Blog
Rays pitcher Tyler Glasnow is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to sixth place in season player rankings.
Glasnow struck out 11 over six scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk, in the 9-1 win over the White Sox.
Read MoreWhite Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day as teams now take an All-Star break from the regular season before returning Friday.
Giolito struck out six over 6 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and three walks, in the 10-1 win over the Royals.
Read MoreMariners pitcher James Paxton is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, pitching a no-hitter.
Also Tuesday, Yankees pitcher Luis Severino maintained his spot atop Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors, becoming the first player this season to reach 10.0 Box-Toppers points.
Read More
The Los Angeles Dodgers top Box-Toppers team rankings for the sixth straight week and are the week’s hottest team.
Meanwhile, the Houston Astros maintain their lead in Box-Toppers rankings among American League teams for the 11th straight week.
Read More
Rockies pitcher Jon Gray is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day with the third-highest Box-Toppers game score of the season.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 23.7 |
| 2 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 21.0 |
| 3 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 20.4 |
| 4 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 20.2 |
| 5 | Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 20.1 |
| 6 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 16.8 |
| 7 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym al | 15.7 |
| 8 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 15.4 |
| 9 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 15.1 |
| 10 | Hill, Rich 2215 | pi sp | lad nl | 14.4 |
Gray pitched a complete-game, four-hit shutout, walking none and striking out 16, in the 8-0 win over the Padres.
Gray had a Box-Toppers game score Saturday of +21.0, the third-highest of the season and only the sixth time this season a player has had a game score of +20 or more. Two pitchers had scores of +22.0 this season—Vince Velasquez of the Phillies did it April 14 and Danny Duffy of the Royals did it Aug. 1. (See the chart at the bottom of the page for the top 11 Box-Toppers game scores earned in 2016.)
American League Player of the Day—Angels pitcher Ricky Nolasco pitched six scoreless innings, striking out seven and allowing five hits and two walks, in the 6-1 win over the Blue Jays.
National League Batter of the Day—Ryan Braun of the Brewers hit two home runs and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in five runs, in the 11-3 win over the Cubs.
Braun earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 10.5 for the season. He rises to second place among NL batters, behind Kris Bryant of the Cubs (10.5 Box-Toppers points). Though Bryant and Braun both have 10.5 points, Bryant ranks ahead because he had more points in 2015—8.5 vs. 5.0.
Bryant is the 42nd player this season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points. This is Braun’s sixth season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points, his first since 2012 when he had 12.5, prior to his 2013 suspension under baseball’s performance enhancing drug policy. Braun now ranks 35th among all players in Box-Toppers points in 2016.
American League Batter of the Day—Marcus Semien of the Athletics hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 11-2 win over the Rangers.
Notable—Phillies pitcher Jeremy Hellickson has the most 2016 Box-Toppers points of any of the 16 who earned Player of the Game honors Saturday.
Hellickson (CG 3H 0R 0BB 5K W in the 8-0 win over the Marlins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 13.1 for the season. He ranks 17th among all players and 12th among NL pitchers.
Scoring—Gray earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Nolasco earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Braun and Semien each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Saturday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Box-Toppers strives for accuracy. See a mistake in a post? A wrong name, wrong team, grammar error, spelling goof, etc.? Thanks for pointing it out! Contact Box-Toppers here. Let's fix it and make it right.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 9/17 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 21.0 | COL 8, SD 0 | Jon Gray (W,10-8) | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | |
| 11.0 | PHI 8, MIA 0 | Jeremy Hellickson (W,12-9) | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | ||
| AL | 6.0 | LAA 6, TOR 1 | Ricky Nolasco (W,6-14) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |
| 6.0 | HOU 2, SEA 1 | Mike Fiers (W,11-7) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 5.1 | BOS 6, NYY 5 | Craig Kimbrel (S,27) | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | MIL 11, CHC 3 | Ryan Braun, LF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4.0 | CLE 1, DET 0 (10) | Andrew Miller (W,8-1) | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 4.0 | PIT 7, CIN 3 | Juan Nicasio (W,10-6) | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 4.0 | PIT 10, CIN 4 | Wade LeBlanc (S,2) | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 4.0 | KC 3, CHW 2 | Wade Davis (S,25) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | OAK 11, TEX 2 | Marcus Semien, SS | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | `NYM 3, MIN 2 (12) | Josh Smoker | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 2.0 | ATL 7, WSH 3 | Ender Inciarte, CF | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | TB 5, BAL 2 | Evan Longoria, 3B | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | LAD 6, ARI 2 | Joc Pederson, CF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | STL 3, SF 2 | Kolten Wong, 2B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||
| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Hellickson, Jeremy 2778 | pi sp | phi nl | 13.1 | 18.1 | 41.8 | 44.8 | 8.1 |
| Braun, Ryan J. 2300 | lf | mil nl | 10.5 | 15.5 | 46.5 | 88.2 | 5.5 |
| Nolasco, Ricky 2125 | pi sp | ana al | 9.4 | 11.4 | 32.1 | 85.2 | 7.4 |
| Nicasio, Juan 2888 | pi mr sp | pit nl | 9.0 | 10.0 | 25.4 | 25.4 | 8.0 |
| Kimbrel, Craig 2825 | pi cp | bos al | 7.0 | 13.0 | 56.7 | 57.7 | 1.0 |
| Gray, Jon 3634 | pi sp | col nl | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| Longoria, Evan 2423 | 3b | tb al | 6.5 | 9.5 | 26.0 | 47.0 | 3.5 |
| Semien, Marcus 3302 | ss | oak al | 6.0 | 6.0 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 6.0 |
| Fiers, Michael 3029 | pi sp | hou al | 5.0 | 12.0 | 26.1 | 26.1 | -2.0 |
| Miller, Andrew 2436 | pi cp | cle al | 5.0 | 9.0 | 13.0 | 20.0 | 1.0 |
| Davis, Wade 2681 | pi cp | kc al | 4.0 | 8.0 | 23.0 | 26.0 | 0.0 |
| Pederson, Joc 3621 | cf | lad nl | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| LeBlanc, Wade 2669 | pi sp cp | pit nl | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 10.0 | 3.0 |
| Inciarte, Ender 3360 | cf | atl nl | 2.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | -1.0 |
| Smoker, Josh 3725 | pi cp mr | nym nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Wong, Kolten 3377 | 2b | stl nl | 1.0 | 5.0 | 10.5 | 10.5 | -3.0 |
| Date | Bonus | BTG | Team | Players | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| 1 | 4/14 | MLB | 22.0 | PHI 3, SD 0 | Vince Velasquez (W,2-0) | 9.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| 2 | 8/1 | MLB | 22.0 | KC 3, TB 0 | Danny Duffy (W,7-1) | 8.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16 |
| 3 | 9/17 | MLB | 21.0 | COL 8, SD 0 | Jon Gray (W,10-8) | 9.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| 4 | 7/10 | MLB | 21.0 | SF 4, ARI 0 | Madison Bumgarner (W,10-4) | 9.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14 |
| 5 | 5/1 | MLB | 20.0 | LAD 1, SD 0 | Clayton Kershaw (W,3-1) | 9.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| 6 | 4/14 | 20.0 | STL 7, MIL 0 | Jaime Garcia (W,1-0) | 9.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 | |
| 7 | 5/11 | MLB | 19.0 | WSH 3, DET 2 | Max Scherzer (W,4-2) | 9.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 20 |
| 8 | 5/12 | MLB | 18.0 | LAD 5, NYM 0 | Clayton Kershaw (W,5-1) | 9.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 |
| 9 | 9/13 | MLB | 17.0 | SEA 8, LAA 0 | Taijuan Walker (W,6-10) | 9.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| 10 | 4/23 | MLB | 17.0 | WSH 2, MIN 0 | Tanner Roark (W,2-2) | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 15 |
| 11 | 6/5 | MLB | 17.0 | MIA 1, NYM 0 | Jose Fernandez (W,9-2) | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
Red Sox pitcher David Price is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Price struck out nine over eight innings, allowing two runs, two hits and no walks, in the 12-2 win over the Orioles.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 23.7 |
| 2 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 20.4 |
| 3 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 20.2 |
| 4 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 20.0 |
| 5 | Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 18.1 |
| 6 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 16.8 |
| 7 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 15.1 |
| 8 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 14.4 |
| 9 | Hill, Rich 2215 | pi sp | lad nl | 14.4 |
| 10 | Tanaka, Masahiro 3305 | pi sp | nyy al | 14.1 |
Price earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Game, giving him 12.4 for the season. He ranks 20th among all players and sixth among American League pitchers.
Price also now has 106.2 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 59th among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Monday, he passes five players on the “all-time” list—Carlos Beltran of the Rangers (104.9), Dodgers pitcher Scott Kazmir (105.1), Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner (105.7), Aramis Ramirez (105.8) and Frank Thomas (106.2). He now trails 58th-ranked player Lance Berkman (108.1).
National League Player of the Day—Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks allowed one hit and one run over eight innings, striking out seven and walking two, in the 4-1 win over the Cardinals.
Hendricks earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 13.4 for the season, most among the 15 who earned Player of the Game honors Monday. Hendricks ranks 15th among all players and 11th among NL pitchers.
National League Batter of the Day—Yasmany Tomas of the Diamondbacks hit a grand slam and doubled, going 4-for-5, scoring three times and driving in five runs, in the 12-9 win over the Rockies.
American League Batter of the Day—Avisail Garcia of the White Sox homered and went 4-for-5, scoring three times and driving in one run, in the 11-4 win over the Indians.
Notable—Phillies pitcher Jeremy Hellickson now has 12.1 Box-Toppers points on the season after earning Player of the Game honors Monday.
Hellickson (6.1IP 3H R 3BB 6K in the 6-2 win over the Pirates) now ranks 23rd among all players and 13th among NL pitchers.
Also notable—Blue Jays pitcher Francisco Liriano now has 102.2 career Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Monday.
Liriano (6.1IP 3H 2R BB 6K ND in the 3-2 win over the Rays) now ranks 67th among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He passes two players on the “all-time” list—Tim Wakefield (101.4) and Ken Griffey Jr. (102.2) and now trails 66th-ranked player Miguel Tejada (102.3). Liriano has 7.0 Box-Toppers points on the season, 30th among AL pitchers.
Debut—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Monday, the first time in their careers they earned Player of the Game honors:
Scoring—Price earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Hendricks earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Tomas and Garcia each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Monday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Box-Toppers strives for accuracy. See a mistake in a post? A wrong name, wrong team, grammar error, spelling goof, etc.? Thanks for pointing it out! Contact Box-Toppers here. Let's fix it and make it right.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 9/12 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 11.0 | BOS 12, BAL 2 | David Price (W,16-8) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 | |
| NL | 10.0 | CHC 4, STL 1 | Kyle Hendricks (W,15-7) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | |
| BAT | 7.0 | ARI 12, COL 9 | Yasmany Tomas, RF | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 7.0 | OAK 16, KC 3 | Daniel Coulombe (W,3-1) | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 6.1 | `DET 4, MIN 2 | Daniel Norris | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 11 | ||
| 5.2 | `CIN 3, MIL 0 | Keyvius Sampson | - | - | - | - | 4.2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | ||
| 5.1 | PHI 6, PIT 2 | Jeremy Hellickson (W,11-9) | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 5.0 | SEA 8, LAA 1 | Ariel Miranda (W,4-1) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 4.1 | `TOR 3, TB 2 | Francisco Liriano | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 4.0 | ATL 12, MIA 7 | Nick Markakis, RF | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | CHW 11, CLE 4 | Avisail Garcia, RF | 5 | 3 | 4 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | TEX 4, HOU 3 (12) | Rougned Odor, 2B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | SD 4, SF 0 | Paul Clemens (W,3-5) | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1.0 | WSH 8, NYM 1 | Anthony Rendon, 3B | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | LAD 8, NYY 2 | Howie Kendrick, 1B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||
| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Hendricks, Kyle 3386 | pi sp | chi nl | 13.4 | 23.1 | 28.1 | 28.1 | 3.7 |
| Price, David 2593 | pi sp | bos al | 12.4 | 33.5 | 89.5 | 106.2 | -8.7 |
| Hellickson, Jeremy 2778 | pi sp | phi nl | 12.1 | 17.1 | 40.8 | 43.8 | 7.1 |
| Tomas, Yasmany 3489 | rf lf | ari nl | 7.7 | 11.2 | 11.2 | 11.2 | 4.2 |
| Liriano, Francisco 2104 | pi sp | tor al | 7.0 | 21.9 | 62.4 | 102.2 | -7.9 |
| Odor, Rougned 3336 | 2b | tex al | 6.5 | 9.5 | 11.0 | 11.0 | 3.5 |
| Rendon, Anthony 3258 | 3b | dc nl | 5.5 | 6.5 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 4.5 |
| Markakis, Nick 2116 | rf | atl nl | 5.0 | 9.5 | 20.5 | 47.1 | 0.5 |
| Kendrick, Howie 2191 | 2b lf 1b | lad nl | 4.0 | 8.0 | 20.0 | 34.0 | 0.0 |
| Garcia, Avisail 3256 | dh rf | chi al | 2.5 | 5.5 | 11.0 | 11.0 | -0.5 |
| Coulombe, Daniel 3720 | pi mr | oak al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Norris, Daniel 3548 | pi sp | det al | 1.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | -3.0 |
| Clemens, Paul 3185 | pi sp | sd nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 |
| Miranda, Ariel 3738 | pi sp | sea al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Sampson, Keyvius 3737 | pi sp | cin nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Padres pitcher Edwin Jackson is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 20.0 |
| 2 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 18.7 |
| 3 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 16.4 |
| 4 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 16.2 |
| 5 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 14.4 |
| 6 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 14.1 |
| 7 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 14.1 |
| 8 | Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 13.4 |
| 9 | Happ, J.A. 2536 | pi sp | tor al | 12.7 |
| 10 | Lackey, John 1640 | pi sp | chi nl | 12.4 |
Also Wednesday, Blue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ rises to ninth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings and Matt Carpenter of the Cardinals extends his Box-Toppers points lead among National League batters after both earned Player of the Game honors.
Plus, Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez passes Roger Clemens on the career Box-Toppers points list, rising to 11th place.
Player of the Day—Jackson pitched seven scoreless innings,allowing two hit and three walks and striking out seven, in the 4-0 win over the Pirates.
American League Player of the Day—Blue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ pitched six scoreless innings, striking out seven and allowing four hits and two walks, in the 7-0 win over the Rays.
Happ earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 12.7 for the season, rising to ninth in season player rankings, third among AL pitchers.
National League Batter of the Day—Jayson Werth of the Nationals hit a three-run homer and doubled, going 2-for-3, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 7-4 win over the Indians.
American League Batter of the Day—Gary Sanchez of the Yankees homered and went 4-for-5, scoring twice, in the 9-4 win over the Red Sox.
This was Sanchez’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Sanchez made his Major League debut Oct. 3, 2015, and was playing in his ninth career game. He is the 3,701st player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Rankings—Matt Carpenter of the Cardinals extended his season Box-Toppers points lead among NL batters after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.
Carpenter (HR 3B 2-3 2R BI in the 3-2 win over the Reds) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 8.5 for the season. He ranks 34th among all players. This was his first Player of the Game honor and first Box-Toppers point since June 28, when he took the lead among NL batters.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Randy Johnson | pi sp | retired | 278.8 |
| 2 | Pedro Martinez | pi sp | retired | 244.8 |
| 3 | Curt Schilling | pi sp | retired | 194.1 |
| 4 | Alex Rodriguez | dh | nyy al | 187.0 |
| 5 | CC Sabathia | pi sp | nyy al | 182.0 |
| 6 | Albert Pujols | 1b dh | ana al | 181.3 |
| 7 | Clayton Kershaw | pi sp | lad nl | 179.3 |
| 8 | Roy Halladay | pi sp | retired | 170.7 |
| 9 | Manny Ramirez | lf dh | retired | 167.2 |
| 10 | Johan Santana | pi sp | free agent | 166.6 |
| 11 | Felix Hernandez | pi sp | sea al | 165.7 |
| 12 | Roger Clemens | pi sp | retired | 164.8 |
| 13 | John Smoltz | pi sp | retired | 160.9 |
| 14 | Tim Hudson | pi sp | retired | 157.0 |
| 15 | Zack Greinke | pi sp | ari nl | 156.1 |
| 16 | Mike Mussina | pi sp | retired | 155.6 |
| 17 | Barry Bonds | lf | retired | 153.2 |
| 18 | Greg Maddux | pi sp | retired | 151.7 |
| 19 | Chipper Jones | 3b | retired | 149.0 |
| 20 | Javier Vazquez | pi sp | retired | 148.3 |
Notable—Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez passes Roger Clemens in Box-Toppers “all-time” rankings, rising to 11th place, after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.
Hernandez (7IP 3H R 4BB 8K ND in the 3-1 win over the Tigers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 165.7 career points. He rises to 11th place among all players and eighth place among all pitchers (passing Clemens’s 164.8) in Box-Toppers points since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. Hernandez now trails 10th-place player Johan Santana (166.6).
While Hernandez passes Clemens on the “all-time” list, it should be noted that Clemens’s career began in 1984, before Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995, and so he would likely have more Box-Toppers points (rough estimates based on projections put his career total at about 320 Box-Toppers points).
Hernandez’s meteoric rise up Box-Toppers “all-time” rankings has been slowed somewhat this year by injury. He only has 3.0 Box-Toppers points this year and has not earned points since May 21, when he inched within 0.1 point of Clemens’s career total. From 2009 to 2015, Hernandez had seven straight seasons with 10 or more Box-Toppers points, including two with more than 20 and five with 18 or more. He had 20.8 points in 2014 and 19.4 in 2015. Despite his consistently high totals, Hernandez has never led AL pitchers in Box-Toppers points in any season.
Also notable—Phillies pitcher Jeremy Hellickson became the 21st player this season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.
Hellickson (5IP 3H R BB 7K ND in the 6-2 win over the Dodgers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.1 for the season, rising to 21st place among all players and 12th among NL pitchers. It is Hellickson’s first 10-point season. His previous season high was 9.0 Box-Toppers points in 2012 with the Rays.
Scoring—Jackson earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Happ earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Werth and Sanchez each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 8/10 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 9.0 | SD 4, PIT 0 | Edwin Jackson (W,3-2) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | |
| 8.0 | `ARI 3, NYM 2 (12) | Robbie Ray | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 7.0 | CHC 3, LAA 1 | Jason Hammel (W,12-5) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | ||
| AL | 7.0 | TOR 7, TB 0 | J.A. Happ (W,16-3) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |
| 6.0 | `SEA 3, DET 1 | Felix Hernandez | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 8 | ||
| 6.0 | `PHI 6, LAD 2 | Jeremy Hellickson | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | WSH 7, CLE 4 | Jayson Werth, LF | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | KC 3, CHW 2 (14) | Dillon Gee (W,4-5) | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 4.0 | OAK 1, BAL 0 | Ross Detwiler (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.2 | SF 1, MIA 0 | Jeff Samardzija (W,10-8) | - | - | - | - | 5.2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 2.0 | NYY 9, BOS 4 | Gary Sanchez, DH | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | STL 3, CIN 2 | Matt Carpenter, 1B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | TEX 5, COL 4 | Matt Bush (S,1) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2.0 | MIL 4, ATL 3 | Tyler Thornburg (S,4) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||
| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Happ, J.A. 2536 | pi sp | tor al | 12.7 | 25.8 | 41.2 | 49.2 | -0.4 |
| Hellickson, Jeremy 2778 | pi sp | phi nl | 10.1 | 15.1 | 38.8 | 41.8 | 5.1 |
| Hammel, Jason 2235 | pi sp | chi nl | 9.0 | 18.7 | 42.1 | 55.2 | -0.7 |
| Carpenter, Matt 2987 | 3b 1b 2b | stl nl | 8.5 | 14.0 | 28.5 | 28.5 | 3.0 |
| Samardzija, Jeff 2495 | pi sp | sf nl | 5.7 | 15.1 | 43.8 | 44.8 | -3.7 |
| Ray, Robbie 3502 | pi sp | ari nl | 4.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 0.7 |
| Werth, Jayson 1664 | lf | dc nl | 3.5 | 6.5 | 20.5 | 47.7 | 0.5 |
| Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 3.0 | 22.4 | 88.4 | 165.7 | -16.4 |
| Thornburg, Tyler 3195 | pi cp mr | mil nl | 3.0 | 3.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 3.0 |
| Gee, Dillon 2808 | pi sp | kc al | 2.0 | 3.0 | 29.8 | 30.8 | 1.0 |
| Jackson, Edwin 1812 | pi sp | sd nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 21.0 | 42.8 | 2.0 |
| Bush, Matt 3673 | pi mr cp | tex al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Sanchez, Gary 3701 | dh | nyy al | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Detwiler, Ross 2971 | pi sp | oak al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 0.0 |
Blue Jays pitcher Aaron Sanchez is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 20.0 |
| 2 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 16.4 |
| 3 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 16.0 |
| 4 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 14.4 |
| 5 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 12.5 |
| 6 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 12.1 |
| 7 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 11.4 |
| 8 | Bumgarner, Madison 2753 | pi sp | sf nl | 11.0 |
| 9 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym nl | 11.0 |
| 10 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 10.7 |
Also Monday, Albert Pujols regains sixth place in career Box-Toppers points since 1995 (when Box-Toppers tracking began) after earning Player of the Game honors, passing Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who had passed him on the career chart on June 11.
Player of the Day—Sanchez pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out seven and allowing three hits and two walks, in the 4-2 win over the Padres.
National League Player of the Day—Phillies pitcher Jeremy Hellickson pitched six scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk, striking out one, in the 4-0 win over the Marlins. Hellickson did not earn the win, picking up a no decision, because he exited with the game tied, 0-0.
Hellickson earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 9.1 for the season, the most of any of the 10 who earned Player of the Game honors Monday. Hellickson ranks 21st among all players and 13th among NL pitchers.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Randy Johnson | pi sp | retired | 278.8 |
| 2 | Pedro Martinez | pi sp | retired | 244.8 |
| 3 | Curt Schilling | pi sp | retired | 194.1 |
| 4 | Alex Rodriguez | dh | nyy al | 187.0 |
| 5 | CC Sabathia | pi sp | nyy al | 182.0 |
| 6 | Albert Pujols | 1b dh | ana al | 180.3 |
| 7 | Clayton Kershaw | pi sp | lad nl | 179.3 |
| 8 | Roy Halladay | pi sp | retired | 170.7 |
| 9 | Manny Ramirez | lf dh | retired | 167.2 |
| 10 | Johan Santana | pi sp | free agent | 166.6 |
| 11 | Roger Clemens | pi sp | retired | 164.8 |
| 12 | Felix Hernandez | pi sp | sea al | 164.7 |
| 13 | John Smoltz | pi sp | retired | 160.9 |
| 14 | Tim Hudson | pi sp | retired | 157.0 |
| 15 | Zack Greinke | pi sp | ari nl | 156.1 |
| 16 | Mike Mussina | pi sp | retired | 155.6 |
| 17 | Barry Bonds | lf | retired | 153.2 |
| 18 | Greg Maddux | pi sp | retired | 151.7 |
| 19 | Chipper Jones | 3b | retired | 149.0 |
| 20 | Javier Vazquez | pi sp | retired | 148.3 |
American League Batter of the Day—Adrian Beltre of the Rangers hit two homers, including a walk-off, two-run shot, in the 7-6 win over the Athletics. Beltre went 4-for-5, scoring three times and driving in three.
Beltre earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 107.3 for his career, rising to 58th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. Beltre passes Frank Thomas (106.2) on the “all-time” list and now trails 57th-ranked player Lance Berkman (108.1). Beltre has 5.5 Box-Toppers points on the season, 14th among AL batters.
National League Batter of the Day—Jay Bruce of the Reds hit two home runs, going 2-for-4 and driving in four runs, in the 7-5 win over the Giants.
Notable—Albert Pujols of the Angels regains the sixth-place ranking in “all-time” career Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Monday.
Pujols (3-5 R 4BI in the 6-2 win over the Royals) now has 180.3 career Box-Toppers points, passing Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (179.3). Kershaw had passed Pujols on the “all-time” list on June 11 with 176.3 points. Pujols again trails fifth-place player, Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia (182.0) in most points since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began.
Pujols has 6.0 Box-Toppers points for the season, 13th among AL batters.
Scoring—Sanchez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Hellickson earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Beltre and Pujols each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Monday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 7/25 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 9.0 | TOR 4, SD 2 | Aaron Sanchez (W,11-1) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |
| 6.0 | NYY 2, HOU 1 | Michael Pineda (W,5-9) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | TEX 7, OAK 6 | Adrian Beltre, 3B | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| NL | 5.0 | `PHI 4, MIA 0 | Jeremy Hellickson | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| BAT | 4.0 | CIN 7, SF 5 | Jay Bruce, RF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | LAA 6, KC 2 | Albert Pujols, DH | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | MIL 7, ARI 2 | Martin Maldonado, C | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.1 | DET 4, BOS 2 | Francisco Rodriguez (S,28) | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.2 | `CHW 5, CHC 4 | Miguel Gonzalez | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 1.2 | `BAL 3, COL 2 (10) | Yovani Gallardo | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||
| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Hellickson, Jeremy 2778 | pi sp | phi nl | 9.1 | 14.1 | 37.8 | 40.8 | 4.1 |
| Sanchez, Aaron 3392 | pi sp | tor al | 8.7 | 10.7 | 12.7 | 12.7 | 6.7 |
| Bruce, Jay 2453 | rf | cin nl | 6.5 | 9.7 | 29.7 | 56.8 | 3.3 |
| Pujols, Albert 1438 | dh 1b | ana al | 6.0 | 13.0 | 43.0 | 180.3 | -1.0 |
| Beltre, Adrian 1141 | 3b | tex al | 5.5 | 18.0 | 43.9 | 107.3 | -7.0 |
| Pineda, Michael 2841 | pi sp | nyy al | 5.0 | 15.7 | 33.1 | 33.1 | -5.7 |
| Gonzalez, Miguel 3062 | pi sp | chi al | 4.7 | 11.4 | 33.5 | 33.5 | -2.0 |
| Gallardo, Yovani 2333 | pi sp | bal al | 2.0 | 7.0 | 58.3 | 89.7 | -3.0 |
| Rodriguez, Francisco 1707 | pi cp | det al | 2.0 | 3.0 | 16.0 | 62.4 | 1.0 |
| Maldonado, Martin 3082 | ca | mil nl | 1.0 | 2.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | -0.5 |
Phillies pitcher Jeremy Hellickson is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 20.0 |
| 2 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 16.4 |
| 3 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 14.0 |
| 4 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 13.4 |
| 5 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 12.5 |
| 6 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 12.1 |
| 7 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 11.4 |
| 8 | Bumgarner, Madison 2753 | pi sp | sf nl | 11.0 |
| 9 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym nl | 11.0 |
| 10 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 10.7 |
Hellickson struck out eight over eight innings, allowing one run, five hits and no walks, in the 4-1 win over the Marlins.
American League Player of the Day—Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco pitched six scoreless innings, allowing one hit, two walks and striking out six, in the 11-4 win over the Royals.
Carrasco earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 8.4 for the season, most of any of the 16 who earned Player of the Game honors Wednesday. Carrasco ranks 26th in Box-Toppers season player rankings, 10th among AL pitchers.
Both Hellickson and Carrasco had Box-Toppers game scores Wednesday of +9.0, but Hellickson won overall Player of the Day on a tiebreaker because he had more innings pitched—eight vs. six.
American League Batter of the Day—Hanley Ramirez of the Red Sox hit three home runs and went 3-for-4, driving in six runs, in the 11-7 win over the Giants.
National League Batter of the Day—Jedd Gyorko of the Cardinals hit two home runs and went 3-for-4, driving in three runs, in the 3-2 win over the Padres.
Debüts—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Wednesday, the first time in their career they earned Player of the Game honors:
Scoring—Hellickson earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Carrasco earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Ramirez and Gyorko each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 7/20 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 9.0 | PHI 4, MIA 1 | Jeremy Hellickson (W,7-7) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | |
| AL | 9.0 | CLE 11, KC 4 | Carlos Carrasco (W,7-3) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | |
| BAT | 8.0 | BOS 11, SF 7 | Hanley Ramirez, 1B | 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 7.0 | TB 11, COL 3 | Chris Archer (W,5-13) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 11 | ||
| 7.0 | NYY 5, BAL 0 | Michael Pineda (W,4-9) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 6.0 | HOU 7, OAK 0 | Doug Fister (W,10-6) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | ||
| 5.1 | CHC 6, NYM 2 | Kyle Hendricks (W,9-6) | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | ||
| 5.0 | WSH 8, LAD 1 | Gio Gonzalez (W,6-8) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | STL 3, SD 2 | Jedd Gyorko, 3B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | TOR 10, ARI 4 | Marcus Stroman (W,8-4) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 4.0 | `SEA 6, CHW 5 (11) | Edwin Diaz | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 3.0 | STL 4, SD 2 | Carlos Martinez (W,9-6) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 2.0 | MIL 9, PIT 5 | Jonathan Lucroy, C | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | LAA 7, TEX 4 | Jefry Marte, 1B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | CIN 6, ATL 3 | Jose Peraza, LF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | MIN 4, DET 1 | Danny Santana, DH | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||
| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Carrasco, Carlos 2885 | pi sp | cle al | 8.4 | 26.4 | 42.5 | 42.5 | -9.6 |
| Hellickson, Jeremy 2778 | pi sp | phi nl | 7.4 | 12.4 | 36.1 | 39.1 | 2.4 |
| Hendricks, Kyle 3386 | pi sp | chi nl | 7.0 | 16.7 | 21.7 | 21.7 | -2.7 |
| Martinez, Carlos 3371 | pi sp | stl nl | 5.7 | 19.4 | 20.4 | 20.4 | -8.0 |
| Archer, Chris 3194 | pi sp | tb al | 5.0 | 21.0 | 45.1 | 45.1 | -11.0 |
| Stroman, Marcus 3327 | pi sp | tor al | 4.7 | 7.4 | 21.1 | 21.1 | 2.0 |
| Pineda, Michael 2841 | pi sp | nyy al | 4.0 | 14.7 | 32.1 | 32.1 | -6.7 |
| Gonzalez, Gio 2626 | pi sp | dc nl | 3.0 | 12.7 | 69.8 | 83.5 | -6.7 |
| Lucroy, Jonathan 2744 | ca | mil nl | 3.0 | 4.7 | 23.6 | 24.6 | 1.3 |
| Ramirez, Hanley 2119 | 1b ss | bos al | 3.0 | 3.0 | 25.7 | 53.6 | 3.0 |
| Fister, Doug 2688 | pi sp | hou al | 2.0 | 4.0 | 49.5 | 53.2 | 0.0 |
| Gyorko, Jedd 3164 | 3b 2b | stl nl | 1.5 | 5.0 | 14.2 | 14.2 | -2.0 |
| Marte, Jefry 3529 | 1b | ana al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| Santana, Danny 3350 | dh cf | min al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 1.0 |
| Diaz, Edwin 3690 | pi mr | sea al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Peraza, Jose 3691 | lf | cin nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Blue Jays pitcher R.A. Dickey is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 9.0 |
| 2 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 6.7 |
| 3 | Machado, Manny 3087 | 3b ss | bal al | 6.7 |
| 4 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 6.0 |
| 5 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 6.0 |
| 6 | Quintana, Jose 3040 | pi sp | chi al | 5.7 |
| 7 | De La Rosa, Rubby 3342 | pi sp | ari nl | 5.7 |
| 8 | Davis, Chris 2478 | 1b | bal al | 5.5 |
| 9 | Hill, Rich 2215 | pi sp | oak al | 5.4 |
| 10 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 5.0 |
Also Friday, White Sox pitcher Chris Sale rose to second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors, passing Manny Machado of the Orioles for the lead among all American League players.
Player of the Day—Dickey pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out six, in the 5-0 win over the Rangers.
National League Player of the Day—Phillies pitcher Jeremy Hellickson struck out nine over seven innings, allowing two runs (both unearned), in the 3-2 win over the Reds.
American League Batter of the Day—George Springer of the Astros hit a two-run homer and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 7-6 win over the Red Sox.
National League Batter of the Day—David Ross of the Cubs hit a three-run homer and went 3-for-4, scoring twice, in the 9-4 win over the Pirates. This was Ross’ first Player of the Game honor in more than three years. He last earned Box-Toppers points on April 26, 2013, when he was AL Batter of the Day while playing for the Red Sox.
Rankings—White Sox pitcher Chris Sale rose to second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.
Sale (CG 6H R 6K W in the 7-1 win over the Yankees) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 6.7 for the season. Sale also passes Manny Machado of the Orioles (6.7 points) to lead all AL players in Box-Toppers points. Though both Sale and Machado have 6.7 points, Sale wins the tiebreaker because he had more 2015 Box-Toppers points—18.8 vs. 7.5.
Debut—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Friday, the first time in their careers they earned Player of the Game honors:
Scoring—Dickey earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Hellickson earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Springer and Ross each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Friday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 5/13 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 10.0 | Blue Jays | R.A. Dickey (W,2-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
| NL | 9.0 | Phillies | Jeremy Hellickson (W,3-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | |
| 7.0 | White Sox | Chris Sale (W,8-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 7.0 | Orioles | Chris Tillman (W,5-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | ||
| 6.0 | Brewers | Junior Guerra (W,2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 5.0 | Rockies | Jon Gray (W,1-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | Astros | George Springer, RF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 4.0 | Cubs | David Ross, C | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Giants | Joe Panik, 2B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Nationals | Bryce Harper, RF | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Angels | Fernando Salas (S,1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.2 | Indians | Zach McAllister (W,2-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | Dodgers | Yasiel Puig, RF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Athletics | Danny Valencia, 3B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Royals | Eric Hosmer, 1B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Player | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 6.7 | 25.5 | 77.7 | 79.7 | -12.1 |
| Hellickson, Jeremy 2778 | pi sp | phi nl | 4.4 | 9.4 | 33.1 | 36.1 | -0.6 |
| Tillman, Chris 2754 | pi sp | bal al | 4.0 | 8.7 | 37.8 | 39.8 | -0.7 |
| Springer, George 3337 | rf | hou al | 2.5 | 3.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 1.5 |
| Dickey, R.A. 1734 | pi sp | tor al | 2.0 | 7.0 | 51.2 | 72.9 | -3.0 |
| Panik, Joe 3401 | 2b | sf nl | 2.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | -2.0 |
| Ross, David 1729 | ca | chi nl | 1.5 | 1.5 | 10.0 | 26.1 | 1.5 |
| Hosmer, Eric 2886 | 1b | kc al | 1.0 | 10.0 | 23.5 | 23.5 | -8.0 |
| Harper, Bryce 3011 | rf | dc nl | 1.0 | 10.0 | 25.4 | 25.4 | -8.0 |
| Puig, Yasiel 3193 | rf | lad nl | 1.0 | 4.5 | 7.0 | 7.0 | -2.5 |
| Valencia, Danny 2772 | 3b | oak al | 1.0 | 4.5 | 6.5 | 9.5 | -2.5 |
| McAllister, Zach 3088 | pi mr sp | cle al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 12.7 | 12.7 | 0.0 |
| Salas, Fernando 2853 | pi cp | ana al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 0.0 |
| Gray, Jon 3634 | pi sp | col nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Guerra, Junior 3633 | pi sp | mil nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Orioles pitcher Chris Tillman is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Tillman struck out nine over 6 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits, in the 3-1 win over the Rays.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 5.0 |
| 2 | Volquez, Edinson 2220 | pi sp | kc al | 4.4 |
| 3 | Hill, Rich 2215 | pi sp | oak al | 4.4 |
| 4 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 4.0 |
| 5 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 4.0 |
| 6 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 4.0 |
| 7 | Velasquez, Vince 3611 | pi sp | phi nl | 4.0 |
| 8 | Santiago, Hector 3109 | pi sp | ana al | 3.7 |
| 9 | Latos, Mat 2644 | pi sp | chi al | 3.7 |
| 10 | Davis, Chris 2478 | 1b | bal al | 3.5 |
National League Player of the Day—Phillies pitcher Jeremy Hellickson struck out eight over seven scoreless innings, allowing two hits, in the 3-0 win over the Nationals.
National League Batter of the Day—Brandon Belt of the Giants tripled, doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in five runs, in the 13-9 win over the Padres.
American League Batter of the Day—J.D. Martinez of the Tigers hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 9-4 win over the Athletics.
Notable—Jose Altuve of the Astros has the highest season Box-Toppers point total of any of Wednesday’s 14 Players of the Game. Altuve (HR 2-2B 3-5 3R 2BI in the 7-4 win over the Mariners) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 3.5 for the season. He rises to 11th among all players in season player rankings and second among AL batters.
Scoring—Tillman earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Hellickson earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Belt and Martinez each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 4/27 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 11.2 | Orioles | Chris Tillman (W,2-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | |
| NL | 10.0 | Phillies | Jeremy Hellickson (W,2-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | |
| 9.0 | White Sox | Jose Quintana (W,3-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | ||
| BAT | 6.0 | Giants | Brandon Belt, 1B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 6.0 | Red Sox | Steven Wright (W,2-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | ||
| 5.1 | Marlins | Justin Nicolino (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | Tigers | J.D. Martinez, RF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Astros | Jose Altuve, 2B | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Cardinals | Aledmys Diaz, SS | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | `Indians | Bryan Shaw (H,4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | Mets | Neil Walker, 2B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Pirates | Kyle Lobstein (W,2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 0.0 | Angels | Mike Trout, CF | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 0.0 | Rangers | Rougned Odor, 2B | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
| Player | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Altuve, Jose 3007 | 2b | hou al | 3.5 | 10.5 | 20.0 | 20.0 | -3.5 |
| Quintana, Jose 3040 | pi sp | chi al | 3.0 | 9.0 | 27.8 | 27.8 | -3.0 |
| Belt, Brandon 2943 | 1b | sf nl | 3.0 | 4.5 | 16.5 | 16.5 | 1.5 |
| Diaz, Aledmys 3612 | ss | stl nl | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Hellickson, Jeremy 2778 | pi sp | phi nl | 2.7 | 7.7 | 31.4 | 34.4 | -2.3 |
| Trout, Mike 2949 | cf | ana al | 2.0 | 14.0 | 38.5 | 38.5 | -10.0 |
| Tillman, Chris 2754 | pi sp | bal al | 2.0 | 6.7 | 35.8 | 37.8 | -2.7 |
| Odor, Rougned 3336 | 2b | tex al | 2.0 | 5.0 | 6.5 | 6.5 | -1.0 |
| Lobstein, Kyle 3406 | pi sp mr | pit nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 |
| Martinez, J.D. 2922 | rf | det al | 1.5 | 3.2 | 13.2 | 13.2 | -0.2 |
| Walker, Neil 2756 | 2b | nym nl | 1.0 | 5.0 | 22.5 | 28.0 | -3.0 |
| Wright, Steven 3224 | pi sp | bos al | 1.0 | 4.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | -2.7 |
| Shaw, Bryan 2995 | pi mr | cle al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 0.0 |
| Nicolino, Justin 3576 | pi sp | fla nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
Phillies pitcher Jeremy Hellickson is Box-Toppers spring training Player of the Day for Sunday.
Hellickson pitched five scoreless innings, allowing no hits, three walks and striking out six in the 5-4 win over the Astros. Hellickson started the game, but the Phillies lost the lead after he exited, before regaining it in the seventh, so he did not earn the win. Hellickson had 5.0 Box-Toppers points in 2015 with the Diamondbacks.
American League Player of the Day—Yankees pitcher Bryan Mitchell pitched 2 2/3 innings of scoreless middle relief, allowing not hits and striking out two, in the 6-4 win over the Twins. Mitchell has appeared in 23 regular season games but has yet to earn a regular season Player of the Game honor, so has no Box-Toppers points.
National League Batter of the Day—Brandon Belt of the Giants hit a two-run homer and went 4-for-4, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 10-4 win over the Rockies. Belt had 1.5 Box-Toppers points in 2015 with the Giants.
American League Batter of the Day—Jose Ramirez of the Indians hit two homers and went 2-for-3, driving in three runs, in the 3-1 win over the Mariners. Ramirez hd 2.5 Box-Toppers points in 2015 with the Indians.
Scoring—No Box-Toppers points are awarded in spring training games, but if it were the regular season, Hellickson would earn 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Mitchell would earn 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Belt and Ramirez would earn 1.5 points for being top batter in their league for the day. All of Sunday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) would earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
Note—Sixteen spring training games were scheduled for Sunday—15 are listed below. One game is not included because it ended in a tie (Rays vs. Orioles).
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 3/20 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 8.0 | `Phillies | Jeremy Hellickson | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | |
| BAT | 6.0 | Giants | Brandon Belt 1B | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| AL | 4.2 | Yankees | Bryan Mitchell (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 4.1 | White Sox | Carson Fulmer (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 4.0 | Padres | Melvin Upton Jr. LF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | Indians | José Ramírez 3B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Brewers | Colin Walsh 3B | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Dbacks | Phil Gosselin 2B | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | `Marlins | David Phelps | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 2.0 | Red Sox | Chris Young RF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Tigers | Dominic Ficociello 1B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Tigers | Shane Greene (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2.0 | Angels | Andrew Heaney (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 1.0 | Blue Jays | Troy Tulowitzki SS | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Cubs | Jorge Soler LF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
Cardinals pitcher Michael Wacha is Monday's Player of the Day among the four League Division Series playoff games.
Wacha gave up only one hit—a solo home run—over 7 1/3 innings and struck out nine in the 2-1 win over the Pirates to tie the National League Division series 2-2. Wacha had a no-hitter going into the eighth inning when he gave up the home run to Pedro Alvarez.
Wacha had 3.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 361st overall. However, he didn't make his Box-Toppers debut until Sept. 8 (the first time he earned Player of the Game honors) and on Sept. 24, he was Box-Toppers Player of the Day, when he was one out away from a no-hitter against the Nationals.
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw earned Player of the Game honors in the other NLDS game. Kershaw, Box-Toppers 2013 Player of the Season, had not been scheduled to start Monday but opted to make his first career start on short rest (he last started Thursday, Oct. 3). He pitched six innings and struck out six in the 4-3 win to eliminate the Braves in the NLDS series 3-1. Kershaw earned a no-decision because he left with the game tied 2-2.
Kershaw had 21.7 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, the most of any player. The Dodgers advance to the best-of-seven NL Championship Series against either the Pirates or the Cardinals beginning Friday.
Jose Lobaton of the Rays is American League Player of the Day. Lobaton hit a walk-off homer in the 5-4 win over the Red Sox. The Rays trail the series 2-1 but force a Game Four. Lobaton had 3.5 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 299th overall.
Coco Crisp of the Athletics is Player of the Game in the other ALDS game. Crisp was 3-for-4 in the 6-3 win over the Tigers. The Athletics lead the series 2-1. Crisp had 4.0 Box-Toppers points for the season, ranking 255th overall.
Coming Tuesday: Both American League Division Series continue Tuesday. Here are the pitching match-ups:
Athletics: Dan Straily, 7.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 96th overall
Tigers: Doug Fister, 6.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 113th overall
Red Sox: Jake Peavy, 8.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 84th overall
Rays: Jeremy Hellickson, 6.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 136th overall
In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 1007 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 11.1 | Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Michael Wacha (W, 1-0) | 7.1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | |||
| 6.0 | `Dodgers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Clayton Kershaw | 6.0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |||
| AL | 2.0 | Rays | Jose Lobaton C | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1.0 | Athletics | Coco Crisp CF | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
Rays pitcher Jeremy Hellickson is Monday's Player of the Day. Hellickson threw seven shutout innings and gave up only one hit in the 4-1 win over the Blue Jays.
Dodgers pitcher Kenley Jansen is National League Player of the Day. Jansen earned the save, pitching one inning and struck out three in the 3-1 win over the Giants.
Kyle Blanks of the Padres is NL Batter of the Day. Blanks went 4-for-5 and drove in three runs in the 4-3 win over the Phillies.
Michael Brantley of the Indians is American League Batter of the Day. Brantley homered and drove in four runs in the 5-2 win over the Orioles.
Hellickson receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Jansen receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Blanks and Brantley each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.
Only four games were played Monday and all four Players of the Game received bonus points. Here are Monday's results:
| 624 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 6.0 | Rays | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Jeremy Hellickson (W, 6-3) | 7.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | ||
| NL | 4.0 | Dodgers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Kenley Jansen (S, 5) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Padres | Kyle Blanks RF | 5 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Indians | Michael Brantley LF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. Players earn Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.