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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
▪️ Upcoming pitching matchups
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Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to fourth place in season player rankings.
Also Wednesday, Blue Jays pitcher Dylan Cease becomes the third player to reach 20 Box-Toppers points in 2026 (20.4) 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. 2.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacob Misiorowski | pi sp | Brewers | 21.4 |
| 2 | Jesús Luzardo | pi sp | Phillies | 21.0 |
| 3 | Dylan Cease | pi sp | Blue Jays | 20.4 |
| 4 | Cam Schlittler | pi sp | Yankees | 18.7 |
| 5 | Cristopher Sánchez | pi sp | Phillies | 17.7 |
| 6 | Braxton Ashcraft | pi sp | Pirates | 16.4 |
| 7 | Gavin Williams | pi sp | Guardians | 15.7 |
| 8 | Shohei Ohtani | pi sp dh | Dodgers | 15.7 |
| 9 | Jacob deGrom | pi sp | Rangers | 15.4 |
| 10 | Bryan Woo | pi sp | Mariners | 14.4 |
Other Player of the Game winners Wednesday include Henry Bolte of the Athletics, Cardinals pitcher Gordon Graceffo and Sean Murphy of the Braves.
Player of the Day: Cam Schlittler, Yankees
Schlittler struck out nine over eight innings, allowing one run, two hits and no walks, in the 6-3, 10-inning win over the Angels. Schlittler did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the game was tied when he exited.
Schlittler earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points as Player of the Day, increasing his season total to 18.7. He rises from fifth to fourth place overall and ranks second among American League pitchers behind Dylan Cease (20.4).
NL Player of the Day: Gordon Graceffo, Cardinals
Graceffo struck out six over three scoreless middle relief innings, allowing three hits and one walk, in the 8-6, 10-inning win over the Dodgers. Graceffo did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the Cardinals were trailing 3-2 when he exited in the sixth inning.
Graceffo earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points as National League Player of the Day, giving him 3.7 for the season, 71st among NL pitchers and eighth among NL middle relievers.
AL Batter of the Day: Henry Bolte, Athletics
Bolte hit two home runs and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 9-2 win over the Rangers.
This was Bolte’s Box-Toppers debut, his first career Player of the Game honor. The 2026 rookie made his Major League debut May 13 and was playing in his 97th career game.
NL Batter of the Day: Sean Murphy, Braves
Murphy hit a three-run home run and went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 9-0 win over the Nationals.
Wednesday’s Sidelights Sidebar
Box-Toppers review of the day's top pitchers, overlooked top performers & lowest B-T game scores:
⬛ Misiorowski fails to extend Box‑Toppers points lead with a low game score in Brewers’ win
Rankings: Dylan Cease, Blue Jays
Cease maintains third place in Box-Toppers season player rankings and first place among AL pitchers after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.
Cease (6IP 4H 0R 0BB 4K W in the 11-0 win over the Guardians) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 20.4 for the season. He trails two players—Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (21.4) and Phillies pitcher Jesús Luzardo (21.0). He leads AL pitchers ahead of Cam Schlittler of the Yankees (18.7).
Cease is the third player to reach 20 Box-Toppers points in 2026. It is his third season with 20 or more points. He also did it:
2022 with the White Sox, when his 20.4 points were fifth overall and third among AL pitchers.
2024 with the Padres, when his 21.1 points were third overall and second among NL pitchers.
Debut
In addition to Bolte, two other 2026 rookies also made their Box-Toppers debut Wednesday, each with their first career Player of the Game honor:
Max Clark of the Tigers (3-2B 3-4 3R BI in the 11-6, 12-inning win over the Twins) made his Major League debut July 31 and was playing in his 30th career game.
Nick Morabito of the Mets (2B 2-2 0R 3BI in the 10-4 win over the Rays) made his Major League debut May 19 and was playing in his seventh career game.
Scoring
Schlittler earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points as Player of the Day.
Graceffo earns 1.7 points as NL Player of the Day.
Bolte and Murphy 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.
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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).| 9/2 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 13.0 | `NYY 6, LAA 3 (F/10) | Cam Schlittler | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 8.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | |
| 9.0 | `HOU 2, CHW 0 | Hayden Wesneski | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | ||
| 6.0 | TOR 11, CLE 0 | Dylan Cease (W, 10‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | ATH 9, TEX 2 | Henry Bolte RF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| NL | 5.0 | `STL 8, LAD 6 (F/10) | Gordon Graceffo | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 3.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
| BAT | 4.0 | ATL 9, WSH 0 | Sean Murphy C | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| 3.0 | CIN 7, SD 3 | JJ Bleday LF‑RF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 3.0 | DET 11, MIN 6 (F/12) | Max Clark CF | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 3.0 | NYM 10, TB 4 | Nick Morabito PR‑LF | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 3.0 | `SF 5, PIT 4 (F/10) | Landen Roupp | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2.1 | `ARI 1, PHI 0 | Derek Law | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | SEA 8, BOS 3 | J.P. Crawford SS | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 2.0 | COL 6, BAL 5 (F/11) | Brett Sullivan C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 2.0 | `MIA 9, KC 6 | Michael Petersen (H, 23) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2.0 | MIL 9, CHC 5 | JoJo Romero (W, 2‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 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.
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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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cease, Dylan 4231 | pi sp | tor al | 20.4 | 29.1 | 95.0 | 97.0 | +11.7 |
| Schlittler, Cam 5261 | pi sp | nyy al | 18.7 | 26.1 | 26.1 | 26.1 | +11.3 |
| Roupp, Landen 5079 | pi sp | sf nl | 6.0 | 10.7 | 12.7 | 12.7 | +1.3 |
| Crawford, J.P. 3937 | ss | sea al | 5.2 | 8.7 | 21.2 | 28.7 | +1.7 |
| Graceffo, Gordon 5166 | pi mr sp | stl nl | 3.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | +2.7 |
| Wesneski, Hayden 4731 | pi sp mr | hou al | 3.0 | 4.0 | 10.4 | 10.4 | +2.0 |
| Bleday, JJ 5080 | lf | cin nl | 2.5 | 4.0 | 7.5 | 7.5 | +1.0 |
| Petersen, Michael 5300 | pi cp | fla nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| Murphy, Sean 4246 | ca dh | atl nl | 1.5 | 5.0 | 17.5 | 20.5 | -2.0 |
| Bolte, Henry 5460 | rf | oak al | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | +1.5 |
| Romero, JoJo 4878 | pi mr cp | mil nl | 1.0 | 4.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | -2.0 |
| Law, Derek 3657 | pi mr | ari nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 5.0 | +1.0 |
| Sullivan, Brett 4800 | ca | col nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +1.0 |
| Clark, Max 5461 | cf | det al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
| Morabito, Nick 5462 | lf pr | nym 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 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SF | Tidwell, Blade 5305 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| PIT | Bachar, Lake 5155 | 3.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| TOR | Soriano, Jose 4884 | 11.7 | 24.4 | 28.4 | 28.4 |
| CLE | Bibee, Tanner 4792 | 4.7 | 11.7 | 34.4 | 34.4 |
| CHW | Castillo, Luis Miguel 3840 | 5.7 | 21.8 | 67.6 | 103.4 |
| HOU | Brown, Hunter 4729 | 4.0 | 17.4 | 40.5 | 40.5 |
| BOS | Bennett, Jake 5396 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 |
| BAL | Young, Brandon 5253 | 6.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 |
| MIL | Henderson, Logan 5150 | 9.4 | 12.4 | 12.4 | 12.4 |
| CHC | Gausman, Kevin 3191 | 6.0 | 20.1 | 75.2 | 118.2 |
| MIA | Alcantara, Sandy 4061 | 10.7 | 18.7 | 56.5 | 65.9 |
| KC | Wacha, Michael 3276 | 9.7 | 19.8 | 56.7 | 91.4 |
| TB | McClanahan, Shane 4399 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 37.8 | 37.8 |
| TEX | Quantrill, Cal 4195 | 4.7 | 11.4 | 30.1 | 34.1 |
| ATH | Perkins, Jack 5225 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| SEA | Anderson, Kade* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| STL | Mathews, Quinn 5454 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| LAD | Skubal, Tarik 4414 | 10.7 | 32.8 | 84.0 | 84.0 |
* 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.