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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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Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Sunday, Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler rises to eighth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
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 | 259.7 |
| 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 |
Other Player of the Game winners Sunday include Braves pitcher Tyler Mahle, Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles and Héctor Rodríguez of the Reds.
Player of the Day: Max Scherzer, Blue Jays
Scherzer struck out 10 over seven scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk, in the 7-0 win over the Mariners.
The only hit Scherzer surrendered was a fourth-inning double to Cal Raleigh.
Scherzer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 3.0 for the season, 278th among all players and 83rd among American League pitchers.
Scherzer also has 259.7 career Box-Toppers points, third among all players since 1995 when Box-Toppers tracking began, behind Randy Johnson (282.5) and Clayton Kershaw (280.8). Scherzer leads active players and active AL pitchers in career points ahead of Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander (250.0).
NL Player of the Day: Tyler Mahle, Braves
Mahle struck out nine over 6.2 innings, allowing one run, five hits and no walks, in the 3-2, 10-inning win over the Rockies. Mahle did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the Rockies tied the game after he exited.
Mahle earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points as National League Player of the Day, giving him 8.1 for the season, 49th among all players and 21st among NL pitchers.
AL Batter of the Day: Gunnar Henderson, Orioles
Henderson hit two home runs, including a three-run homer, in the 8-5 win over the Athletics. He also tripled and went 4-for-4, scoring three times and driving in five runs.
He earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points as AL Batter of the Day, giving him 4.5 for the season, 24th among AL batters.
NL Batter of the Day: Héctor Rodríguez, Reds
Rodríguez hit a three-run home run and went 1-for-4, scoring once and driving in three runs, in the 7-5 win over the Cubs.
This was his Box-Toppers debut, his first career Player of the Game honor. The 2026 rookie made his Major League debut Aug. 4 and was playing in his 19th career game.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2026 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Sunday, Aug. 30.| 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 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 14.0 |
| 9 | Gavin Williams | pi sp | Guardians | 13.7 |
| 10 | Kyle Harrison | pi sp | Brewers | 13.7 |
Rankings: Zack Wheeler, Phillies
Wheeler rises to eighth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday (6IP 4H R 3BB 6K W in the 5-2 win over the Angels).
Wheeler earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 14.0 for the season. He ranks sixth among NL pitchers.
Wheeler also now has 139.1 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 35th place among all players since 1995 when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his 1.0 point Sunday, he passes two players on the “all-time” career points list—Andy Pettitte (138.5) and Madison Bumgarner (139.1). (Though he has the same point total as Bumgarner, Wheeler ranks higher because he has earned points more recently.) He now trails the 34th-ranked player, Jake Peavy (141.8).
Wheeler ranks seventh among active, signed players in career points, and third among active NL pitchers, behind Chris Sale of the Braves (197.2) and Yu Darvish of the Padres (144.4).
Debut
Career Box-Toppers points—Active NL pitchers 1—Chris Sale #Braves 197.2 2—Yu Darvish #Padres 144.4 3—Zack Wheeler #Phillies 139.1* 4—Aaron Nola #Phillies 126.5 5—Kevin Gausman #Cubs 118.2 6—Blake Snell #Dodgers 115.5 *Earns 1.0 B-T point Sunday
— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) 7:58 AM · Aug 31, 2026
Sunday’s Sidelights Sidebar
Box-Toppers review of the day's top pitchers, overlooked top performers & lowest B-T game scores:
⬛ Nationals’ Alvarez has best game score among Sunday’s non-Player of the Game winners
Joe Mack of the Marlins also made his Box-Toppers debut Sunday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Mack hit a ninth-inning, game-tying sacrifice fly in his only plate appearance in the 6-2 win over the Nationals. Immediately after the sacrifice, a throwing error by Andrew Pinckney of the Nationals allowed the Marlins to score the go-ahead run.
Mack, a 2026 rookie, made his Major League debut May 4 and was playing in his 85th career game.
Scoring
Scherzer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points as Player of the Day.
Mahle earns 1.7 points as NL Player of the Day.
Henderson and Rodríguez each earn 1.5 points as their league’s Batter of the Day.
All of Sunday’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.
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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).| 8/30 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 15.0 | TOR 7, SEA 0 | Max Scherzer (W, 2‑7) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| NL | 8.2 | `ATL 3, COL 2 (F/10) | Tyler Mahle | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | |
| BAT | 8.0 | BAL 8, ATH 5 | Gunnar Henderson SS | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| 8.0 | LAD 6, DET 1 | Tyler Glasnow (W, 4‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 7.0 | NYY 16, BOS 1 | Austin Wells PH‑C | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 6.1 | MIN 5, CHW 1 | Zebby Matthews (W, 9‑8) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 8.1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 5.0 | CLE 11, KC 1 | José Ramírez DH | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 3.0 | PHI 5, LAA 2 | Zack Wheeler (W, 11‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 2.0 | TEX 7, MIL 4 | Ezequiel Duran 2B | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 2.0 | HOU 6, NYM 3 | LaMonte Wade Jr. PH‑RF | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 2.0 | TB 5, SD 4 (F/11) | Tyler Wells (W, 3‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | `PIT 5, STL 4 | Kirby Yates (H, 1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| BAT | 1.0 | CIN 7, CHC 5 | Héctor Rodríguez RF | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| 1.0 | MIA 6, WSH 2 | Joe Mack C | 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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheeler, Zack 3204 | pi sp | phi nl | 14.0 | 34.1 | 105.7 | 139.1 | -6.1 |
| Mahle, Tyler 3929 | pi sp | atl nl | 8.1 | 13.8 | 34.2 | 46.2 | +2.4 |
| Glasnow, Tyler 3948 | pi sp | lad nl | 6.7 | 11.7 | 48.5 | 72.2 | +1.7 |
| Matthews, Zebby 5186 | pi sp | min al | 5.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 | +1.7 |
| Henderson, Gunnar 4739 | ss | bal al | 4.5 | 9.2 | 25.9 | 25.9 | -0.2 |
| Ramirez, Jose 3436 | 3b dh | cle al | 3.5 | 13.0 | 53.8 | 79.8 | -6.0 |
| Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | tor al | 3.0 | 6.0 | 58.5 | 259.7 | 0.0 |
| Wells, Tyler 4428 | pi mr cp sp | tb al | 2.7 | 5.7 | 16.4 | 16.4 | -0.3 |
| Wells, Austin 5098 | ca ph | nyy al | 2.0 | 5.5 | 8.0 | 8.0 | -1.5 |
| Yates, Kirby 3628 | pi cp mr | pit nl | 2.0 | 5.0 | 12.0 | 28.0 | -1.0 |
| Wade, LaMonte Jr. 4523 | lf rf 1b ph | hou al | 2.0 | 4.0 | 12.5 | 12.5 | 0.0 |
| Rodríguez, Héctor 5455 | rf | cin nl | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | +1.5 |
| Duran, Ezequiel 4799 | 2b ss | tex al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +1.0 |
| Mack, Joe 5456 | ca | fla 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 Monday’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SF | Molina, Anthony 5112 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| ATL | Elder, Bryce 4709 | 6.7 | 11.7 | 26.4 | 26.4 |
| NYM | Stock, Robert 5437 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| TB | Seymour, Ian 5265 | 7.7 | 11.4 | 11.4 | 11.4 |
| SD | King, Michael 4549 | 6.0 | 10.4 | 37.8 | 37.8 |
| CIN | Singer, Brady 4337 | 1.0 | 11.0 | 40.7 | 44.7 |
| MIA | Gusto, Ryan 5156 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| WSH | Dion, Will 5434 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| SEA | Kirby, George 4595 | 7.0 | 18.0 | 58.5 | 58.5 |
| BOS | Tolle, Payton 5348 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 |
| DET | Jobe, Jackson 5141 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| MIN | Bradley, Taj 4780 | 13.4 | 19.4 | 36.5 | 36.5 |
| MIL | Harrison, Kyle 4914 | 13.7 | 15.7 | 23.7 | 23.7 |
| CHC | Holmes, Clay 4022 | 3.0 | 8.0 | 20.0 | 21.0 |
| ATH | Jump, Gage 5372 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| TEX | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | 13.4 | 24.4 | 59.2 | 164.6 |
| CHW | Kay, Anthony 4285 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 |
| HOU | Lambert, Peter 4155 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 11.7 | 13.7 |
| BAL | Bradish, Kyle 4597 | 7.1 | 8.1 | 33.1 | 33.1 |
| COL | Gordon, Tanner 5230 | 0.0 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
| NYY | Rodriguez, Elmer* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| LAA | Ureña, Walbert 5350 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| PHI | Nola, Aaron 3569 | 5.7 | 11.4 | 63.5 | 126.5 |
| ARI | Pfaadt, Brandon 4812 | 3.7 | 11.4 | 27.5 | 27.5 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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