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
▪️ Subscribe to newsletter
▪️ Support Box-Toppers
Athletics pitcher Jacob Lopez is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Saturday, Blue Jays pitcher Dylan Cease rises to second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Other Player of the Game winners Saturday include Phillies pitcher Andrew Painter, Randy Arozarena of the Mariners and JJ Bleday of the Reds.
Player of the Day: Jacob Lopez, Athletics
Lopez struck out nine over six innings, allowing one run, three hits and one walk, in the 4-3 win over the Astros. Lopez did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the game was tied when he exited.
Lopez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 4.0 for the season, 181st among all players and 62nd among American League pitchers.
NL Player of the Day: Andrew Painter, Phillies
Painter struck out eight over seven innings, allowing one run, five hits and no walks, in the 12-3 win over the Cardinals.
Painter earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points as National League Player of the Day, giving him 3.7 for the season, 67th among NL pitchers.
AL Batter of the Day: Randy Arozarena, Mariners
Arozarena hit two home runs, including a walk-off, two-run homer, in the 5-4 win over the Cubs. Arozarena went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in three runs.
He earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points as AL Batter of the Day, giving him 5.5 for the season, 12th among AL batters.
NL Batter of the Day: JJ Bleday, Reds
Bleday homered, tripled, doubled and went 4-for-6, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 11-5 win over the Diamondbacks.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2026 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Saturday, Aug. 22.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacob Misiorowski | pi sp | Brewers | 21.4 |
| 2 | Dylan Cease | pi sp | Blue Jays | 18.4 |
| 3 | Jesús Luzardo | pi sp | Phillies | 18.0 |
| 4 | Braxton Ashcraft | pi sp | Pirates | 16.4 |
| 5 | Cristopher Sánchez | pi sp | Phillies | 15.7 |
| 6 | Cam Schlittler | pi sp | Yankees | 15.7 |
| 7 | Shohei Ohtani | pi sp dh | Dodgers | 15.7 |
| 8 | Gavin Williams | pi sp | Guardians | 13.7 |
| 9 | Kyle Harrison | pi sp | Brewers | 13.7 |
| 10 | Bryan Woo | pi sp | Mariners | 13.4 |
Rankings: Dylan Cease, Blue Jays
Cease rises from third to second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday (6.2IP 2H R 5BB 8K W in the 4-3 win over the Yankees).
Cease earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 18.4 for the season. He trails overall leader, Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (21.4 points). Cease leads AL pitchers, ahead of second-place Cam Schlittler of the Yankees (15.7 points).
Debut
Marlins relief pitcher Josh Ekness made his Box-Toppers debut Saturday with his first career Player of the Game honor (1.1IP 0H 0R 0BB K ND in the 4-2 win over the Nationals). He made his Major League debut May 3 and was playing in his 14th career game.
Scoring
Lopez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points as Player of the Day.
Painter earns 1.7 points as NL Player of the Day.
Arozarena and Bleday each earn 1.5 points as their league’s Batter of the Day.
All of Saturday’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.
Follow us: Bluesky | X | Facebook | Substack (newsletter)
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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cease, Dylan 4231 | pi sp | tor al | 18.4 | 27.1 | 93.0 | 95.0 | +9.7 |
| Skubal, Tarik 4414 | pi sp | lad nl | 9.7 | 31.8 | 83.0 | 83.0 | -12.4 |
| Wacha, Michael 3276 | pi sp | kc al | 7.7 | 17.8 | 54.7 | 89.4 | -2.4 |
| Adell, Jo 4527 | rf | cle al | 5.5 | 12.5 | 17.0 | 17.0 | -1.5 |
| Arozarena, Randy 4331 | lf | sea al | 5.5 | 11.0 | 29.5 | 31.0 | 0.0 |
| Bauers, Jake 3993 | 1b | mil nl | 5.0 | 9.0 | 18.0 | 27.0 | +1.0 |
| Lopez, Jacob 5202 | pi sp | oak al | 4.0 | 15.4 | 15.4 | 15.4 | -7.4 |
| Johnson, Ryan 5391 | pi sp | ana al | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | +3.7 |
| Painter, Andrew 5302 | pi sp | phi nl | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | +3.7 |
| Merrill, Jackson 4977 | cf | sd nl | 3.5 | 6.5 | 11.5 | 11.5 | +0.5 |
| Torrens, Luis 4452 | ca dh ph | nym nl | 3.5 | 5.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | +2.0 |
| White, Eli 4462 | rf ph | bos al | 2.5 | 5.0 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 0.0 |
| Basallo, Samuel 5332 | ca 1b ph | bal al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| Bleday, JJ 5080 | lf | cin nl | 1.5 | 3.0 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 0.0 |
| Ekness, Josh 5446 | pi mr | fla nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
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.
Back to top
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).| 8/22 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 9.0 | `ATH 4, HOU 3 | Jacob Lopez | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | |
| NL | 8.0 | PHI 12, STL 3 | Andrew Painter (W, 3‑8) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | |
| 7.0 | KC 3, DET 1 | Michael Wacha (W, 7‑8) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 7.0 | LAA 3, TEX 0 | Ryan Johnson (W, 3‑7) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 6.0 | LAD 4, PIT 3 | Tarik Skubal (W, 8‑7) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 11 | ||
| 5.2 | TOR 4, NYY 3 | Dylan Cease (W, 8‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 8 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | SEA 5, CHC 4 | Randy Arozarena LF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| BAT | 3.0 | CIN 11, ARI 5 | JJ Bleday LF | 6 | 2 | 4 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| 3.0 | CLE 4, COL 3 | Jo Adell RF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 3.0 | BAL 3, TB 2 (F/10) | Samuel Basallo PH‑1B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 3.0 | NYM 10, CHW 5 | Luis Torrens PH‑DH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 2.1 | `MIA 4, WSH 2 | Josh Ekness (H, 1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2.0 | SD 7, MIN 5 | Jackson Merrill CF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 2.0 | BOS 3, SF 2 | Eli White PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 1.0 | MIL 4, ATL 1 | Jake Bauers RF‑1B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ |
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.
Back to top
A Box-Toppers look at Sunday’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.Back to top
| Game | Starter | ’26 | ’25‑26 | ’21‑26 | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STL | Leahy, Kyle 5001 | 5.0 | 8.0 | 9.7 | 9.7 |
| PHI | Sanchez, Cristopher 4850 | 15.7 | 31.1 | 46.5 | 46.5 |
| TB | Martinez, Nick 3430 | 6.0 | 12.7 | 34.8 | 41.5 |
| BAL | Baz, Shane 4560 | 4.0 | 14.7 | 20.4 | 20.4 |
| TOR | Soriano, Jose 4884 | 11.7 | 24.4 | 28.4 | 28.4 |
| NYY | Rodon, Carlos 3494 | 1.7 | 15.4 | 60.6 | 85.7 |
| WSH | Kent, Jackson* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| MIA | Junk, Janson 4697 | 3.0 | 7.7 | 9.4 | 9.4 |
| ATH | Perkins, Jack 5225 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| HOU | Javier, Cristian 4290 | 2.0 | 3.7 | 33.4 | 35.4 |
| DET | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| KC | Lynch, Daniel 4488 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 12.4 | 12.4 |
| NYM | McLean, Nolan 5255 | 7.0 | 14.7 | 14.7 | 14.7 |
| CHW | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| LAA | Klassen, George 5443 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| TEX | Quantrill, Cal 4195 | 3.7 | 10.4 | 29.1 | 33.1 |
| CLE | Griffin, Foster 5317 | 9.4 | 9.4 | 9.4 | 9.4 |
| COL | Sugano, Tomoyuki 5163 | 2.0 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 |
| SF | Whisenhunt, Carson* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| BOS | Bennett, Jake 5396 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| CHC | Imanaga, Shota 4960 | 7.0 | 14.0 | 34.7 | 34.7 |
| SEA | Miller, Bryce 4797 | 6.7 | 9.7 | 38.5 | 38.5 |
| MIN | Ober, Bailey 4441 | 2.7 | 5.7 | 37.5 | 37.5 |
| SD | Buehler, Walker 3943 | 1.0 | 7.0 | 29.4 | 66.6 |
| PIT | Mlodzinski, Carmen 4894 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| LAD | Snell, Blake 3688 | 2.0 | 9.0 | 63.9 | 113.8 |
| CIN | Abbott, Andrew 4839 | 1.0 | 11.7 | 27.7 | 27.7 |
| ARI | Bratt, Mitch 5429 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| ATL | Mahle, Tyler 3929 | 6.4 | 12.1 | 32.5 | 44.5 |
| MIL | Drohan, Shane 5359 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
* 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.