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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Blue Jays pitcher Shane Bieber is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Thursday, Braves pitcher Chris Sale continues his climb in Box-Toppers’ “all-time” career points top 10 list, edging to within 1.0 Box-Toppers point of ninth-place Curt Schilling.
Other Player of the Game winners Thursday are Twins pitcher Taj Bradley, Tyler Locklear of the Diamondbacks and James Outman of the Tigers.
Player of the Day: Shane Bieber, Blue Jays
Bieber struck out three over seven innings, allowing one run, three hits and no walks, in the 3-1 win over the Rays.
Bieber earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 3.0 for the season, 212th among all players and 70th among American League pitchers.
All-time leaders
Here are Box-Toppers top 20 players since record keeping began in 1995:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Randy Johnson | pi sp | Retired | 282.5 |
| 2 | Clayton Kershaw | pi sp | Retired | 280.8 |
| 3 | Max Scherzer | pi sp | Blue Jays | 257.7 |
| 4 | Justin Verlander | pi sp | Tigers | 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 | Chris Sale | pi sp | Braves | 193.2 |
| 11 | Alex Rodriguez | 3b | Retired | 187.0 |
| 12 | Jon Lester | pi sp | Retired | 179.3 |
| 13 | Felix Hernandez | pi sp | Retired | 175.1 |
| 14 | Cole Hamels | pi sp | Retired | 174.2 |
| 15 | Roy Halladay | pi sp | Retired | 170.7 |
| 16 | Gerrit Cole | pi sp | Yankees | 167.0 |
| 17 | Johan Santana | pi sp | Retired | 166.6 |
| 18 | Manny Ramirez | lf dh | Retired | 166.2 |
| 19 | Roger Clemens | pi sp | Retired | 164.8 |
| 20 | Jacob deGrom | pi sp | Rangers | 160.9 |
NL Player of the Day: Chris Sale, Braves
Sale struck out 11 over six innings, allowing three runs, five hits and one walk, in the 6-5 win over the Padres.
Sale earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points as National League Player of the Day, giving him 9.4 for the season, 21st among all players and 11th among NL pitchers.
Sale also now has 193.2 career Box-Toppers points, 10th among all players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. He trails ninth-ranked player, Curt Schilling (194.1), on the “all-time” list. (It should be noted that Schilling would have an estimated 232 career points if his entire career from 1988 were tracked.)
Sale ranks third among active players in career points, behind Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer (257.7) and Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander (250.0). Sale ranks first among active NL pitchers, ahead of Yu Darvish of the Padres (144.4).
Sale recorded a +5.0 Box-Toppers game score Thursday, the same as Bieber. But Bieber won Player of the Day over Sale on a tiebreaker with more innings pitched—seven vs. six.
NL Batter of the Day: Tyler Locklear, Diamondbacks
Locklear homered, doubled and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 10-6 win over the Cardinals.
This was Locklear’s Box-Toppers debut, his first career Player of the Game honor. Locklear made his Major League debut June 9, 2024, and was playing in his 51st career game.
AL Batter of the Day: James Outman, Tigers
Outman hit a three-run home run and went 1-for-3, scoring once and driving in three runs, in the 4-3 win over the Royals.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2026 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Thursday, July 23.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacob Misiorowski | pi sp | Brewers | 16.0 |
| 2 | Cristopher Sánchez | pi sp | Phillies | 14.7 |
| 3 | Dylan Cease | pi sp | Blue Jays | 14.4 |
| 4 | Jesús Luzardo | pi sp | Phillies | 14.0 |
| 5 | Cam Schlittler | pi sp | Yankees | 13.7 |
| 6 | Shohei Ohtani | pi sp dh | Dodgers | 13.7 |
| 7 | Braxton Ashcraft | pi sp | Pirates | 13.4 |
| 8 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 13.0 |
| 9 | Logan Gilbert | pi sp | Mariners | 12.0 |
| 10 | Bryan Woo | pi sp | Mariners | 11.4 |
Notable: Taj Bradley, Twins
Bradley has the most 2026 Box-Toppers points among Thursday’s Player of the Game winners.
Bradley (7IP 2H R 3BB 5K ND in the 3-1, 12-inning win over the Guardians) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.4 for the season, 11th among all players and fifth among AL pitchers.
While Bradley has the same 2026 Box-Toppers point total as 10th-place player, Mariners pitcher Bryan Woo, he ranks behind him based on 2025 points. Woo had 18.0 points in 2025 while Bradley had 6.0.
Bradley recorded a +5.0 Box-Toppers game score Thursday, same as Bieber and Sale, but he ranked behind both for overall Player of the Day and AL Player of the Day on a tiebreaker because Bieber and Sale both earned the win in their games, while Bradley picked up a no-decision.
Thursday’s Sidelights Sidebar
Box-Toppers review of the day’s top pitchers, overlooked top performers & lowest B-T game scores:
⬛ Gavin Williams, Thursday’s most dominant player, fails to win top player honors in a loss
Scoring
Bieber earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points as Player of the Day.
Sale earns 1.7 points as NL Player of the Day.
Locklear and Outman each earn 1.5 points as their league’s Batter of the Day.
All of Thursday’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).| 7/23 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +5.0 | TOR 3, TB 1 | Shane Bieber (W, 2‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |
| NL | +5.0 | ATL 6, SD 5 | Chris Sale (W, 11‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 11 | |
| +5.0 | `MIN 3, CLE 1 (F/12) | Taj Bradley | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | ||
| BAT | +3.0 | ARI 10, STL 6 | Tyler Locklear 1B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| BAT | +2.0 | DET 4, KC 3 | James Outman CF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ |
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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bradley, Taj 4780 | pi sp | min al | 11.4 | 17.4 | 34.5 | 34.5 | +5.4 |
| Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | atl nl | 9.4 | 20.8 | 50.6 | 193.2 | -2.0 |
| Bieber, Shane 4005 | pi sp | tor al | 3.0 | 6.0 | 32.4 | 68.3 | 0.0 |
| Outman, James 4699 | cf | det al | 2.5 | 2.5 | 13.7 | 13.7 | +2.5 |
| Locklear, Tyler 5416 | 1b | ari nl | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | +1.5 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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A Box-Toppers look at Friday’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COL | Sugano, Tomoyuki 5163 | 2.0 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 |
| MIL | Drohan, Shane 5359 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| CHC | Boyd, Matthew 3550 | 3.0 | 13.7 | 18.7 | 45.5 |
| PIT | Jones, Jared 4956 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 |
| KC | Way, Beck* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| DET | Skubal, Tarik 4414 | 7.7 | 29.8 | 81.0 | 81.0 |
| NYY | Schlittler, Cam 5261 | 13.7 | 21.1 | 21.1 | 21.1 |
| PHI | Luzardo, Jesus 4282 | 14.0 | 31.4 | 62.6 | 67.3 |
| ARI | Rodriguez, Eduardo 3480 | 4.0 | 8.7 | 32.7 | 76.9 |
| WSH | Littell, Zack 4533 | 3.0 | 9.7 | 24.1 | 24.1 |
| ATL | Holmes, Grant 5127 | 3.0 | 6.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 |
| BAL | Rogers, Trevor 4311 | 5.0 | 16.7 | 31.7 | 32.7 |
| CLE | Cantillo, Joey 5106 | 7.0 | 12.7 | 15.7 | 15.7 |
| TB | McClanahan, Shane 4399 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 37.8 | 37.8 |
| LAD | Sasaki, Roki 5358 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
| NYM | Manaea, Sean 3637 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 42.8 | 71.3 |
| SD | Marquez, German 3788 | 2.7 | 4.4 | 26.5 | 56.6 |
| MIA | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| TOR | Yesavage, Trey 5287 | 4.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 |
| BOS | Sandoval, Patrick 4357 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 16.7 | 17.7 |
| HOU | Arrighetti, Spencer 5022 | 6.4 | 7.4 | 14.1 | 14.1 |
| CHW | Martin, Davis 4657 | 9.7 | 12.7 | 17.7 | 17.7 |
| SEA | Miller, Bryce 4797 | 6.7 | 9.7 | 38.5 | 38.5 |
| TEX | Gore, MacKenzie 4582 | 6.0 | 14.7 | 34.4 | 34.4 |
| ATH | Lopez, Jacob 5202 | 1.0 | 12.4 | 12.4 | 12.4 |
| MIN | Matthews, Zebby 5186 | 2.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 |
| CIN | Lowder, Rhett 5107 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| STL | May, Dustin 4214 | 5.7 | 11.4 | 19.1 | 23.1 |
| LAA | Rodriguez, Grayson 4790 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| SF | Webb, Logan 4258 | 5.0 | 14.0 | 62.6 | 65.3 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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