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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
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Braves pitcher Chris Sale is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Other Player of the Game winners Thursday include Jac Caglianone of the Royals and Jackson Chourio of the Brewers.
Player of the Day: Chris Sale, Braves
All-time leaders
Here are Box-Toppers top 10 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 | 197.2 |
| 10 | Curt Schilling | pi sp | Retired | 194.1 |
Sale pitched a complete-game, five-hit shutout, striking out 11 and walking none, in the 1-0 win over the Dodgers.
Sale earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 13.4 for the season, 12th among all players and eighth among National League pitchers.
Sale also has 197.2 career Box-Toppers points, ninth among all players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. He 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: Jac Caglianone, Royals
Caglianone homered, doubled and went 5-for-6, scoring three times and driving in six runs, in the 13-2 win over the Blue Jays.
He earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points as American League Player of the Day, giving him 6.9 for the season, 79th among all players and eighth among AL batters.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2026 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Thursday, Aug. 27.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacob Misiorowski | pi sp | Brewers | 21.4 |
| 2 | Jesús Luzardo | pi sp | Phillies | 20.0 |
| 3 | Dylan Cease | pi sp | Blue Jays | 18.4 |
| 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 |
NL Batter of the Day: Jackson Chourio, Brewers
Chourio hit two home runs and went 4-for-5, scoring four times and driving in four runs, in the 8-2 win over the Mets.
AL Batter of the Day
There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Thursday because the overall AL Player of the Day is batter Jac Caglianone.
Debut
Jonah Cox of the Giants made his Box-Toppers debut Thursday with his first career Player of the Game honor (2-3 R BI in the 6-1 win over the Diamondbacks). The 2026 rookie made his Major League debut May 31 and was playing in his 34th career game.
Scoring
Sale earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points as Player of the Day.
Caglianone earns 1.7 points as AL Player of the Day.
Chourio earns 1.5 points as NL Batter of the Day.
All of Thursday’s other Player of the Game winners (listed in the chart) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
Note
The weekly player and team rankings, normally published on Friday, may be delayed a day or two. For updates, follow Box-Toppers on Bluesky, X or Facebook, or check your email and Substack if you are a newsletter subscriber.
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).| 8/27 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 15.0 | ATL 1, LAD 0 | Chris Sale (W, 13‑9) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 9.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | |
| AL | 8.0 | KC 13, TOR 2 | Jac Caglianone RF | 6 | 3 | 5 | 6 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| BAT | 7.0 | MIL 8, NYM 2 | Jackson Chourio LF | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| 7.0 | `STL 7, BAL 5 | Gordon Graceffo | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 4.0 | HOU 5, NYY 1 | Hayden Wesneski (W, 4‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 3.0 | WSH 7, COL 1 | Daylen Lile LF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 1.0 | SF 6, ARI 1 | Jonah Cox CF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 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 | 13.4 | 24.8 | 54.6 | 197.2 | +2.0 |
| Caglianone, Jac 5377 | 1b | kc al | 6.9 | 6.9 | 6.9 | 6.9 | +6.9 |
| Lile, Daylen 5353 | lf | dc nl | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 | +6.7 |
| Wesneski, Hayden 4731 | pi sp mr | hou al | 2.0 | 3.0 | 9.4 | 9.4 | +1.0 |
| Graceffo, Gordon 5166 | pi mr sp | stl nl | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | +1.0 |
| Chourio, Jackson 4970 | lf | mil nl | 1.5 | 6.5 | 12.2 | 12.2 | -3.5 |
| Cox, Jonah 5453 | cf | sf nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
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), 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIN | Lowder, Rhett 5107 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| CHC | Peterson, David 4347 | 4.7 | 10.4 | 26.1 | 28.1 |
| LAD | Skubal, Tarik 4414 | 9.7 | 31.8 | 83.0 | 83.0 |
| DET | Anderson, Drew 4559 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| MIA | Perez, Eury 4814 | 8.4 | 15.4 | 21.4 | 21.4 |
| WSH | Kent, Jackson* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| HOU | Brown, Hunter 4729 | 3.0 | 16.4 | 39.5 | 39.5 |
| NYM | Scott, Christian 5344 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| KC | Wacha, Michael 3276 | 7.7 | 17.8 | 54.7 | 89.4 |
| CLE | Bibee, Tanner 4792 | 4.7 | 11.7 | 34.4 | 34.4 |
| SD | Mize, Casey 4377 | 5.0 | 12.0 | 19.7 | 19.7 |
| TB | McClanahan, Shane 4399 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 37.8 | 37.8 |
| BOS | Sandoval, Patrick 4357 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 16.7 | 17.7 |
| NYY | Schlittler, Cam 5261 | 15.7 | 23.1 | 23.1 | 23.1 |
| COL | Sugano, Tomoyuki 5163 | 2.0 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 |
| ATL | Holmes, Grant 5127 | 5.7 | 8.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 |
| SEA | Hancock, Emerson 4985 | 5.0 | 7.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 |
| TOR | Cease, Dylan 4231 | 18.4 | 27.1 | 93.0 | 95.0 |
| TEX | Bradford, Cody 4938 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 9.4 | 9.4 |
| MIL | Henderson, Logan 5150 | 7.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 |
| CHW | Castillo, Luis Miguel 3840 | 5.7 | 21.8 | 67.6 | 103.4 |
| MIN | Kremer, Dean 4330 | 3.0 | 10.7 | 38.8 | 40.5 |
| PIT | Jones, Jared 4956 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 |
| STL | Mathews, Quinn* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| PHI | Painter, Andrew 5302 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
| LAA | Detmers, Reid 4513 | 7.0 | 11.0 | 29.4 | 29.4 |
| BAL | Young, Brandon 5253 | 5.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| ATH | Lopez, Jacob 5202 | 4.0 | 15.4 | 15.4 | 15.4 |
| ARI | Drake, Kohl* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| SF | Tidwell, Blade 5305 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
* 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.