Four of the eight starting pitchers in Tuesday’s opening Wild Card round games earned more than 10 Box-Toppers points in 2026, and two are among the season’s top three players.
Team rankings
Here are final Box-Toppers 2026 team rankings through games of Sunday, Sept. 27. The column BTP shows the number of Box-Toppers points players on the team have accumulated this season. The column BTP/wk shows the number of points teams have accumulated since Sept. 17. The column Wk ago shows the team's rank as of Sept 17.
| Teams | BTP | BTP/wk | Wk%ago | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dodgers | 142.7 | 9.2 | 1 |
| 2 | Brewers | 136.3 | 8.0 | 2 |
| 3 | Yankees | 120.1 | 6.2 | 4 |
| 4 | Phillies | 117.4 | 3.0 | 3 |
| 5 | Rays | 115.0 | 5.0 | 5 |
| 6 | Braves | 113.7 | 6.0 | 6 |
| 7 | Guardians | 112.1 | 8.4 | 8 |
| 8 | Cubs | 111.2 | 5.5 | 7 |
| 9 | Mariners | 105.2 | 6.0 | 10 |
| 10 | Red Sox | 105.1 | 3.5 | 9 |
| 11 | Padres | 104.5 | 6.5 | 12 |
| 12 | Pirates | 103.9 | 8.2 | 13 |
| 13 | Blue Jays | 101.4 | 3.0 | 11 |
| 14 | White Sox | 100.9 | 6.5 | 14 |
| 15 | Twins | 99.1 | 7.5 | 15 |
| 16 | Rangers | 95.4 | 4.0 | 16 |
| 17 | Diamondbacks | 93.1 | 6.0 | 17 |
| 18 | Marlins | 88.0 | 5.0 | 18 |
| 19 | Astros | 84.2 | 4.4 | 20 |
| 20 | Reds | 84.2 | 4.0 | 19 |
| 21 | Orioles | 83.2 | 5.2 | 21 |
| 22 | Cardinals | 79.4 | 2.0 | 22 |
| 23 | Tigers | 79.3 | 5.0 | 24 |
| 24 | Nationals | 79.1 | 7.5 | 25 |
| 25 | Royals | 77.4 | 2.5 | 23 |
| 26 | Mets | 73.4 | 6.5 | 27 |
| 27 | Athletics | 70.7 | 3.0 | 26 |
| 28 | Angels | 63.3 | 3.7 | 28 |
| 29 | Giants | 61.1 | 2.7 | 30 |
| 30 | Rockies | 61.1 | 2.5 | 29 |
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Phillies pitcher Jesús Luzardo—whose 23.0 Box-Toppers points rank second overall and second among National League pitchers—leads the way as he takes the mound for Game 1 against the Braves. Meanwhile, Box-Toppers’ top American League pitcher, Cam Schlittler of the Yankees (21.7 points, third overall), starts Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series against the Red Sox.
A Box-Toppers look at Tuesday’s pitching matchups
The Wild Card round begins Tuesday with four best-of-three series. All games take place at the higher seed's home ballpark, with winners advancing to the Division Series starting Saturday. Game 1 is Tuesday, Game 2 is Wednesday, and Game 3 (if necessary) is Thursday.
Here is a Box-Toppers breakdown of all eight teams competing in the Wild Card round:
National League Wild Card Series: Phillies at Braves
The Atlanta Braves host the Philadelphia Phillies, with the winner advancing to face the second-seeded Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Division Series.
Braves (NL Seed 3, NL East Champion): Rank 6th in Box-Toppers team rankings with 113.7 points (+6.0 in the final 10 days).
Phillies (NL Seed 6, Wild Card 3): Rank 4th in Box-Toppers team rankings with 117.4 points (+3.0 in the final 10 days). Although Atlanta won the NL East by six games, Philadelphia ranks higher in Box-Toppers points by 3.7 total points.
Game 1 Starters:
Phillies: Jesús Luzardo — 23.0 Box-Toppers points (2nd overall, 2nd among NL pitchers).
Braves: Chris Sale — 15.4 Box-Toppers points (10th among NL pitchers).
Key Phillies players:
Starting pitchers: Three Phillies starters are among Box-Toppers' overall top 10: Luzardo (23.0, 2nd among NL pitchers), Zack Wheeler (18.7, 5th overall, 3rd among NL pitchers), and Cristopher Sánchez (18.7, 6th overall, 4th among NL pitchers).
Top batter: Kyle Schwarber (6.7 points, 17th among NL batters).
Key Braves players:
Starting pitchers: Tyler Mahle (9.1 points, 22nd among NL pitchers) and Martín Pérez (8.4 points, 30th among NL pitchers).
Top batter: Michael Harris II (9.5 points, 4th among NL batters).
American League Wild Card Series: White Sox at Astros
The Houston Astros host the Chicago White Sox with the winner advancing to face the second-seeded Cleveland Guardians in the AL Division Series.
Astros (AL Seed 3, AL West Champion): Rank 19th in Box-Toppers team rankings with 84.2 points (+4.4 in the final 10 days). At 81-81, Houston is Box-Toppers' lowest-ranked playoff team—ranking behind seven non-playoff teams.
White Sox (AL Seed 6, Wild Card 3): Rank 14th in Box-Toppers team rankings with 100.9 points (+6.5 in the final 10 days).
Game 1 Starters:
White Sox: Hagen Smith — 2.0 Box-Toppers points (136th among AL pitchers). Smith (18 relief appearances, max 3.0 IP) will open a bullpen game while Chicago's top starters wait on normal rest.
Astros: AJ Blubaugh — 4.0 Box-Toppers points (83rd among AL pitchers). Blubaugh (64 relief appearances, 0 starts) will open a bullpen game as Houston's starters rest.
Key White Sox Players:
Top batters: Miguel Vargas (7.5 points, 4th among AL batters) and Munetaka Murakami (7.0 points, 9th among AL batters).
Starting pitchers: Sean Burke (13.1 points, 10th among AL pitchers) and Davis Martin (10.7 points, 17th among AL pitchers).
Key Astros Players:
Top overall player: Designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (7.5 points, 3rd among AL batters). Houston is one of only seven MLB teams led by a batter in 2026.
Top pitchers: Peter Lambert (6.7 points, 44th among AL pitchers) and Tatsuya Imai (6.7 points, 45th among AL pitchers).
American League Wild Card Series: Red Sox at Yankees
The New York Yankees host the Boston Red Sox, with the winner advancing to face the top-seeded Tampa Bay Rays in the AL Division Series.
Yankees (AL Seed 4, Wild Card 1): Rank 3rd overall and 1st among AL teams in Box-Toppers team rankings with 120.1 points (+6.2 in the final 10 days).
Red Sox (AL Seed 5, Wild Card 2): Rank 10th overall in Box-Toppers team rankings with 105.1 points (+3.5 in the final 10 days).
Game 1 Starters:
Red Sox: Payton Tolle — 11.7 Box-Toppers points (15th among AL pitchers).
Yankees: Cam Schlittler — 21.7 Box-Toppers points (3rd overall, 1st among AL pitchers).
Key Red Sox Players:
Starting pitchers: Sonny Gray (14.0 points, 9th among AL pitchers) and Ranger Suárez (9.7 points, 19th among AL pitchers).
Top batter: Willson Contreras (7.0 points, 6th among AL batters).
Key Yankees Players:
Starting pitchers: Max Fried (12.0 points, 11th among AL pitchers), Will Warren (9.4 points, 22nd among AL pitchers), and Ryan Weathers (8.7 points, 29th among AL pitchers).
Top batter: Jazz Chisholm Jr. (6.5 points, 11th among AL batters).
National League Wild Card Series: Cubs at Padres
The San Diego Padres host the Chicago Cubs, with the winner advancing to face the top-seeded Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Division Series.
Padres (NL Seed 4, Wild Card 1): Rank 11th in Box-Toppers team rankings with 104.5 points (+6.5 in the final 10 days).
Cubs (NL Seed 5, Wild Card 2): Rank 8th in Box-Toppers team rankings with 111.2 points (+5.5 in the final 10 days).
Game 1 Starters:
Cubs: Matthew Boyd — 4.0 Box-Toppers points (67th among NL pitchers).
Padres: Michael King — 7.0 Box-Toppers points (35th among NL pitchers).
Key Cubs Players:
Top overall player: Dansby Swanson (9.2 points, 6th among NL batters), one of seven batters to lead his team in points in 2026.
NL MVP favorite: Pete Crow-Armstrong (8.5 points, 10th among NL batters).
Starting pitchers: Shota Imanaga (9.0 points, 24th among NL pitchers) and Kevin Gausman (8.0 points, 31st among NL pitchers).
Key Padres Players:
Top overall player: Closer Mason Miller (16.0 points, 7th among NL pitchers). Miller's 16.0 points rank as the 4th-most single-season points by a relief pitcher in Box-Toppers tracking history (since 1995).
Top batter: Ty France (9.5 points, 5th among NL batters).
Top starting pitcher: Randy Vásquez (9.4 points, 20th among NL pitchers).
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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A Box-Toppers look at Tuesday’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 | Luzardo, Jesus 4282 | 23.0 | 40.4 | 71.6 | 76.3 |
| ATL | Sale, Chris 2806 | 15.4 | 26.8 | 56.6 | 199.2 |
| CHW | Smith, Hagen 5466 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| HOU | Blubaugh, AJ 5243 | 4.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| BOS | Tolle, Payton 5348 | 11.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 |
| NYY | Schlittler, Cam 5261 | 21.7 | 29.1 | 29.1 | 29.1 |
| CHC | Boyd, Matthew 3550 | 4.0 | 14.7 | 19.7 | 46.5 |
| SD | King, Michael 4549 | 7.0 | 11.4 | 38.8 | 38.8 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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