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Braves pitcher Chris Sale is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Wednesday, Pete Alonso of the Orioles extends his lead among American League batters by earning Player of the Game honors, becoming the third batter—and the second exclusive hitter—to reach 10 Box-Toppers points in 2026.
All-time leaders
Here are Box-Toppers top 20 players since record keeping began in 1995:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Randy Johnson | pi sp | Retired | 282.5 |
| 2 | Clayton Kershaw | pi sp | Retired | 280.8 |
| 3 | Max Scherzer | pi sp | Blue Jays | 259.7 |
| 4 | Justin Verlander | pi sp | Tigers | 250.0 |
| 5 | Pedro Martinez | pi sp | Retired | 244.8 |
| 6 | Zack Greinke | pi sp | Free agent | 224.5 |
| 7 | Albert Pujols | 1b | Retired | 207.8 |
| 8 | CC Sabathia | pi sp | Retired | 203.4 |
| 9 | Chris Sale | pi sp | Braves | 199.2 |
| 10 | Curt Schilling | pi sp | Retired | 194.1 |
| 11 | Alex Rodriguez | 3b | Retired | 187.0 |
| 12 | Jon Lester | pi sp | Retired | 179.3 |
| 13 | Felix Hernandez | pi sp | Retired | 175.1 |
| 14 | Cole Hamels | pi sp | Retired | 174.2 |
| 15 | Gerrit Cole | pi sp | Yankees | 171.0 |
| 16 | Roy Halladay | pi sp | Retired | 170.7 |
| 17 | Jacob deGrom | pi sp | Rangers | 167.6 |
| 18 | Johan Santana | pi sp | Retired | 166.6 |
| 19 | Manny Ramirez | lf dh | Retired | 166.2 |
| 20 | Roger Clemens | pi sp | Retired | 164.8 |
Other Player of the Game winners Wednesday include Orioles pitcher Trey Gibson, Brett Baty of the Mets, Ryan McMahon of the Yankees, Red Sox pitcher Sonny Gray and Donovan Walton of the Athletics.
Player of the Day: Chris Sale, Braves
Sale struck out 10 over 5.2 innings, allowing one run, four hits and no walks, in the 3-2, 10-inning win over the Reds. Sale picked up a no-decision because the Braves trailed 1-0 when he exited.
Sale earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 15.4 for the season, 14th among all players and ninth among National League pitchers.
Sale also has 199.2 career Box-Toppers points, ninth among all players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. He trails eighth-ranked player CC Sabathia (203.4).
Sale ranks third among active players in career points, behind Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer (259.7) and Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander (250.0). Sale ranks first among active NL pitchers, ahead of Yu Darvish of the Padres (144.4).
AL Player of the Day: Trey Gibson, Orioles
Gibson struck out seven over 6.2 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and two walks, in the 4-2 win over the Blue Jays in the second game of a doubleheader.
This was Gibson’s Box-Toppers debut, his first career Player of the Game honor. The 2026 rookie made his Major League debut May 3 and was playing in his ninth career game.
He earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points, his first of the season, and ranks 139th among AL pitchers.
NL Batter of the Day: Brett Baty, Mets
Baty hit a grand slam and went 1-for-1, scoring once and driving in four runs, in the 7-2 win over the Rangers.
AL Batter of the Day: Ryan McMahon, Yankees
McMahon hit a grand slam and went 2-for-4, scoring once and driving in five runs, in the 9-2 win over the Rays.
Rankings: Pete Alonso, Orioles
Alonso extends his 2026 Box-Toppers points lead among AL batters after earning Player of the Game honors (HR 1-3 R 2BI in the 4-2 win over the Blue Jays in the first game of a doubleheader).
Alonso earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, bringing his total to 10.7 for the season, ahead of second-place AL batter Riley Greene of the Tigers (9.0). Alonso ranks 31st among all players.
Alonso avoids setting dubious low-point record
Alonso’s Player of the Game honor Wednesday guarantees that the top AL batter in 2026 Box-Toppers points will not set the record for the lowest point total to lead a category in a full-length season—that record remains 9.7, set by George Springer of the Blue Jays in 2025 to lead AL batters.
Alonso becomes third batter with 10 points in 2026
Alonso becomes the 35th player to reach 10 Box-Toppers points in 2026 and just the third batter joining Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers (15.7) and Sal Stewart of the Reds (13.0). However, because Ohtani earned 8.7 of his points as a pitcher, Alonso and Stewart are the season's only exclusive batters to reach 10 points.
Recent rarity of batters with 10 points
While between 16 and 28 batters per season reached double-digit Box-Toppers point totals from 1995 to 2009, hitters achieving 10 points have become an endangered species in recent seasons. In 2025, only two batters reached 10 Box-Toppers points—the fewest to hit that milestone since tracking began in 1995: Kyle Schwarber of the Phillies (12.0) and Christian Yelich of the Brewers (11.2). The last time AL batters hit the 10-point mark before Alonso was in 2024, when Aaron Judge (13.0) and Juan Soto (11.0) did it for the Yankees.
Alonso could be just third batter to win three category titles since 1995
This is Alonso’s third season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points. He also did it in 2022 (14.9) and 2023 (12.0), both with the Mets and led NL batters in both of those seasons. If his 2026 AL batting lead stands, it would be his third season category title, making him just the ninth player—and third batter—to win three or more category titles since 1995. Randy Johnson holds the record with six category titles. The two other batters with three or more titles are Albert Pujols (five) and Albert Belle (three).
This is Alonso’s second Player of the Game honor in three days. He was also AL Batter of the Day on Monday (2HR 2-4 2R 3BI) in Baltimore's 4-3 win over Toronto.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2026 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Wednesday, Sept. 23.| 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 |
Notable: Sonny Gray, Red Sox
Gray now has 14.0 Box-Toppers points in 2026, 18th among all players, after earning 1.0 as Player of the Game Wednesday (6IP 4H 0R BB 3K W in the 1-0 win over the Guardians). He ranks ninth among AL pitchers.
With Dylan Cease #BlueJays placed on the injured list Wednesday, Cam Schlittler #Yankees officially clinches 2026 Box-Toppers American League Player of the Year honors. Schlittler leads all AL players with 21.7 Box-Toppers points, edging Cease (21.4).
— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) 5:10 PM · Sep 23, 2026
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Gray also now has 138.3 career Box-Toppers points, 38th among all players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. He trails 37th-ranked player Andy Pettitte (138.5).
Gray ranks eighth among active, signed players in career points and fifth among active AL pitchers.
Also notable: Donovan Walton, Athletics
Walton wins his first Box-Toppers Player of the Game honor in more than five years Wednesday (HR 1-2 R 3BI in the 7-3 win over the Angels).
Walton won his first two Player of the Game honors within a week of each other in 2021—on May 31 and June 6—when he was with the Mariners, but had not won again until Wednesday. He won his last Player of the Game honor in his 30th career Major League game; Wednesday was his 160th career game.
Scoring
Sale earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points as Player of the Day.
Gibson earns 1.7 points as AL Player of the Day.
Baty and McMahon 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).| 9/23 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 9.2 | `ATL 3, CIN 2 (F/10) | Chris Sale | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | |
| AL | 8.2 | BAL 4, TOR 2 | Trey Gibson (W, 2‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |
| BAT | 5.0 | NYM 7, TEX 2 | Brett Baty PH‑1B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| BAT | 4.0 | NYY 9, TB 2 | Ryan McMahon 3B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| 4.0 | KC 5, CHW 4 | Maikel Garcia 3B | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 4.0 | BOS 1, CLE 0 | Sonny Gray (W, 18‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 3.2 | STL 5, PIT 1 | Matthew Liberatore (W, 6‑14) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 3.2 | MIN 4, SF 2 | Yoendrys Gómez (W, 3‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.1 | `WSH 4, DET 2 | Brad Lord | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 3.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 3.0 | ATH 7, LAA 3 | Donovan Walton 2B | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 3.0 | SD 5, LAD 1 | Bradgley Rodriguez (W, 4‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 3.0 | MIA 3, CHC 2 | Cade Gibson (W, 6‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | MIL 4, PHI 1 | Trevor Megill (S, 30) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.0 | SEA 6, HOU 5 (F/10) | Julio Rodríguez CF | 4 | 0 | 3 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 1.0 | ARI 5, COL 3 | Gabriel Moreno C | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 1.0 | BAL 4, TOR 2 | Pete Alonso 1B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ |
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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | atl nl | 15.4 | 26.8 | 56.6 | 199.2 | +4.0 |
| Gray, Sonny 3259 | pi sp | bos al | 14.0 | 28.0 | 69.3 | 138.3 | 0.0 |
| Alonso, Pete 4118 | 1b | bal al | 10.7 | 17.9 | 52.8 | 61.3 | +3.5 |
| Liberatore, Matthew 4662 | pi sp | stl nl | 8.7 | 14.7 | 21.7 | 21.7 | +2.7 |
| Gómez, Yoendrys 5249 | pi cp mr | min al | 5.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | +3.0 |
| Megill, Trevor 4531 | pi cp | mil nl | 4.0 | 7.0 | 14.0 | 14.0 | +1.0 |
| Moreno, Gabriel 4781 | ca | ari nl | 4.0 | 5.5 | 9.5 | 9.5 | +2.5 |
| Lord, Brad 5234 | pi mr | dc nl | 3.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 0.0 |
| McMahon, Ryan 4004 | 3b | nyy al | 2.5 | 5.5 | 20.4 | 31.1 | -0.5 |
| Baty, Brett 4937 | lf 2b 3b 1b ph | nym nl | 2.5 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 0.0 |
| Rodriguez, Bradgley 5432 | pi mr | sd nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| Gibson, Trey 5483 | pi sp | bal al | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | +1.7 |
| Rodriguez, Julio 4590 | cf | sea al | 1.0 | 6.5 | 24.5 | 24.5 | -4.5 |
| Garcia, Maikel 5135 | 3b | kc al | 1.0 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | -2.5 |
| Gibson, Cade 5209 | pi mr | fla nl | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | -1.0 |
| Walton, Donovan 4426 | 2b lf | oak al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 3.5 | 3.5 | +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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STL | Leahy, Kyle 5001 | 5.0 | 8.0 | 9.7 | 9.7 |
| PIT | Skenes, Paul 5005 | 13.7 | 34.8 | 47.8 | 47.8 |
| CHW | Sandlin, David 5368 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| KC | Dobnak, Randy 4263 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 6.0 |
| MIA | Phillips, Tyler 5064 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 |
| CHC | Boyd, Matthew 3550 | 4.0 | 14.7 | 19.7 | 46.5 |
| NYM | Thornton, Zac 5414 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| TEX | Rocker, Kumar 5108 | 6.7 | 11.4 | 12.4 | 12.4 |
| ARI | Rodriguez, Eduardo 3480 | 9.0 | 13.7 | 37.7 | 81.9 |
| COL | Gordon, Tanner 5230 | 0.0 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
| MIL | Wilson, Bryse 4048 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 9.7 | 11.7 |
| PHI | Mayza, Tim 4055 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 |
| CLE | Espino, Daniel* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| BOS | Suarez, Ranger 4228 | 9.7 | 25.5 | 53.6 | 54.6 |
| TB | Seymour, Ian 5265 | 8.7 | 12.4 | 12.4 | 12.4 |
| NYY | Schlittler, Cam 5261 | 21.7 | 29.1 | 29.1 | 29.1 |
| CIN | Singer, Brady 4337 | 1.0 | 11.0 | 40.7 | 44.7 |
| ATL | Mahle, Tyler 3929 | 9.1 | 14.8 | 35.2 | 47.2 |
| LAA | Rodriguez, Grayson 4790 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| SEA | Woo, Bryan 4842 | 17.4 | 35.4 | 55.8 | 55.8 |
| HOU | Lambert, Peter 4155 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 11.7 | 13.7 |
| ATH | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| SD | Pivetta, Nick 3825 | 3.7 | 21.4 | 52.8 | 75.5 |
| LAD | Glasnow, Tyler 3948 | 8.4 | 13.4 | 50.2 | 73.9 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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