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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Pirates pitcher Jared Jones is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Tuesday, Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler rises to sixth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Other Player of the Game winners Tuesday include Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodón, Rays pitcher Drew Rasmussen, Randal Grichuk of the White Sox, Twins pitcher Taj Bradley, CJ Abrams of the Nationals and Guardians pitcher Parker Messick.
Player of the Day: Jared Jones, Pirates
Jones struck out nine over seven scoreless innings, allowing one hit and no walks, in the 2-0 win over the Cardinals.
Jones took a perfect game into the sixth inning before giving up a one-out double to Nathan Church, the only hit allowed by Pirates pitchers Tuesday.
Jones earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 9.7 for the season, 40th among all players and 18th among National League pitchers.
Tuesday’s Sidelights Sidebar
Box-Toppers review of the day's top pitchers, overlooked top performers & lowest B-T game scores:
⬛ Wednesday’s starters feature active leaders in career Box‑Toppers points, led by Scherzer
AL Player of the Day: Carlos Rodón, Yankees
Rodón struck out eight over eight scoreless innings, allowing three hits and no walks, in the 2-0 win over the Rays.
He earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points as American League Player of the Day, giving him 6.1 for the season, 48th among AL pitchers.
AL Batter of the Day: Randal Grichuk, White Sox
Grichuk hit a three-run home run, two doubles and went 4-for-5, scoring four times and driving in three runs, in the 14-11 win over the Royals.
NL Batter of the Day: CJ Abrams, Nationals
Abrams hit two home runs and went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 3-1 win over the Tigers.
Abrams earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points as NL Batter of the Day, giving him 9.5 for the season, third among NL batters, behind Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers (15.7) and Sal Stewart of the Reds (13.0). (Ohtani has earned 8.7 of his points as a pitcher).
Abrams’ rise to third place moves NL Most Valuable Player favorite Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Cubs from ninth to 10th place among NL batters with 8.5 points.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2026 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Tuesday, Sept. 22.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacob Misiorowski | pi sp | Brewers | 25.1 |
| 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 | 18.7 |
| 6 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 17.7 |
| 7 | Bryan Woo | pi sp | Mariners | 17.4 |
| 8 | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | pi sp | Dodgers | 17.4 |
| 9 | Gavin Williams | pi sp | Guardians | 17.4 |
| 10 | Jacob deGrom | pi sp | Rangers | 16.4 |
Rankings: Zack Wheeler, Phillies
Wheeler rises from ninth to sixth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday.
Wheeler (5.2IP 5H 3R BB 11K ND in the 6-4 win over the Brewers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 17.7 for the season. He ranks fourth among NL pitchers.
He now has 142.8 career Box-Toppers points, 34th-most among all players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. He trails the 33rd-ranked player, Padres pitcher Yu Darvish (144.4). Darvish, 40, announced his retirement after elbow surgery in October 2025 before reversing his decision to remain active, though he has not pitched since.
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
Three other players with more than 10 Box-Toppers points in 2026 also earned Player of the Game honors Tuesday
Twins pitcher Taj Bradley (6IP 3H R 3BB 6K W in the 3-2 win over the Giants) now has 15.4 Box-Toppers points, 14th among all players and sixth among AL pitchers.
Rays pitcher Drew Rasmussen (6.2IP H R 3BB 11K W in the 6-1 win over the Yankees) now has 15.0 Box-Toppers points, 15th among all players and seventh among AL pitchers.
Guardians pitcher Parker Messick (5IP 5H R BB 5K ND in the 3-2 win over the Red Sox) now has 11.7 Box-Toppers points, 27th among all players, 13th among AL pitchers and rising to first among AL rookie pitchers, passing Payton Tolle of the Red Sox (11.7). Though Messick and Tolle both have 11.7 points, Messick ranks higher because he earned 1.0 point in 2025 while Tolle earned none.
Debut
Astros relief pitcher Miguel Ullola made his Box-Toppers debut Tuesday with his first career Player of the Game honor (2IP H 0R 0BB 2K W in the 7-0 win over the Mariners). The 2026 rookie made his Major League debut June 29 and was playing in his ninth career game.
Scoring
Jones earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points as Player of the Day.
Rodón earns 1.7 points as AL Player of the Day.
Grichuk and Abrams each earn 1.5 points as their league’s Batter of the Day.
All of Tuesday’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).| 9/22 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 15.0 | PIT 2, STL 0 | Jared Jones (W, 5‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | |
| AL | 13.0 | NYY 2, TB 0 | Carlos Rodón (W, 7‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 8.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| 11.2 | TB 6, NYY 1 | Drew Rasmussen (W, 16‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 11 | ||
| 10.0 | ARI 7, COL 2 | Michael Soroka (W, 9‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | ||
| 8.0 | `MIA 8, CHC 2 (F/12) | Janson Junk | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| BAT | 6.0 | CHW 14, KC 11 | Randal Grichuk LF | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| 5.0 | ATH 9, LAA 7 | Carlos Cortes PH‑LF | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 5.0 | NYM 6, TEX 3 | Sean Manaea (W, 6‑7) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 9 | ||
| 5.0 | CIN 4, ATL 0 | Brandon Williamson (W, 5‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 4.2 | `PHI 6, MIL 4 | Zack Wheeler | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.2 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 11 | ||
| 4.0 | MIN 3, SF 2 | Taj Bradley (W, 12‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | WSH 3, DET 1 | CJ Abrams 2B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| 3.0 | HOU 7, SEA 0 | Miguel Ullola (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | LAD 7, SD 0 | Tommy Edman 2B | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 2.0 | `CLE 3, BOS 2 | Patrick Messick | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
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 | 17.7 | 37.8 | 109.4 | 142.8 | -2.4 |
| Bradley, Taj 4780 | pi sp | min al | 15.4 | 21.4 | 38.5 | 38.5 | +9.4 |
| Rasmussen, Drew 4547 | pi sp | tb al | 15.0 | 24.7 | 46.2 | 46.2 | +5.3 |
| Messick Parker 5266 | pi sp | cle al | 11.7 | 12.7 | 12.7 | 12.7 | +10.7 |
| Jones, Jared 4956 | pi sp | pit nl | 9.7 | 9.7 | 16.7 | 16.7 | +9.7 |
| Abrams, CJ 4688 | ss | dc nl | 9.5 | 11.5 | 16.5 | 16.5 | +7.5 |
| Soroka, Michael 3956 | pi sp | ari nl | 7.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 23.4 | +5.0 |
| Rodon, Carlos 3494 | pi sp | nyy al | 6.1 | 19.8 | 65.0 | 90.1 | -7.6 |
| Junk, Janson 4697 | pi sp | fla nl | 5.0 | 9.7 | 11.4 | 11.4 | +0.3 |
| Edman, Tommy 4255 | 2b | lad nl | 4.5 | 4.5 | 18.0 | 19.0 | +4.5 |
| Williamson, Brandon 4813 | pi sp | cin nl | 3.7 | 3.7 | 8.4 | 8.4 | +3.7 |
| Manaea, Sean 3637 | pi sp cp | nym nl | 3.0 | 5.0 | 45.8 | 74.3 | +1.0 |
| Grichuk, Randal 3474 | lf dh | chi al | 3.0 | 3.0 | 20.0 | 49.9 | +3.0 |
| Cortes, Carlos 5279 | dh lf ph | oak al | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | +1.0 |
| Ullola, Miguel 5482 | pi mr | hou 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 Wednesday’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WSH | Lovelady, Richard 4506 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| DET | Valdez, Framber 4048 | 7.7 | 19.4 | 65.8 | 76.2 |
| TOR | Scherzer, Max 2588 | 3.0 | 6.0 | 58.5 | 259.7 |
| BAL | Bassitt, Chris 3413 | 2.0 | 9.0 | 61.5 | 80.6 |
| MIN | Prielipp, Connor 5397 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| SF | Perdomo, Cesar* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| TOR | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| BAL | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| MIL | Henderson, Logan 5150 | 10.4 | 13.4 | 13.4 | 13.4 |
| PHI | Nola, Aaron 3569 | 6.7 | 12.4 | 64.5 | 127.5 |
| STL | Liberatore, Matthew 4662 | 7.7 | 13.7 | 20.7 | 20.7 |
| PIT | Bachar, Lake 5155 | 3.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| CLE | Griffin, Foster 5317 | 9.4 | 9.4 | 9.4 | 9.4 |
| BOS | Gray, Sonny 3259 | 13.0 | 27.0 | 68.3 | 137.3 |
| TB | Seymour, Ian 5265 | 8.7 | 12.4 | 12.4 | 12.4 |
| NYY | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 70.5 | 171.0 |
| CIN | Abbott, Andrew 4839 | 2.0 | 12.7 | 28.7 | 28.7 |
| ATL | Sale, Chris 2806 | 13.4 | 24.8 | 54.6 | 197.2 |
| CHW | Hudson, Bryan 4957 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| KC | Lugo, Seth 3729 | 2.0 | 7.0 | 29.5 | 45.5 |
| MIA | Gusto, Ryan 5156 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| CHC | Gausman, Kevin 3191 | 8.0 | 22.1 | 77.2 | 120.2 |
| NYM | McLean, Nolan 5255 | 8.0 | 15.7 | 15.7 | 15.7 |
| TEX | Bradford, Cody 4938 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 9.4 | 9.4 |
| ARI | Kelly, Merrill 4143 | 4.7 | 17.4 | 46.4 | 58.4 |
| COL | Adams, Mason* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| LAA | Ureña, Walbert 5350 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 |
| ATH | Springs, Jeffrey 4372 | 6.0 | 14.7 | 37.1 | 37.1 |
| HOU | Pecko, Ethan 5480 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| SEA | Kirby, George 4595 | 7.0 | 18.0 | 58.5 | 58.5 |
| SD | Ray, Robbie 3502 | 7.4 | 16.8 | 52.6 | 96.7 |
| LAD | Yamamoto, Yoshinobu 4964 | 17.4 | 35.1 | 41.5 | 41.5 |
* 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.