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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Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sánchez is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to fourth place in season player rankings.
Other Player of the Game winners Saturday include Red Sox pitcher Jake Bennett, Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Cubs and Josh Rojas of the Royals.
Player of the Day: Cristopher Sánchez, Phillies
Sánchez struck out eight over seven scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk, in the 4-2, 10-inning win over the Angels. Sánchez did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the Angels tied the game after he exited.
Sánchez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points as Player of the Day, giving him 17.7 for the season, rising from sixth to fourth in season player rankings. He ranks third among National League pitchers, behind Jacob Misiorowski of the Brewers (21.4 points) and Jesús Luzardo of the Phillies (20.0 points).
AL Player of the Day: Jake Bennett, Red Sox
Bennett struck out seven over six scoreless innings, allowing three hits and no walks, in the 6-0 win over the Yankees.
Bennett earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points as American League Player of the Day, giving him 5.7 for the season, 51st among AL pitchers.
NL Batter of the Day: Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs
Crow-Armstrong hit three home runs, including a three-run homer, in the 17-5 win over the Reds. He also went 4-for-6, scoring four times and driving in six runs.
He earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points as NL Batter of the Day, giving him 8.5 for the season, 42nd among all players and fifth among NL batters.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2026 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Saturday, Aug. 29.| 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 | 19.4 |
| 4 | Cristopher Sánchez | pi sp | Phillies | 17.7 |
| 5 | Cam Schlittler | pi sp | Yankees | 16.7 |
| 6 | Braxton Ashcraft | pi sp | Pirates | 16.4 |
| 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 |
AL Batter of the Day: Josh Rojas, Royals
Rojas homered and went 2-for-2, scoring once and driving in four runs, in the 8-3 win over the Guardians.
Scoring
Sánchez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points as Player of the Day.
Bennett earns 1.7 points as AL Player of the Day.
Crow-Armstrong and Rojas 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.
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Saturday’s Sidelights Sidebar
Box-Toppers review of the day's top pitchers, overlooked top performers & lowest B-T game scores:
⬛ Snell records best B‑T game score among Saturday’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).| 8/29 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 12.0 | `PHI 4, LAA 2 (F/10) | Cristopher Sánchez | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | |
| AL | 10.0 | BOS 6, NYY 0 | Jake Bennett (W, 9‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |
| 9.0 | `WSH 5, MIA 4 (F/10) | Cade Cavalli | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | ||
| BAT | 8.0 | CHC 17, CIN 5 | Pete Crow‑Armstrong CF | 6 | 4 | 4 | 6 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| 8.0 | ARI 7, SF 1 | Merrill Kelly (W, 9‑12) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | KC 8, CLE 3 | Josh Rojas PH‑3B | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| 5.0 | NYM 6, HOU 2 | Nolan McLean (W, 10‑8) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 3.1 | PIT 6, STL 2 | Carmen Mlodzinski (W, 7‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 3.1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | SF 7, ARI 2 | Bryce Eldridge 1B | 5 | 0 | 4 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 3.0 | CHW 3, MIN 2 | Andrew Benintendi DH | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 3.0 | NYY 9, BOS 2 | Paul Blackburn (W, 7‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.2 | `ATL 2, COL 1 | Martín Pérez | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 2.0 | BAL 5, ATH 3 | Leody Taveras RF | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 2.0 | MIL 5, TEX 3 | William Contreras C | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 2.0 | TOR 4, SEA 3 | Louis Varland (S, 31) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.1 | `DET 2, LAD 1 | Keider Montero | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 0.2 | TB 7, SD 6 | Kevin Kelly (W, 6‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 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.
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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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sanchez, Cristopher 4850 | pi sp | phi nl | 17.7 | 33.1 | 48.5 | 48.5 | +2.3 |
| Cavalli, Cade 5244 | pi sp | dc nl | 9.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 | +7.7 |
| Crow-Armstrong, Pete 5073 | cf | chi nl | 8.5 | 18.0 | 19.0 | 19.0 | -1.0 |
| McLean, Nolan 5255 | pi sp | nym nl | 8.0 | 15.7 | 15.7 | 15.7 | +0.3 |
| Perez, Martin 3213 | pi sp | atl nl | 7.4 | 9.1 | 29.6 | 49.3 | +5.7 |
| Montero, Keider 5057 | pi sp | det al | 6.7 | 10.7 | 15.4 | 15.4 | +2.7 |
| Varland, Louis 4758 | pi cp | tor al | 6.0 | 8.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 | +4.0 |
| Contreras, William 4717 | ca | mil nl | 5.7 | 9.7 | 17.9 | 17.9 | +1.7 |
| Bennett, Jake 5396 | pi sp | bos al | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | +5.7 |
| Kelly, Merrill 4143 | pi sp | ari nl | 4.7 | 17.4 | 46.4 | 58.4 | -8.0 |
| Mlodzinski, Carmen 4894 | pi mr sp | pit nl | 3.0 | 5.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | +1.0 |
| Blackburn, Paul 3869 | pi mr cp sp | nyy al | 3.0 | 4.0 | 16.7 | 19.7 | +2.0 |
| Kelly, Kevin 4932 | pi mr | tb al | 3.0 | 3.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | +3.0 |
| Rojas, Josh 4244 | 3b ph | kc al | 3.0 | 3.0 | 6.5 | 7.5 | +3.0 |
| Eldridge, Bryce 5371 | dh 1b | sf nl | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | +2.5 |
| Taveras, Leody 4687 | cf rf | bal al | 2.0 | 4.0 | 10.5 | 10.5 | 0.0 |
| Benintendi, Andrew 3815 | dh lf | chi al | 1.0 | 4.5 | 15.4 | 31.1 | -2.5 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIA | Junk, Janson 4697 | 4.0 | 8.7 | 10.4 | 10.4 |
| WSH | Alvarez, Andrew 5274 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| BOS | Suarez, Ranger 4228 | 7.0 | 22.8 | 50.9 | 51.9 |
| NYY | Warren, Will 5143 | 5.7 | 15.1 | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| COL | Adams, Mason* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| ATL | Mahle, Tyler 3929 | 6.4 | 12.1 | 32.5 | 44.5 |
| SEA | Gilbert, Logan 4439 | 13.0 | 26.1 | 73.6 | 73.6 |
| TOR | Scherzer, Max 2588 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 56.5 | 257.7 |
| KC | Lugo, Seth 3729 | 2.0 | 7.0 | 29.5 | 45.5 |
| CLE | Messick Parker 5266 | 9.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 |
| LAD | Glasnow, Tyler 3948 | 5.7 | 10.7 | 47.5 | 71.2 |
| DET | Valdez, Framber 4048 | 7.7 | 19.4 | 65.8 | 76.2 |
| SD | Ray, Robbie 3502 | 7.4 | 16.8 | 52.6 | 96.7 |
| TB | Rasmussen, Drew 4547 | 13.0 | 22.7 | 44.2 | 44.2 |
| CHW | Hicks, Jordan 3991 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 12.4 | 16.4 |
| MIN | Matthews, Zebby 5186 | 4.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 |
| TEX | Rocker, Kumar 5108 | 5.7 | 10.4 | 11.4 | 11.4 |
| MIL | May, Dustin 4214 | 6.7 | 12.4 | 20.1 | 24.1 |
| PIT | Ashcraft, Braxton 5208 | 16.4 | 21.1 | 21.1 | 21.1 |
| STL | Liberatore, Matthew 4662 | 7.7 | 13.7 | 20.7 | 20.7 |
| HOU | Pecko, Ethan* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| NYM | Thornton, Zac 5414 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| BAL | Bassitt, Chris 3413 | 1.0 | 8.0 | 60.5 | 79.6 |
| ATH | Springs, Jeffrey 4372 | 4.0 | 12.7 | 35.1 | 35.1 |
| PHI | Wheeler, Zack 3204 | 13.0 | 33.1 | 104.7 | 138.1 |
| LAA | Kikuchi, Yusei 4136 | 0.0 | 7.7 | 40.1 | 45.8 |
| CIN | Burns, Chase 5301 | 11.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 |
| CHC | Imanaga, Shota 4960 | 7.0 | 14.0 | 34.7 | 34.7 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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