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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Braves pitcher Chris Sale is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, passing Curt Schilling on Box-Toppers’ “all-time” career points list, rising to ninth place.
Other Player of the Game winners Wednesday include Guardians pitcher Joey Cantillo, Royals pitcher Randy Dobnak, Daniel Susac of the Giants and Yainer Diaz of the Astros.
Player of the Day: Chris Sale, Braves
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 | Chris Sale | pi sp | Braves | 195.2 |
| 10 | Curt Schilling | pi sp | Retired | 194.1 |
| 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 | 168.0 |
| 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 |
Sale struck out nine over six scoreless innings, allowing two hits and no walks, in the 1-0 win over the Mets.
Sale earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 11.4 for the season, 13th among all players and seventh among National League pitchers.
He becomes the 19th player this season to reach 10 Box-Toppers points. This is his 11th season with 10 or more points and third in a row. His best season was 2017 with the Red Sox, when his 25.1 points led all players. In 2026, he has matched the 11.4 points he earned in 2025, when he ranked 31st overall and 13th among NL pitchers.
Sale also now has 195.2 career Box-Toppers points, rising to ninth among all players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. With his 2.0 points Wednesday, he passes 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 now trails eighth-ranked player CC Sabathia (203.4).
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).
AL Player of the Day: Joey Cantillo, Guardians
Cantillo struck out eight over four scoreless innings, allowing four hits and one walk, in the 4-0 win over the Twins. Cantillo did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because he fell short of the five innings required for a starter’s win.
Cantillo earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points as American League Player of the Day, giving him 8.7 for the season, 29th among all players and 15th among AL pitchers.
NL Batter of the Day: Daniel Susac, Giants
Susac hit two home runs, including a three-run homer, in the 16-3 win over the Brewers. Susac went 2-for-4, scoring three times and driving in four runs.
This was Susac’s Box-Toppers debut, his first career Player of the Game honor. Susac made his Major League debut April 1 and was playing in his 45th career game.
AL Batter of the Day: Yainer Diaz, Astros
Diaz homered and went 4-for-5, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 7-4 win over the Angels.
Notable: Randy Dobnak, Royals
Dobnak earned his first Box-Toppers Player of the Game honor in more than five years Wednesday (7IP 4H 0R BB 4K W in the 4-0 win over the Twins).
Dobnak last earned Player of the Game honors May 21, 2021, when he was with Minnesota. Dobnak dealt with a right middle finger strain that put him on the injured list in 2021 and 2022. He did not pitch in the Major Leagues in 2022 and 2023. He has appeared in 11 total games since 2024, including five this season, all since July 2.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2026 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Wednesday, July 28.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacob Misiorowski | pi sp | Brewers | 17.7 |
| 2 | Dylan Cease | pi sp | Blue Jays | 16.4 |
| 3 | Cam Schlittler | pi sp | Yankees | 15.7 |
| 4 | Cristopher Sánchez | pi sp | Phillies | 14.7 |
| 5 | Jesús Luzardo | pi sp | Phillies | 14.0 |
| 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 | Taj Bradley | pi sp | Twins | 12.4 |
| 10 | Logan Gilbert | pi sp | Mariners | 12.0 |
Scoring
Sale earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points as Player of the Day.
Cantillo earns 1.7 points as AL Player of the Day.
Susac and Diaz each earn 1.5 points as their league’s Batter of the Day.
All of Wednesday’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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Wednesday’s Sidelights Sidebar
Box-Toppers review of the day’s top pitchers, overlooked top performers & lowest B-T game scores:
⬛ Schlittler records best game score among Wednesday’s non-Player of the Game winners
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).| 7/29 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +13.0 | ATL 1, NYM 0 | Chris Sale (W, 12‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | |
| +8.0 | LAD 4, SEA 2 | Eric Lauer (W, 6‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| AL | +7.0 | `CLE 6, CIN 1 | Joey Cantillo | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 4.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | |
| +6.0 | KC 4, MIN 0 | Randy Dobnak (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| +6.0 | SD 3, COL 1 | Griffin Canning (W, 2‑9) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| +5.2 | TB 3, TEX 0 | Ian Seymour (W, 7‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 4.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| BAT | +5.0 | SF 16, MIL 3 | Daniel Susac C | 4 | 3 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +5.0 | `STL 3, CHC 2 (F/10) | Dustin May | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | ||
| +4.0 | ARI 3, PIT 0 | Eduardo Rodriguez (W, 10‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 8.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| BAT | +3.0 | HOU 7, LAA 4 | Yainer Diaz C | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +3.0 | BAL 10, DET 9 (F/12) | Jackson Holliday PH‑2B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | MIA 8, PHI 6 | Griffin Conine PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | BOS 4, ATH 2 (F/10) | Greg Weissert (S, 1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +2.2 | TOR 5, WSH 2 | Trey Yesavage (W, 5‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||
| +1.0 | CHW 6, NYY 5 (F/12) | Munetaka Murakami 1B | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +1.0 | NYM 3, ATL 2 | Devin Williams (S, 15) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 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 | +/‑ |
| Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | atl nl | 11.4 | 22.8 | 52.6 | 195.2 | 0.0 |
| Cantillo, Joey 5106 | pi sp | cle al | 8.7 | 14.4 | 17.4 | 17.4 | +3.0 |
| Murakami, Munetaka 5308 | 1b | chi al | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | +7.0 |
| May, Dustin 4214 | pi sp | stl nl | 6.7 | 12.4 | 20.1 | 24.1 | +1.0 |
| Seymour, Ian 5265 | pi sp mr | tb al | 5.7 | 9.4 | 9.4 | 9.4 | +2.0 |
| Yesavage, Trey 5287 | pi sp | tor al | 5.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 | +4.7 |
| Rodriguez, Eduardo 3480 | pi sp | ari nl | 5.0 | 9.7 | 33.7 | 77.9 | +0.3 |
| Conine, Griffin 5304 | lf ph | fla nl | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | +5.0 |
| Lauer, Eric 4017 | pi sp mr | lad nl | 3.0 | 13.0 | 30.4 | 43.8 | -7.0 |
| Canning, Griffin 4134 | pi sp mr | sd nl | 3.0 | 8.0 | 21.7 | 30.4 | -2.0 |
| Weissert, Greg 4724 | pi mr cp | bos al | 3.0 | 4.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | +2.0 |
| Holliday, Jackson 5074 | 2b ph | bal al | 2.0 | 4.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | -0.5 |
| Williams, Devin 4319 | pi cp | nym nl | 2.0 | 4.0 | 19.0 | 20.0 | 0.0 |
| Diaz, Yainer 4871 | ca dh | hou al | 1.5 | 4.7 | 8.2 | 8.2 | -1.7 |
| Susac, Daniel 5422 | ca | sf nl | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | +1.5 |
| Dobnak, Randy 4263 | pi sp | kc al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 6.0 | +1.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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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)†, last year (’25), over five years (’21-25), and their career point total.Back to top
| Game | Starter | ’26 | ’25‑26 | ’21‑26 | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEX | Winn, Cole 5337 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| TB | McClanahan, Shane 4399 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 37.8 | 37.8 |
| KC | Cameron, Noah 5167 | 2.0 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 |
| MIN | Ober, Bailey 4441 | 2.7 | 5.7 | 37.5 | 37.5 |
| NYY | Weathers, Ryan 4388 | 5.0 | 7.0 | 14.7 | 14.7 |
| CHW | Burke, Sean 5124 | 9.1 | 12.8 | 13.8 | 13.8 |
| CHC | Assad, Javier 4899 | 4.0 | 6.0 | 16.7 | 16.7 |
| STL | Pallante, Andre 4656 | 7.7 | 13.4 | 24.1 | 24.1 |
| WSH | Irvin, Jake 4805 | 3.0 | 10.7 | 23.7 | 23.7 |
| ATL | Holmes, Grant 5127 | 3.0 | 6.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 |
| MIA | Perez, Eury 4814 | 6.4 | 13.4 | 19.4 | 19.4 |
| NYM | McLean, Nolan 5255 | 7.0 | 14.7 | 14.7 | 14.7 |
| PIT | Ramirez, Yohan 4756 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| CIN | Lowder, Rhett 5107 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| BOS | Gray, Sonny 3259 | 10.0 | 24.0 | 65.3 | 134.3 |
| ATH | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| SF | Ray, Robbie 3502 | 5.7 | 15.1 | 50.9 | 95.0 |
| SD | Sears, JP 4627 | 2.0 | 6.0 | 22.7 | 22.7 |
| SEA | Woo, Bryan 4842 | 11.4 | 29.4 | 49.8 | 49.8 |
| LAD | Sasaki, Roki 5358 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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