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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
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Mariners pitcher George Kirby is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Tuesday, Pete Alonso of the Orioles rises to first place among American League batters, passing previous leader Yordan Alvarez of the Astros, after earning AL Batter of the Day honors.
Other Player of the Game winners Tuesday include Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes and Ryan Waldschmidt of the Diamondbacks.
Player of the Day: George Kirby, Mariners
Kirby struck out nine over 7.2 innings, allowing one run, six hits and one walk, in the 4-1 win over the Phillies.
Kirby earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 7.0 for the season, 65th among all players and 30th among American League pitchers.
NL Player of the Day: Paul Skenes, Pirates
Skenes struck out four over six scoreless innings, allowing three hits and no walks, in the 1-0 win over the Padres. Skenes did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the game was in a scoreless tie when he exited.
He earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points as National League Player of the Day, giving him 12.7 for the season, 17th among all players and ninth among NL pitchers.
2026 Box-Toppers points—AL batters 1—Pete Alonso #Orioles 8.2* 2—Yordan Alvarez #Astros 7.5 3—Yandy Díaz #Rays 7.5 4—Willson Contreras #RedSox 7.0 5—Nick Kurtz #Athletics 7.0 6—Kody Clemens #Twins 7.0 *Earns 1.5 B-T points as Tuesday AL Batter of the Day www.box-toppers.com/blog/2026/8/...
— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) 7:53 AM · Aug 26, 2026
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2026 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Tuesday, Aug. 25.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacob Misiorowski | pi sp | Brewers | 21.4 |
| 2 | Dylan Cease | pi sp | Blue Jays | 18.4 |
| 3 | Jesús Luzardo | pi sp | Phillies | 18.0 |
| 4 | Braxton Ashcraft | pi sp | Pirates | 16.4 |
| 5 | Cristopher Sánchez | pi sp | Phillies | 15.7 |
| 6 | Cam Schlittler | pi sp | Yankees | 15.7 |
| 7 | Shohei Ohtani | pi sp dh | Dodgers | 15.7 |
| 8 | Gavin Williams | pi sp | Guardians | 13.7 |
| 9 | Kyle Harrison | pi sp | Brewers | 13.7 |
| 10 | Bryan Woo | pi sp | Mariners | 13.4 |
AL Batter of the Day: Pete Alonso, Orioles
Alonso hit a three-run homer, doubled and went 4-for-4, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 13-1 win over the Cardinals.
Alonso earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points as AL Batter of the Day, giving him 8.2 for the season, rising to first place among AL batters, passing previous leader Yordan Alvarez of the Astros (7.5 points). Alonso ranks 43rd among all players.
NL Batter of the Day: Ryan Waldschmidt, Diamondbacks
Waldschmidt hit a walk-off, pinch-hit, two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning in the 5-4 win over the Cubs. Waldschmidt went 1-for-1, scoring once and driving in two runs.
Debut
Tuesday’s Sidelights Sidebar
Box-Toppers review of the day's top pitchers, overlooked top performers & lowest B-T game scores:
⬛ Holmes posts Tuesday’s best game score but D-backs come back to beat Cubs in walk-off
Three 2026 rookie relief pitchers made their Box-Toppers debut Tuesday, each earning their first career Player of the Game honor:
Nate Lavender of the Mets (2IP 0H 0R 0BB K ND in the 3-2, 10-inning win over the Brewers) made his Major League debut Aug. 4 and was playing in his ninth career game.
Drew Sommers of the Tigers (1.2IP 0H 0R 0BB K W in the 4-1 win over the Rays) made his Major League debut Aug. 22, 2025, and was playing in his 36th career game.
Mark Manfredi of the Rockies (1IP H 0R 0BB 2K W in the 3-1 win over the Nationals) made his Major League debut Aug. 19 and was playing in his fourth career game.
Scoring
Kirby earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points as Player of the Day.
Skenes earns 1.7 points as NL Player of the Day.
Alonso and Waldschmidt 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.
Help us stay accurate! Spot a mistake? Contact Box-Toppers here so we can fix it.
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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).| 8/25 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 7.2 | SEA 4, PHI 1 | George Kirby (W, 9‑10) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | |
| NL | 7.0 | `PIT 1, SD 0 | Paul Skenes | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 6.1 | ATH 4, MIN 2 | Gage Jump (W, 6‑8) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | ||
| BAT | 6.0 | BAL 13, STL 1 | Pete Alonso 1B | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| 5.0 | HOU 9, NYY 7 | Yainer Diaz C | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 5.0 | CHW 11, TEX 7 | Tristan Peters LF | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 4.0 | CLE 8, LAA 6 (F/10) | Steven Kwan DH‑CF | 5 | 3 | 5 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 4.0 | BOS 7, MIA 3 (F/11) | Mickey Gasper DH | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 3.1 | SF 3, CIN 1 | Anthony Molina (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 4.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | ARI 5, CHC 4 | Ryan Waldschmidt PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| 3.0 | `NYM 3, MIL 2 (F/10) | Nate Lavender (H, 6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2.2 | DET 4, TB 1 | Drew Sommers (W, 1‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2.0 | COL 3, WSH 1 | Mark Manfredi (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1.0 | ATL 4, LAD 3 | Ozzie Albies 2B | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 1.0 | KC 5, TOR 3 | Seth Lugo (W, 6‑7) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 6 | 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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skenes, Paul 5005 | pi sp | pit nl | 12.7 | 33.8 | 46.8 | 46.8 | -8.4 |
| Alonso, Pete 4118 | 1b | bal al | 8.2 | 15.4 | 50.3 | 58.8 | +1.0 |
| Kirby, George 4595 | pi sp | sea al | 7.0 | 18.0 | 58.5 | 58.5 | -4.0 |
| Jump, Gage 5372 | pi sp | oak al | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | +6.0 |
| Albies, Ozzie 3953 | 2b | atl nl | 5.5 | 8.5 | 22.0 | 31.5 | +2.5 |
| Diaz, Yainer 4871 | ca | hou al | 3.5 | 6.7 | 10.2 | 10.2 | +0.3 |
| Gasper, Mickey 5267 | dh | bos al | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | +2.0 |
| Waldschmidt, Ryan 5361 | cf ph | ari nl | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | +2.5 |
| Lugo, Seth 3729 | pi sp | kc al | 2.0 | 7.0 | 29.5 | 45.5 | -3.0 |
| Peters, Tristan 5433 | cf lf | chi al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| Kwan, Steven 4573 | dh cf | cle al | 1.0 | 4.5 | 15.7 | 15.7 | -2.5 |
| Molina, Anthony 5112 | pi mr | sf nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +1.0 |
| Lavender, Nate 5448 | pi mr | nym nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
| Manfredi, Mark 5450 | pi mr | col nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
| Sommers, Drew 5449 | pi mr | det 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TB | Peralta, Freddy 3965 | 0.0 | 14.7 | 65.9 | 84.6 |
| DET | Melton, Troy 5231 | 7.0 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 |
| CHC | Boyd, Matthew 3550 | 3.0 | 13.7 | 18.7 | 45.5 |
| ARI | Rodriguez, Eduardo 3480 | 7.0 | 11.7 | 35.7 | 79.9 |
| CIN | Lodolo, Nick 4586 | 1.0 | 10.7 | 26.7 | 26.7 |
| SF | Roupp, Landen 5079 | 5.0 | 9.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 |
| CLE | Cantillo, Joey 5106 | 9.7 | 15.4 | 18.4 | 18.4 |
| LAA | Rodriguez, Grayson 4790 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| PHI | Luzardo, Jesus 4282 | 18.0 | 35.4 | 66.6 | 71.3 |
| SEA | Woo, Bryan 4842 | 13.4 | 31.4 | 51.8 | 51.8 |
| PIT | Chandler, Bubba 5269 | 3.0 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 |
| SD | Vasquez, Randy 4841 | 7.4 | 12.8 | 15.8 | 15.8 |
| BOS | Gray, Sonny 3259 | 12.0 | 26.0 | 67.3 | 136.3 |
| MIA | Gusto, Ryan 5156 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| COL | Gordon, Tanner 5230 | 0.0 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
| WSH | Waldron, Matt 4946 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 |
| HOU | Lambert, Peter 4155 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 11.7 | 13.7 |
| NYY | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| KC | Dobnak, Randy 4263 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 6.0 |
| TOR | Miles, Spencer 5357 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| MIL | May, Dustin 4214 | 6.7 | 12.4 | 20.1 | 24.1 |
| NYM | Stock, Robert 5437 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| LAD | Sasaki, Roki 5358 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 |
| ATL | Smith-Shawver, AJ 4951 | 0.0 | 4.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 |
| TEX | Gore, MacKenzie 4582 | 10.0 | 18.7 | 38.4 | 38.4 |
| CHW | Burke, Sean 5124 | 11.1 | 14.8 | 15.8 | 15.8 |
| BAL | Bradish, Kyle 4597 | 7.1 | 8.1 | 33.1 | 33.1 |
| STL | McGreevy, Michael 5113 | 5.0 | 9.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 |
| MIN | Prielipp, Connor 5397 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| ATH | Ginn, J.T. 5142 | 4.0 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 |
* 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.