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
Mets pitcher Sean Manaea is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also on Sunday, Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski extended his overall lead and Phillies pitcher Jesús Luzardo maintained third place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after both earned Player of the Game honors.
Other Player of the Game winners Sunday include Pete Alonso of the Orioles and Griffin Conine of the Marlins.
Player of the Day: Sean Manaea, Mets
Manaea struck out 11 over seven innings, allowing one run, three hits and no walks, in the 11-1 win over the Pirates.
Manaea earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, his first points of the season, and is 359th among all players and 95th among National League pitchers.
Manaea has now earned Box-Toppers points in 11 straight seasons with his first Player of the Game win of 2026.
Manaea earned his first points in 2016 with the Athletics and now has 73.3 career points, 15th among active NL pitchers. His best season was 2021 with the Athletics when he had 15.7 points, fourth among AL pitchers. In 2025, he had 2.0 points with the Mets, 109th among NL pitchers.
AL Player of the Day: Pete Alonso, Orioles
Alonso hit a pair of two-run home runs and went 3-for-3, scoring three times and driving in four runs, in the 10-5 win over the Rangers.
Alonso earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points as American League Player of the Day, giving him 6.7 for the season, fifth among AL batters.
NL Batter of the Day: Griffin Conine, Marlins
Conine hit two home runs and went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 12-3 win over the Angels.
Conine earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points as NL Batter of the Day, giving him 6.5 for the season, 13th among NL batters.
AL Batter of the Day
There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Sunday because the overall AL Player of the Day is batter Pete Alonso.
Rankings leader: Jacob Misiorowski, Brewers
Misiorowski extends his lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday (6IP 4H 3R BB 9K ND in the 4-3, 10-inning win over the Twins).
He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point to reach 18.7 for the season, extending his lead over second-place Dylan Cease of the Blue Jays (17.4) and second-place NL pitcher Jesús Luzardo of the Phillies (17.0).
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2026 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Sunday , Aug. 9 .| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacob Misiorowski | pi sp | Brewers | 18.7 |
| 2 | Dylan Cease | pi sp | Blue Jays | 17.4 |
| 3 | Jesús Luzardo | pi sp | Phillies | 17.0 |
| 4 | Cristopher Sánchez | pi sp | Phillies | 15.7 |
| 5 | Cam Schlittler | pi sp | Yankees | 15.7 |
| 6 | Braxton Ashcraft | pi sp | Pirates | 14.4 |
| 7 | Shohei Ohtani | pi sp dh | Dodgers | 13.7 |
| 8 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 13.0 |
| 9 | Gavin Williams | pi sp | Guardians | 12.7 |
| 10 | Bryan Woo | pi sp | Mariners | 12.4 |
Rankings: Jesús Luzardo, Phillies
Luzardo maintains third place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday (7IP 4H 2R BB 12K ND in the 7-6, 12-inning win over the Blue Jays).
He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, bringing his total is 17.0 for the season, trailing overall leader, Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (18.7 points), and Blue Jays pitcher Dylan Cease (17.4 points). He ranks second among NL pitchers behind Misiorowski.
Debut
Nationals relief pitcher Will Dion made his Box-Toppers debut Sunday with his first career Player of the Game honor (3IP H 0R 0BB K W in the 7-1 win over the Reds).
Sunday’s Sidelights Sidebar
Box-Toppers review of the day’s top pitchers, overlooked top performers & lowest B-T game scores:
⬛ Schlittler strikes out 11 but misses Player of the Game honors in Yankees' loss to Braves
Dion made his Major League debut May 26 and was playing in his 14th career game.
Scoring
Manaea earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points as Player of the Day.
Alonso earns 1.7 points as AL Player of the Day.
Conine earns 1.5 points as NL 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.
Follow us: Bluesky | X | Facebook | Substack (newsletter)
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).| 8/9 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 13.0 | NYM 11, PIT 1 | Sean Manaea (W, 4‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 11 | |
| 10.0 | `PHI 7, TOR 6 (F/12) | Jesús Luzardo | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 12 | ||
| AL | 7.0 | BAL 10, TEX 5 | Pete Alonso 1B | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| 5.0 | ARI 4, LAD 2 | Eduardo Rodriguez (W, 11‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | ||
| 5.0 | `DET 3, SF 1 (F/10) | Troy Melton | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 4.0 | TB 4, SEA 1 | Ian Seymour (W, 9‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | ||
| 4.0 | `MIL 4, MIN 3 (F/10) | Jacob Misiorowski | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 9 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | MIA 12, LAA 3 | Griffin Conine DH | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| 3.0 | STL 7, COL 4 | JJ Wetherholt 2B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 3.0 | SD 7, HOU 2 | Austin Hays PH‑DH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 3.0 | WSH 7, CIN 1 | Will Dion (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 3.0 | ATL 2, NYY 1 (F/10) | Raisel Iglesias (W, 1‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | CHC 10, KC 2 | Ian Happ LF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 2.0 | CHW 5, CLE 3 | Colson Montgomery DH | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 2.0 | ATH 4, BOS 3 | Elvis Alvarado (W, 4‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 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.
Back to top
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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Misiorowski, Jacob 5200 | pi sp | mil nl | 18.7 | 24.7 | 24.7 | 24.7 | +12.7 |
| Luzardo, Jesus 4282 | pi sp | phi nl | 17.0 | 34.4 | 65.6 | 70.3 | -0.4 |
| Seymour, Ian 5265 | pi sp mr | tb al | 7.7 | 11.4 | 11.4 | 11.4 | +4.0 |
| Melton, Troy 5231 | pi sp | det al | 7.0 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 | +3.3 |
| Alonso, Pete 4118 | 1b | bal al | 6.7 | 13.9 | 48.8 | 57.3 | -0.5 |
| Conine, Griffin 5304 | lf dh ph | fla nl | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | +6.5 |
| Rodriguez, Eduardo 3480 | pi sp | ari nl | 6.0 | 10.7 | 34.7 | 78.9 | +1.3 |
| Wetherholt, JJ 5320 | 2b | stl nl | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | +5.0 |
| Montgomery, Colson 5235 | ss dh | chi al | 3.5 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | -1.0 |
| Happ, Ian 3798 | lf | chi nl | 3.0 | 9.0 | 24.0 | 30.0 | -3.0 |
| Alvarado, Elvis 5380 | pi cp mr | oak al | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | +3.0 |
| Manaea, Sean 3637 | pi sp cp | nym nl | 2.0 | 4.0 | 44.8 | 73.3 | 0.0 |
| Iglesias, Raisel 3467 | pi cp mr | atl nl | 2.0 | 3.0 | 15.0 | 36.7 | +1.0 |
| Hays, Austin 4538 | dh lf | sd nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 14.0 | 14.0 | 0.0 |
| Dion, Will 5434 | pi mr | dc 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
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), last year (’25), over five years (’21-25), and their career point total.Back to top
| Game | Starter | ’26 | ’25‑26 | ’21‑26 | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOS | Gray, Sonny 3259 | 11.0 | 25.0 | 66.3 | 135.3 |
| TOR | Taillon, Jameson 3658 | 1.0 | 11.1 | 44.2 | 70.6 |
| NYM | Scott, Christian 5344 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| ATL | Elder, Bryce 4709 | 5.7 | 10.7 | 25.4 | 25.4 |
| BAL | Rogers, Trevor 4311 | 6.0 | 17.7 | 32.7 | 33.7 |
| MIN | Kremer, Dean 4330 | 1.0 | 8.7 | 36.8 | 38.5 |
| PHI | Painter, Andrew 5302 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| STL | Dobbins, Hunter 5203 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| TEX | Gore, MacKenzie 4582 | 7.0 | 15.7 | 35.4 | 35.4 |
| LAA | Detmers, Reid 4513 | 5.0 | 9.0 | 27.4 | 27.4 |
| COL | Hughes, Gabriel* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| ARI | Soroka, Michael 3956 | 6.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 22.4 |
| MIL | Henderson, Logan 5150 | 6.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 |
| SD | Mize, Casey 4377 | 4.0 | 11.0 | 18.7 | 18.7 |
| TB | Peralta, Freddy 3965 | 0.0 | 14.7 | 65.9 | 84.6 |
| ATH | Lopez, Jacob 5202 | 2.0 | 13.4 | 13.4 | 13.4 |
| HOU | Wesneski, Hayden 4731 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 7.4 | 7.4 |
| SF | Tidwell, Blade 5305 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| KC | Cameron, Noah 5167 | 3.7 | 10.4 | 10.4 | 10.4 |
| LAD | Skubal, Tarik 4414 | 8.7 | 30.8 | 82.0 | 82.0 |
* 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.
Back to top