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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Nationals pitcher Andrew Alvarez is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Other Player of the Game winners Saturday include Angel Martínez of the Guardians, Mookie Betts of the Dodgers and Miguel Vargas of the White Sox.
Player of the Day: Andrew Alvarez, Nationals
Alvarez struck out eight over six scoreless innings, allowing five hits and one walk, in the 8-5, 11-inning win over the Cardinals. Alvarez did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the Cardinals tied the game after he exited.
Alvarez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 6.0 for the season, 123rd among all players and 43rd among National League pitchers.
AL Player of the Day: Angel Martínez, Guardians
Martínez hit two home runs, doubled and went 4-for-5, scoring three times and driving in four runs, in the 12-6 win over the Athletics.
He earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points as American League Player of the Day, giving him 5.2 for the season, 20th among AL batters.
Saturday’s Sidelights Sidebar
Box-Toppers review of the day's top pitchers, overlooked top performers & lowest B-T game scores:
⬛ Yankees’ Schlittler falls out of Box-Toppers Player of the Year race in loss Saturday
NL Batter of the Day: Mookie Betts, Dodgers
Betts hit three doubles and went 4-for-4, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 10-4 win over the Giants.
He earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points, giving him 2.5 for the season, 90th among NL batters.
Betts recorded a +4.0 Box-Toppers game score Saturday for the second straight day. He also did it Friday (2HR 3-4 2R 3BI in the 8-2 win over the Giants), but was beaten for Player of the Game honors by teammate Tyler Glasnow (6IP 3H 2R 2BB 10K W), who recorded a +7.0 game score. Betts’ +4.0 game score Friday was the third-highest among non-Player of the Game winners.
AL Batter of the Day
There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Saturday because the overall AL Player of the Day is batter Angel Martínez of the Guardians.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2026 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Saturday, Sept. 19.| 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 |
Notable: Miguel Vargas, White Sox
Vargas has the most 2026 Box-Toppers points among Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Game winners.
Vargas (HR 1-2 2R BI in the 3-1 win over the Tigers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 7.5 for the season, 81st among all players and fourth among AL batters.
Scoring
Alvarez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points as Player of the Day.
Martínez earns 1.7 points as AL Player of the Day.
Betts earns 1.5 points as NL 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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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).| 9/19 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 8.0 | `WSH 8, STL 5 (F/11) | Andrew Alvarez | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | |
| AL | 6.0 | CLE 12, ATH 6 | Angel Martínez LF‑RF | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| BAT | 4.0 | LAD 10, SF 4 | Mookie Betts SS | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| 4.0 | ATL 6, HOU 3 | Ronald Acuña Jr. RF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 3.2 | `TB 2, BOS 1 | Freddy Peralta | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 3.2 | TEX 6, TOR 2 | Jordan Montgomery (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 3.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 3.0 | NYM 10, PHI 3 | Carson Benge RF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 3.0 | ARI 5, NYY 3 | Pavin Smith PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 3.0 | MIL 1, BAL 0 | Robert Gasser (W, 5‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | COL 5, SEA 3 | Juan Mejia (W, 4‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | LAA 6, MIN 5 (F/11) | Tayler Saucedo (W, 1‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | PIT 6, KC 5 | Brandon Lowe 2B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 2.0 | SD 7, MIA 6 (F/10) | Samad Taylor LF | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 2.0 | CHW 3, DET 1 | Miguel Vargas 3B | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 2.0 | CHC 5, CIN 2 | Matthew Boyd (W, 9‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vargas, Miguel 5229 | 3b 1b | chi al | 7.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | +6.5 |
| Alvarez, Andrew 5274 | pi cp mr sp | dc nl | 6.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | +4.0 |
| Benge, Carson 5360 | rf | nym nl | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | +6.0 |
| Acuna, Ronald Jr. 3947 | rf | atl nl | 5.2 | 9.7 | 24.9 | 39.3 | +0.7 |
| Martínez, Angel 5212 | lf rf | cle al | 5.2 | 7.2 | 7.2 | 7.2 | +3.2 |
| Gasser, Robert 4998 | pi sp | mil nl | 5.0 | 5.0 | 7.7 | 7.7 | +5.0 |
| Peralta, Freddy 3965 | pi sp | tb al | 4.7 | 19.4 | 70.6 | 89.3 | -10.0 |
| Boyd, Matthew 3550 | pi sp | chi nl | 4.0 | 14.7 | 19.7 | 46.5 | -6.7 |
| Lowe, Brandon 4108 | 2b | pit nl | 3.0 | 10.0 | 36.5 | 38.5 | -4.0 |
| Betts, Mookie 3404 | ss | lad nl | 2.5 | 7.7 | 34.4 | 73.7 | -2.7 |
| Mejia, Juan 5402 | pi mr | col nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| Taylor, Samad 5384 | lf | sd nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| Smith, Pavin 4427 | 1b dh lf ph | ari nl | 1.0 | 2.5 | 13.5 | 13.5 | -0.5 |
| Montgomery, Jordan 3814 | pi mr sp | tex al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 31.5 | 38.5 | +1.0 |
| Saucedo, Tayler 4802 | pi cp mr | ana al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | +1.0 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHI | Sanchez, Cristopher 4850 | 17.7 | 33.1 | 48.5 | 48.5 |
| NYM | Tong, Jonah 5291 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| KC | Wacha, Michael 3276 | 9.7 | 19.8 | 56.7 | 91.4 |
| PIT | Bachar, Lake 5155 | 3.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| ATH | Perkins, Jack 5225 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| CLE | Williams, Gavin 4865 | 15.7 | 27.4 | 35.1 | 35.1 |
| BOS | Sandoval, Patrick 4357 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 16.7 | 17.7 |
| TB | Jax, Griffin 4478 | 6.7 | 7.7 | 13.4 | 13.4 |
| CHC | Peterson, David 4347 | 5.7 | 11.4 | 27.1 | 29.1 |
| CIN | Lowder, Rhett 5107 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| ATL | Perez, Martin 3213 | 8.4 | 10.1 | 30.6 | 50.3 |
| HOU | Brown, Hunter 4729 | 5.0 | 18.4 | 41.5 | 41.5 |
| DET | Melton, Troy 5231 | 7.0 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 |
| CHW | Martin, Davis 4657 | 9.7 | 12.7 | 17.7 | 17.7 |
| WSH | Irvin, Jake 4805 | 3.0 | 10.7 | 23.7 | 23.7 |
| STL | Mathews, Quinn 5454 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| TOR | Miles, Spencer 5357 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| TEX | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | 16.4 | 27.4 | 62.2 | 167.6 |
| SEA | Anderson, Kade 5471 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| COL | Sugano, Tomoyuki 5163 | 2.0 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 |
| MIN | Kremer, Dean 4330 | 3.0 | 10.7 | 38.8 | 40.5 |
| LAA | Johnson, Ryan 5391 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| MIA | Alcantara, Sandy 4061 | 10.7 | 18.7 | 56.5 | 65.9 |
| SD | Buehler, Walker 3943 | 1.0 | 7.0 | 29.4 | 66.6 |
| NYY | Warren, Will 5143 | 8.4 | 17.8 | 17.8 | 17.8 |
| ARI | Burnes, Corbin 4029 | 0.0 | 3.7 | 60.6 | 71.3 |
| SF | Wilkinson, Matt 5468 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| LAD | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| MIL | Misiorowski, Jacob 5200 | 24.1 | 30.1 | 30.1 | 30.1 |
| BAL | Young, Brandon 5253 | 6.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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