ATH | Jump, Gage 5372 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| SF | Mahle, Tyler 3929 | 4.4 | 10.1 | 30.5 | 42.5 |
| ARI | Rodriguez, Eduardo 3480 | 4.0 | 8.7 | 32.7 | 76.9 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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