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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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Twins pitcher Zebby Matthews is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Wednesday, Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler rises to eighth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2026 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Wednesday, Sept. 16.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacob Misiorowski | pi sp | Brewers | 24.1 |
| 2 | Jesús Luzardo | pi sp | Phillies | 23.0 |
| 3 | Cam Schlittler | pi sp | Yankees | 21.7 |
| 4 | Dylan Cease | pi sp | Blue Jays | 21.4 |
| 5 | Cristopher Sánchez | pi sp | Phillies | 17.7 |
| 6 | Bryan Woo | pi sp | Mariners | 17.4 |
| 7 | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | pi sp | Dodgers | 17.4 |
| 8 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 16.7 |
| 9 | Jacob deGrom | pi sp | Rangers | 16.4 |
| 10 | Braxton Ashcraft | pi sp | Pirates | 16.4 |
Other Player of the Game winners Wednesday include Giants pitcher Anthony Molina, Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi, Guardians closing pitcher Cade Smith, Ethan Salas of the Padres and Nick Fortes of the Rays.
Player of the Day: Zebby Matthews, Twins
Matthews struck out eight over six scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks, in the 5-4, 13-inning win over the Yankees. Matthews did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the Yankees tied the game after he exited.
Matthews earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 7.7 for the season, 73rd among all players and 32nd among American League pitchers.
NL Player of the Day: Anthony Molina, Giants
Molina struck out six over 5.2 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk, in the 6-5, 10-inning win over the Cardinals. Molina did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the Cardinals tied the game after he exited.
Molina earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points as National League Player of the Day, giving him 3.7 for the season, 78th among NL pitchers.
NL Batter of the Day: Ethan Salas, Padres
Salas hit two home runs and went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 9-3 win over the Rockies.
This was his Box-Toppers debut, his first career Player of the Game honor. The 2026 rookie made his Major League debut Sept. 2 and was playing in his ninth career game.
AL Batter of the Day: Nick Fortes, Rays
Fortes doubled and went 1-for-2, scoring once and driving in one run, in the 4-3 win over the Athletics.
Jesús Luzardo #Phillies likely done for season, going on 15-day injured list. Luzardo has 23.0 Box-Toppers points in 2026, 2nd among all players, behind Jacob Misiorowski #Brewers (24.1). Luzardo took the B-T points lead for 1 day after his 9/7 start: www.box-toppers.com/blog/2026/9/...
— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) 6:53 PM · Sep 16, 2026
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Rankings: Zack Wheeler, Phillies
Wheeler rises to eighth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday (7IP 4H 0R BB 5K W in the 3-0 win over the Nationals).
He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, bringing his season total to 16.7, fifth among NL pitchers.
He now has 141.8 career Box-Toppers points, 34th-most among all players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. With his 1.0 point, he moves ahead of Jake Peavy (141.8) on the “all-time” career points list. (Though Wheeler and Peavy both have the same point total, Wheeler ranks ahead on a tiebreaker since he’s earned his points more recently.)
Wheeler now trails 33rd-ranked player, Padres pitcher Yu Darvish (144.4), who has not pitched since undergoing elbow surgery in October 2025. Darvish, 39, announced he was retiring from baseball shortly after the surgery, but reversed the decision and remains an active player.
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 Darvish (144.4).
Notable: Nathan Eovaldi, Rangers
Eovaldi now has 105.4 career Box-Toppers points—84th-most since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995—after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday (4IP H 0R 0BB K W in the 7-3 win over the Red Sox).
With his 1.0 point Wednesday, Eovaldi passes two players on the “all-time” career points list—Scott Kazmir (105.1) and Blue Jays pitcher Patrick Corbin (105.4). (Though Eovaldi and Corbin both have 105.4 career points, Eovaldi ranks ahead on a tiebreaker with more 2026 points—8.7 vs. 1.0.)
Passing Corbin, Eovaldi now ranks 13th among active, signed players in career points, sixth among active AL pitchers.
Eovaldi now has 8.7 points in 2026, 48th overall and 23rd among AL pitchers.
Also notable: Cade Smith, Guardians
Smith earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors for a second straight day Wednesday (1.1IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K Sv in the 6-3 win over the White Sox).
Smith was also Player of the Game in Tuesday’s 7-6 win over the White Sox (1.1IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K Sv).
He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point each day, giving him 9.0 for the season, 21st among AL pitchers and first among AL closing pitchers, ahead of Jacob Latz of the Rangers (8.0). Smith ranks second among all closing pitchers, behind Mason Miller of the Padres (16.0).
Debut
Mariners relief pitcher Carlos Vargas also made his Box-Toppers debut Wednesday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Vargas (1.1IP H 0R 0BB 3K W in the 7-2 win over the Angels) made his Major League debut March 30, 2023, and was playing in his 86th career game (exceeding rookie limits in 2025).
Scoring
Matthews earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points as Player of the Day.
Molina earns 1.7 points as NL Player of the Day.
Salas and Fortes each earn 1.5 points as their league’s Batter of the Day.
All of Wednesday’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).| 9/16 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 10.0 | `MIN 5, NYY 4 (F/13) | Zebby Matthews | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | |
| NL | 8.2 | `SF 6, STL 5 (F/10) | Anthony Molina | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
| 8.0 | CHC 8, ATL 4 | Shota Imanaga (W, 11‑10) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 7.0 | PHI 3, WSH 0 | Zack Wheeler (W, 13‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 5.0 | KC 5, HOU 2 | Daniel Lynch IV (W, 6‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 4.2 | BAL 7, NYM 1 | Chris Bassitt (W, 8‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 4.0 | TEX 7, BOS 3 | Nathan Eovaldi (W, 11‑9) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 4.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 3.1 | SEA 7, LAA 2 | Carlos Vargas (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 3.1 | CLE 6, CHW 3 | Cade Smith (S, 37) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | SD 9, COL 3 | Ethan Salas C | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| 3.0 | MIA 4, ARI 3 | Jakob Marsee CF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 3.0 | TOR 5, DET 1 | Louis Varland (S, 34) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | MIL 5, PIT 4 | Trevor Megill (S, 28) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | CIN 6, LAD 2 | Elly De La Cruz SS | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| BAT | 1.0 | TB 4, ATH 3 | Nick Fortes C | 2 | 1 | 1 | 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 | 16.7 | 36.8 | 108.4 | 141.8 | -3.4 |
| Imanaga, Shota 4960 | pi sp | chi nl | 9.0 | 16.0 | 36.7 | 36.7 | +2.0 |
| Smith, Cade 5066 | pi cp | cle al | 9.0 | 15.0 | 17.0 | 17.0 | +3.0 |
| Eovaldi, Nathan 2928 | pi sp | tex al | 8.7 | 23.1 | 65.9 | 105.4 | -5.7 |
| De La Cruz, Elly 4844 | ss | cin nl | 8.0 | 11.5 | 22.0 | 22.0 | +4.5 |
| Matthews, Zebby 5186 | pi sp | min al | 7.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 | +3.7 |
| Varland, Louis 4758 | pi cp | tor al | 7.0 | 9.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | +5.0 |
| Fortes, Nick 4568 | ca | tb al | 4.0 | 5.0 | 7.5 | 7.5 | +3.0 |
| Molina, Anthony 5112 | pi mr sp | sf nl | 3.7 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | +3.7 |
| Megill, Trevor 4531 | pi cp | mil nl | 3.0 | 6.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 0.0 |
| Bassitt, Chris 3413 | pi mr sp | bal al | 2.0 | 9.0 | 61.5 | 80.6 | -5.0 |
| Marsee, Jakob 5251 | cf lf ph | fla nl | 2.0 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | -1.5 |
| Salas, Ethan 5479 | ca | sd nl | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | +1.5 |
| Lynch, Daniel 4488 | pi sp mr | kc al | 1.0 | 3.0 | 13.4 | 13.4 | -1.0 |
| Vargas, Carlos 5478 | pi mr | sea al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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A Box-Toppers look at Thursday’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIL | Harrison, Kyle 4914 | 13.7 | 15.7 | 23.7 | 23.7 |
| PIT | Dotel, Wilber 5367 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| LAD | Wrobleski, Justin 5062 | 7.4 | 13.4 | 15.4 | 15.4 |
| CIN | Singer, Brady 4337 | 1.0 | 11.0 | 40.7 | 44.7 |
| ATH | Springs, Jeffrey 4372 | 6.0 | 14.7 | 37.1 | 37.1 |
| TB | Rasmussen, Drew 4547 | 14.0 | 23.7 | 45.2 | 45.2 |
| SD | King, Michael 4549 | 7.0 | 11.4 | 38.8 | 38.8 |
| COL | Gordon, Tanner 5230 | 0.0 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
| PHI | Nola, Aaron 3569 | 5.7 | 11.4 | 63.5 | 126.5 |
| NYM | McLean, Nolan 5255 | 8.0 | 15.7 | 15.7 | 15.7 |
| KC | Lugo, Seth 3729 | 2.0 | 7.0 | 29.5 | 45.5 |
| HOU | Ullola, Miguel* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| DET | Valdez, Framber 4048 | 7.7 | 19.4 | 65.8 | 76.2 |
| CHW | Fedde, Erick 4065 | 8.7 | 11.4 | 33.9 | 38.6 |
| BOS | Gray, Sonny 3259 | 13.0 | 27.0 | 68.3 | 137.3 |
| TEX | Alexander, Tyler 4196 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 15.4 | 20.4 |
| MIN | Bradley, Taj 4780 | 14.4 | 20.4 | 37.5 | 37.5 |
| LAA | Ureña, Walbert 5350 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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