Blue Jays' Marco Estrada (8.2IP 0R 2H 10K ND) tops players for Wednesday, June 24

Blue Jays pitcher Marco Estrada is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Estrada pitched 8 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out 10, in the 1-0, 12-inning win over the Rays. Estrada picked up a no decision and did not earn the win because he left the game in scoreless tie. Estrada had a perfect game before allowing a hit in the eighth inning.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of June 24.  

	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	13.4
2	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	13.0
3	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	12.0
4	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	12.0
5	Price, David 2593	pi sp	det al	11.1
6	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	10.4
7	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	9.7
8	Martinez, Carlos 3371	pi sp	stl nl	9.7
9	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	9.7
10	Gray, Sonny 3259	pi sp	oak al	9.4

What are those numbers after players' names?

National League Player of the Day—Brewers pitcher Jimmy Nelson allowed one run on two hits over eight innings, striking out five, in the 4-1 win over the Mets.

American League Batter of the Day—Brett Lawrie of the Athletics  hit a grand slam and went 3-for-5 in the 8-2 win over the Rangers.

National League Batter of the Day—Yasmany Tomas of the Diamondbacks doubled and went 4-for-5, scoring twice and driving in a run, in the 8-7 win over the Rockies.

Notable—Giants pitcher Ryan Vogelsong has the highest Box-Toppers player ranking of any of the 15 who earned Player of the Game honors Wednesday.

Vogelsong has 7.0 Box-Toppers points and ranks 21st among all players, 13th among NL pitchers. Vogelsong (6IP 5H 0R 4K W in the 6-0 win over the Padres) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game.

Rankings—Two pitchers ranked among Box-Toppers top 10 players this season started Wednesday but both failed to earn Player of the Game honors as their teams both lost:

• Gerrit Cole of the Pirates ranks fourth in player rankings with 12.0 Box-Toppers points, but lost 5-2 to the Reds. Cole (4.2IP 8H 5R 8K L) had a Box-Toppers game score of −11.8. Player of the Game was Reds closing pitcher J.J. Hoover (1IP 0H 0R 2K Sv) who had a Box-Toppers game score of 3.
• Chris Sale of the White Sox ranks sixth in player rankings with 10.4 Box-Toppers points, but lost 6-1 to the Twins. Sale (6.2IP 8H 6R 10K L) had a Box-Toppers game score of −3.8. Player of the Game was Twins pitcher Phil Hughes (8IP 6H R 5K W) who had a Box-Toppers game score of 5.

Streak—Omar Infante of the Royals has now earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point for 12 straight seasons.

Infante was Player of the Game in Wednesday’s 8-2 win over the Mariners (2B 3-4 R 3BI) and earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, his first of the season.

Infante earned his first Box-Toppers point in 2004 with the Tigers. His best year was 2012 when he had 4.5 Box-Toppers points with the Tigers and ranked third among AL second basemen. Infante had 4.0 Box-Toppers points in 2014 with the Royals.

Infante has 29.5 career Box-Toppers points, which ranks fifth among active AL second basemen.

Return—Dodgers pitcher J.P. Howell earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors for the first time in more than five years Wednesday. Howell (1.1IP H 0R K W in the 5-2 win over the Cubs) last earned Player of the Game honors on Aug. 5, 2009, when he was with the Rays.

Debut—Angels pitcher Andrew Heaney made his Box-Toppers debut Wednesday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Heaney (6IP 4H R 5K ND in the 2-1, 13-inning win over the Astros) made his Major League debut June 19, 2014, and was playing in his eighth career game. He is the 3,515th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Estrada earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Nelson earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Lawrie and Tomas each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

6/24	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	16.2	`Blue Jays	Marco Estrada	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.2	2	0	0	0	10
NL	8.0	Brewers	Jimmy Nelson (W, 4-8)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	2	1	1	1	5
	5.0	Indians	Carlos Carrasco (W, 9-6)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	5	2	2	1	7
	5.0	Twins	Phil Hughes (W, 6-6)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	6	1	1	0	5
	5.0	`Nationals	Jordan Zimmermann	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	6	0	0	0	3
	4.0	Cardinals	Jaime Garcia (W, 3-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	5	1	1	0	4
	4.0	`Angels	Andrew Heaney	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	4	1	1	1	5
BAT	3.0	Athletics	Brett Lawrie 3B	5	1	3	4	0	2		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Royals	Omar Infante 2B	4	1	3	3	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Red Sox	Clay Buchholz (W, 5-6)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	8	1	1	1	7
	3.0	Giants	Ryan Vogelsong (W, 6-5)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	5	0	0	2	4
	3.0	Reds	J.J. Hoover (S, 1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	2
	2.2	Yankees	Ivan Nova (W, 1-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.2	3	0	0	2	1
BAT	2.0	Dbacks	Yasmany Tomas RF	5	2	4	1	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.1	Dodgers	J.P. Howell (W, 3-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.1	1	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.

Indians' Corey Kluber (8IP H 0R 18K) tops players for Wednesday, May 13 with highest Box-Toppers game score of 2015

Indians pitcher Corey Kluber, who struck out 18 and allowed one hit over eight innings, is Wednesday’s Player of the Day.

Kluber did not allow a hit until the seventh inning in the 2-0 win over the Cardinals. His Box-Toppers game score of 25 is the highest of the season, far outdistancing the previous high game scores of 15.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of May 13.  

	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	8.7
2	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	6.0
3	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	6.0
4	Miller, Shelby 3134	pi sp	atl nl	5.0
5	Hosmer, Eric 2886	1b	kc al	5.0
6	Harper, Bryce 3011	lf rf	dc nl	5.0
7	Heston, Chris 3437	pi sp	sf nl	5.0
8	Cabrera, Miguel 1776	1b	det al	4.7
9	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	4.7
10	Gray, Sonny 3259	pi sp	oak al	4.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

Kluber led American League players in Box-Toppers points in 2014 with 25.8. This was his first Player of the Game honor this season and first Box-Toppers points of the season. Until now, he held the distinction of the player with the highest 2014 Box-Toppers point total who had yet to earn points in 2015, a dubious honor that now goes to Twins pitcher Phil Hughes (14.1 points in 2014).

Though it was Kluber’s first points of the season, he is not very far off pace from his 2014 point total. As Wednesday’s Player of the Day, Kluber now has 2.0 Box-Toppers points for the season. As of May 14, 2014, Kluber had 3.0 Box-Toppers points. His 25.8 Box-Toppers points were the 17th-most points scored by a player in a single season since record keeping began in 1995.

National League Player of the Day—Reds pitcher Raisel Iglesias allowed one run and two hits over eight innings in the 5-1 win over the Braves.

This was Iglesias’ Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. He made his Major League debut April 12 and was playing in his third career game. He is the 3,467th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

National League Batter of the Day—Michael Taylor of the Nationals hit a grand slam in the 9-6 win over the Diamondbacks.

American League Batter of the Day—Prince Fielder of the Rangers homered and went 3-for-4 with two RBIs in the 5-2 win over the Royals.

Fielder has now earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point for 11 straight seasons. He earned his first points in 2005 with the Brewers. His best year was 2011 with the Brewers when he had 15.7 Box-Toppers points, first among NL batters. In 2014, he had 1.0 Box-Toppers point with the Rangers.

Fielder has 71.8 career Box-Toppers points, ranking 73rd among all batters since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. His career 71.8 points ranks ninth among active batters currently in the AL.

Notable—Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels moves up to 41st place among all players in Box-Toppers points since 1995 after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.

Hamels now has 114.8 Box-Toppers points and moves past Blue Jays pitcher Mark Buehrle (114.7). He trails 40th-place player Josh Beckett (114.9).

Hamels (7IP 2R 9K W in the 3-2 win over the Pirates) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 4.0 for the season, 19th among all players for 2015.

Hammel, Hamels—Cubs pitcher Jason Hammel and Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels have been Box-Toppers Players of the Game on the same day three times this season, including Wednesday. Obviously, the similarly-named hurlers are on the same starting rotation schedule and both are doing well so far—Hamels has earned Player of the Game honors four times and has 4.0 Box-Toppers points. Hammel has earned Player of the Game honors three times and also has 4.0 Box-Toppers points. Both were top players in their games on April 27, May 8 and May 13. In addition, the two have shared Player of the Game honors on the same day in previous seasons three different times—April 25, 2012, June 6, 2014, and Sept. 1, 2014.

Scoring—Kluber earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Iglesias earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Taylor and Fielder each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers 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.

Top player from each game

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	25.0	Indians	Corey Kluber (W, 1-5)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	1	0	0	0	18
	10.0	White Sox	Jose Quintana (W, 2-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	4	1	1	1	10
NL	6.0	Reds	Raisel Iglesias (W, 1-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	2	1	1	3	5
	6.0	Phillies	Cole Hamels (W, 3-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	5	2	2	1	9
	6.0	`Cubs	Jason Hammel	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	5	1	1	1	6
	5.2	Orioles	Miguel Gonzalez (W, 4-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.2	3	1	0	3	5
BAT	5.0	Nationals	Michael Taylor RF	1	1	1	4	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	5.0	`Angels	Hector Santiago	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	7	1	1	0	8
	4.0	Padres	James Shields (W, 5-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	6	1	1	3	9
	3.1	Twins	Ricky Nolasco (W, 3-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		5.1	4	2	0	3	7
	3.0	Rays	Brad Boxberger (S, 10)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	2
	3.0	Marlins	A.J. Ramos (S, 1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	2
BAT	2.0	Rangers	Prince Fielder DH	4	1	3	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Astros	Chad Qualls (W, 1-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	1
	1.0	Red Sox	Daniel Nava 1B	3	1	2	1	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
		` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Blue Jays' Buehrle tops players for Wednesday, Sept. 24; Kershaw has 4th-most single-season Box-Toppers points in past 20 years

Blue Jays pitcher Mark Buehrle is Wednesday’s Player of the Day, while Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw now has the fourth-highest single-season Box-Toppers point total in the past 20 seasons.

Buehrle pitched eight scoreless innings and struck out 10 in the 1-0 win over the Mariners.

Most BTP single season

Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers now is tied for the fourth-best single season in Box-Toppers history (dating back to 1995). He has 31.5 Box-Toppers points in 2014 and likely finishes the season 2.2 points behind the single-season record of 33.7 set twice by Randy Johnson of the Diamondbacks in 2000 and 2002.

Rank	Player	Team	Pos	Year	BTP
1	Randy Johnson	Dbacks	pi sp	2000	33.7
1	Randy Johnson	Dbacks	pi sp	2002	33.7
3	Pedro Martinez	Red Sox	pi sp	2000	33.5
4	Randy Johnson	Dbacks	pi sp	1999	31.5
4	*Clayton Kershaw	Dodgers	pi sp	2014	31.5
6	Pedro Martinez	Red Sox	pi sp	1999	31.4
7	Randy Johnson	Dbacks	pi sp	2001	29.4
8	Pedro Martinez	Red Sox	pi sp	2002	28.8
9	Curt Schilling	Dbacks	pi sp	2002	28.4
10	Roger Clemens	Blue Jays	pi sp	1997	27.4

* Current season
BTP: Box-Toppers points

Kershaw extended his overall Box-Toppers points lead after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Kershaw (8IP R 11K W in the 9-1 win over the Giants) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 31.5 for the season.

Kershaw’s 31.5 points for the season is tied for the fourth most earned in a single season since Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995. In 1999, Diamondbacks pitcher Randy Johnson also had 31.5 Box-Toppers points.

Kershaw, in what was likely his final regular season appearance, finishes 2.2 Box-Toppers points behind the “all-time” single-season record of 33.7, set by Johnson in both 2000 and 2002. So even if Kershaw were to make one more appearance and even if he were to earn Player of the Day in that appearance, the most he could earn is 2.0 more Box-Toppers points, meaning he would still fall short of Johnson’s record.

Brewers pitcher Kyle Lohse is National League Player of the Day. Lohse pitched a complete-game, two-hit shutout, striking out six and walking none, in the 5-0 win over the Reds. Lohse earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 11.1 for the season. He is the 55th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points. He ranks 17th among NL pitchers and 42nd among all players.

Tommy Medica of the Padres is NL Batter of the Day. Medica hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-3 in the 4-3 win over the Rockies.

Xander Bogaerts of the Red Sox is American League Batter of the Day. Bogaerts went 2-for-4, scoring once and driving in three runs, in the 11-3 win over the Rays.

Notables: Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta ranks 15th in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday. Arrieta (7IP R 10K W in the 3-1 win over the Cardinals) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 14.7 for the season. He ranks seventh among NL pitchers.

Braves pitcher Julio Teheran ranks 16th in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday. Teheran earned Player of the Game honors for batting, one of eight times this season—it occurred twice on Wednesday—that a pitcher has earned Player of the Game honors for batting. Teheran (2-2 2BI in the 6-2 win over the Pirates) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 14.4 for the season. He ranks eighth among NL pitchers.

Twins pitcher Phil Hughes ranks 18th in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday. Hughes (8IP R 5K W in the 2-1 win over the Diamondbacks) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 14.1 for the season. He ranks ninth among AL pitchers.

Orioles pitcher Bud Norris becomes the 56th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday. Norris (6IP 9K W in the 9-5 win over the Yankees) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.7 for the season. He ranks 49th among all players and 23rd among AL pitchers.

Phillies pitcher Kyle Kendrick earned Player of the Game honors Wednesday for batting—one of eight times this season a pitcher has been Player of the Game for batting and one of two times it happened Wednesday. Kendrick doubled and went 3-for-3, driving in a run, in the 2-1 win over the Marlins.

Buehrle receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Lohse receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Medica and Bogaerts each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed, click here.

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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

924	Score	Team	Player of the Game	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	14.0	Blue Jays	Mark Buehrle (W, 13-10)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	3	0	0	1	10
NL	13.0	Brewers	Kyle Lohse (W, 13-9)	-	-	-	-	-	-		9.0	2	0	0	0	6
	13.0	Cubs	Jake Arrieta (W, 10-5)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	2	1	0	1	10
	9.0	Dodgers	Clayton Kershaw (W, 21-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	8	1	1	0	11
	7.0	Rangers	Lisalverto Bonilla (W, 3-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	4	0	0	2	7
	6.0	Twins	Phil Hughes (W, 16-10)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	5	1	1	0	5
	5.0	Tigers	Justin Verlander (W, 15-12)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	7	1	1	0	6
	3.1	Angels	Hector Santiago (W, 6-9)	-	-	-	-	-	-		5.1	3	0	0	2	3
BAT	3.0	Padres	Tommy Medica LF	3	1	2	3	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Orioles	Bud Norris (W, 15-8)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	5	3	3	1	9
	2.1	Indians	Zach McAllister (W, 4-7)	-	-	-	-	-	-		2.1	1	0	0	0	1
BAT	2.0	Red Sox	Xander Bogaerts SS	4	1	2	3	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Braves	Julio Teheran P	2	0	2	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.0	Phillies	Kyle Kendrick P	3	0	3	1	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-

Angels' Shoemaker tops players for Thursday, Aug. 21; Kershaw, Bumgarner bolster spots among Box-Toppers top 3 players

Angels pitcher Matt Shoemaker is Thursday’s Player of the Day, while Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw and Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner bolstered their spots in the top three in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Shoemaker pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out nine, in the 2-0 win over the Red Sox.

Kershaw, Thursday’s National League Player of the Day, extends his lead among all players in Box-Toppers player rankings. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Kershaw struck out 10 over eight innings, allowing one run, in the 2-1 win over the Padres. Kershaw earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 23.8 for the season. He is now only 2.3 points behind his season high of 26.1 Box-Toppers points he scored in 2010.

Bumgarner maintained his third-place spot in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Bumgarner (7IP 12K W in the 5-3 win over the Cubs) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 18.9 for the season. He ranks second among NL pitchers, behind Kershaw.

No batters earned Box-Toppers points Thursday because no batters earned Player of the Game honors—in all nine games, pitchers beat batters as top player of the game.

Notables: Twins pitcher Phil Hughes rose to 14th place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday. Hughes (7IP R 8K W in the 4-1 win over the Indians) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 13.1 for the season. He ranks eighth among American League pitchers.

Braves pitcher Julio Teheran rose to 18th place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday. Teheran (6IP 0R W in the 8-0 win over the Reds) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 12.4 for the season. He ranks seventh among NL pitchers.

Rays pitcher Alex Cobb becomes the 33rd player with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points this season after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday. Cobb (7IP 0R 6K W in the 1-0 win over the Tigers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.7 for the season. He ranks 29th among all players and 15th among AL pitchers.

Cubs pitcher Tsuyoshi Wada is Player of the Game in the completion Thursday of a rain-shortened game against the Giants started Tuesday. Wada (5IP 0R 3K W in the 2-1 win) actually did all his work Tuesday, though earns the Box-Toppers point for Thursday. Initially, the game was ruled a rain-shortened, 4 1/2-inning final and a Cubs win Tuesday. At the time, Anthony Rizzo was deemed Player of the Game. He went 2-for-2 with a run and two RBIs, giving him a Box-Toppers game score of 3.0. However, after the Giants protested and baseball ordered the game be resumed Thursday, the Cubs win was taken away, as was Rizzo’s Box-Toppers point for Player of the Game. After the game resumed, Rizzo went 0-for-2, reducing his Box-Toppers game score to 1.0. Wada’s Box-Toppers game score of 2.0 was enough to beat out Rizzo for Player of the Game.

Shoemaker receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Kershaw receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. 

All of Thursday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed, click here.

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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

821	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	14.2	Angels	Matt Shoemaker (W, 12-4)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.2	1	0	0	1	9
	13.0	Yankees	Brandon McCarthy (W, 5-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		9.0	4	0	0	0	8
NL	11.0	Dodgers	Clayton Kershaw (W, 15-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	3	1	1	2	10
	9.0	Rays	Alex Cobb (W, 9-6)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	2	0	0	2	6
	8.0	Twins	Phil Hughes (W, 14-8)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	5	1	1	0	8
	6.0	`Nationals	Gio Gonzalez	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	4	0	0	3	6
	5.0	Giants	Madison Bumgarner (W, 14-9)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	7	3	3	1	12
	5.0	Braves	Julio Teheran (W, 12-9)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	4	0	0	0	3
	2.0	Cubs	Tsuyoshi Wada (W, 3-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		5.0	6	0	0	0	3

` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Indians' Carrasco tops players for Saturday, Aug. 16; Tigers' Price rises to 6th in Box-Toppers rankings

Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco is Saturday’s Player of the Day, while Tigers pitcher David Price rises to sixth place in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Carrasco pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out five in the 6-0 win over the Orioles.

Price rose from eighth to sixth place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Price (8IP R 7K W in the 4-2 win over the Mariners) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 16.1 for the season. He ranks third among American League pitchers.

Jedd Gyorko of the Padres is National League Player of the Day. Gyorko hit a grand slam and went 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in five runs, in the 9-5 win over the Cardinals.

David Ortiz of the Red Sox is American League Batter of the Day. Ortiz hit a pair of two-run homers and went 3-for-5, driving in six runs, in the 10-7 win over the Astros.

Notables: Twins pitcher Phil Hughes rose to 16th place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors. Hughes (7.1IP R 6K W in the 4-1 win over the Royals) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 12.1 for the season. He ranks 10th among AL pitchers.

Marlins pitcher Henderson Alvarez becomes the 29th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points after he earned Player of the Game honors. Alvarez (7IP R 6K W in the 2-1 win over the Diamondbacks) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.7 for the season. He ranks 25th among all players and 11th among NL pitchers.

Carrasco receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Gyorko receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Ortiz receives 1.5 for being AL Batter of the Day.

All of Saturday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed, click here.

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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

816	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	9.0	Indians	Carlos Carrasco (W, 5-4)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	3	0	0	0	5
	7.0	Tigers	David Price (W, 12-8)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	3	1	1	3	7
BAT	6.0	Red Sox	David Ortiz DH	5	2	3	6	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
NL	6.0	Padres	Jedd Gyorko 2B	3	2	2	5	2	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	5.0	Marlins	Henderson Alvarez (W, 9-5)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	5	1	1	1	6
	4.1	Twins	Phil Hughes (W, 13-8)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.1	7	1	1	0	6
	4.0	`Yankees	Shane Greene	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	7	2	2	1	10
	4.0	`Nationals	Craig Stammen	-	-	-	-	-	-		3.0	1	0	0	0	2
	2.2	Angels	Matt Shoemaker (W, 11-4)	-	-	-	-	-	-		5.2	4	2	2	1	6
	2.0	Giants	Michael Morse LF, 1B	3	1	3	1	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Brewers	Yovani Gallardo (W, 8-6)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	6	1	1	1	3
	2.0	Blue Jays	Casey Janssen (S, 19)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	1
	1.0	Braves	Chris Johnson 3B	4	0	3	2	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.0	Mets	Juan Lagares CF	3	1	1	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-

` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Braves' Wood tops players for Sunday, Aug. 10; Dodgers' Kershaw extends lead in Box-Toppers rankings

Braves pitcher Alex Wood is Sunday’s Player of the Day, while Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw extends his overall lead in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Wood struck out 12 over 7 1/3 innings, allowing one run, in the 3-1 win over the Nationals.

Kershaw bolstered his spot atop Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Kershaw (8IP R 6K W in the 5-1 win over the Brewers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 22.1 for the season. He beats his point total from 2013 of 21.7, when he led all players. This is the second-most points Kershaw has earned in a season—the most was 26.1 in 2011, when he also led all players.

Twins pitcher Phil Hughes is American League Player of the Day. Hughes struck out seven over seven innings, allowing one run, in the 6-1 win over the Athletics. Hughes became the 25th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points. He earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 11.1 for the season and ranks 19th among all players, 11th among AL pitchers.

Devin Mesoraco of the Reds is NL Batter of the Day. Mesoraco hit two homers, including a grand slam, in the 7-2 win over the Marlins.

Austin Jackson of the Mariners is AL Batter of the Day. Jackson went 3-for-4 and drove in all four of his team’s runs in the 4-2 win over the White Sox.

Wood receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Hughes receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Mesoraco and Jackson each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Sunday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed Sunday, click here.

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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

810	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	9.1	Braves	Alex Wood (W, 8-9)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.1	5	1	1	3	12
AL	7.0	Twins	Phil Hughes (W, 12-8)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	4	1	1	1	7
	7.0	Indians	Carlos Carrasco (W, 4-4)	-	-	-	-	-	-		5.0	2	0	0	0	4
BAT	6.0	Reds	Devin Mesoraco C	4	2	2	6	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	5.0	Red Sox	Rubby De La Rosa (W, 4-4)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	5	1	1	3	8
	5.0	`Blue Jays	Aaron Sanchez	-	-	-	-	-	-		3.0	1	0	0	0	3
	4.0	Phillies	Chase Utley 2B	4	2	3	3	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	4.0	Cardinals	Peter Bourjos PR, CF	1	1	1	3	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	4.0	Dodgers	Clayton Kershaw (W, 14-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	6	1	1	2	6
	4.0	Rockies	LaTroy Hawkins (S, 18)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	3
BAT	3.0	Mariners	Austin Jackson CF	4	0	3	4	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Padres	Seth Smith RF	4	2	2	3	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Royals	Norichika Aoki RF	2	2	2	1	2	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	`Cubs	Travis Wood	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	4	1	0	3	5
	1.0	Rangers	Alex Rios RF	2	1	1	1	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-

` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Mets' Jacob deGrom (7IP 0R 11K) tops players for Tuesday, July 8

Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom is Tuesday’s Player of the Day. deGrom pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out 11 in the 8-3 win over the Braves.

Twins pitcher Phil Hughes is American League Player of the Day. Hughes pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings and struck out eight in the 2-0 win over the Mariners. Hughes earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 8.4 points for the season, moving up to 26th place in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Domonic Brown of the Phillies is National League Batter of the Day. Brown homered and went 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 9-7 win over the Brewers.

Michael Brantley of the Indians is AL Batter of the Day. Brantley homered and hit two doubles, driving in three runs, in the 5-3 win over the Yankees.

deGrom receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Hughes receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Brown and Brantley each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Tuesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed Tuesday, click here.

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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

708	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	11.0	Mets	Jacob deGrom (W, 2-5)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	7	0	0	0	11
AL	7.1	Twins	Phil Hughes (W, 9-5)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.1	8	0	0	0	8
	7.0	Blue Jays	R.A. Dickey (W, 7-8)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	4	0	0	1	5
	6.0	Athletics	Sonny Gray (W, 9-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	6	1	1	1	8
	5.0	`Reds	J.J. Hoover	-	-	-	-	-	-		2.0	2	0	0	1	6
BAT	4.0	Phillies	Domonic Brown LF	3	2	2	3	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
BAT	3.0	Indians	Michael Brantley CF	4	1	3	3	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Tigers	Rajai Davis LF	4	1	3	3	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	White Sox	Conor Gillaspie 3B	4	2	3	2	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.2	Rockies	Franklin Morales (W, 5-4)	-	-	-	-	-	-		5.2	4	1	1	3	6
	2.0	Cardinals	Kolten Wong 2B	4	1	2	3	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Astros	Chris Carter DH	4	2	2	2	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Marlins	Steve Cishek (S, 20)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	1
	1.2	Rays	Brad Boxberger (W, 2-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.2	1	0	0	0	1
	1.0	Reds	Chris Heisey LF	3	1	3	0	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-

` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Nationals' Tanner Roark (CG 0R 8K) tops players for Saturday, April 26

Nationals pitcher Tanner Roark is Saturday’s Player of the Day. Roark pitched a complete game shutout and struck out eight in the 4-0 win over the Padres.

Twins pitcher Phil Hughes is American League Player of the Day. Hughes allowed two runs over seven innings and struck out six in the 5-3 win over the Tigers.

John Ryan Murphy of the Yankees is AL Batter of the Day. Murphy went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs in the 4-3 win over the Angels. This was Murphy’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors. He is the 3,321st player to debut on Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Carlos Ruiz of the Phillies is National League Batter of the Day. Ruiz went 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI in the 6-5 win over the Diamondbacks. It is the second time in three days that Ruiz has been NL Batter of the Day—he also earned that honor Thursday.

Roark receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Hughes receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Murphy and Ruiz each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Saturday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

426	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	13.0	Nationals	Tanner Roark (W, 2-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		9.0	3	0	0	1	8
	6.2	Brewers	Marco Estrada (W, 2-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.2	4	3	3	0	9
	6.0	Braves	David Hale (W, 1-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	2	1	1	2	4
AL	6.0	Twins	Phil Hughes (W, 2-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	4	2	1	0	6
	6.0	Marlins	Mike Dunn (W, 2-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		2.0	0	0	0	0	4
	4.0	`Rays	Brandon Gomes	-	-	-	-	-	-		3.0	0	0	0	0	1
BAT	3.0	Yankees	John Ryan Murphy C	3	1	2	3	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Red Sox	A.J. Pierzynski C	3	1	1	4	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.2	Astros	Raul Valdes (S, 1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		0.2	0	0	0	0	2
BAT	2.0	Phillies	Carlos Ruiz C	4	2	3	1	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Dodgers	Adrian Gonzalez 1B	3	1	2	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Giants	Gregor Blanco PH	1	1	1	1	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Rangers	Aaron Poreda (W, 1-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		2.0	1	0	0	1	2
	1.1	Orioles	Zach Britton (W, 3-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		0.1	0	0	0	0	1
	1.0	Pirates	Jose Tabata RF	4	1	3	1	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-

` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Cabrera takes over season Box-Toppers points lead; Fernandez is top player for Saturday, May 4

Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers takes over the season lead in Box-Toppers points after winning Saturday's American League Batter of the Day honors. And Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez is Saturday's Player of the Day.

Cabrera picked up 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, bringing his season total to 7.2 and passing previous leader Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz with 7.1.​

Cabrera went 4-for-4 with two homers and six RBIs in the 17-2 win over the Astros. It is rare for a batter to lead all players in Box-Toppers points—pitchers usually dominate—however, Albert Pujols (then of the Cardinals) led all players in Box-Toppers points in 2009 as late as August, before then-Royals pitcher Zack Greinke eventually took over the lead.

Saturday was the fifth time this season Cabrera has been a Box-Toppers Player of the Game. This is the third time he was AL Batter of the Day. He was overall AL Player of the Day once.​

Fernandez ​won Player of the Day honors by giving up only one hit and striking out nine over seven innings in the 2-0 win over the Phillies.

​Phil Hughes of the Yankees is American League Player of the Day. Hughes pitched eight shutout innings and struck out nine in the 4-2 win over the Athletics.

A.J. Pollock of the Diamondbacks is National League Batter of the Day. Pollock homered, drove in three and went 2-for-4 in the 8-1 win over the Padres.​

Fernandez receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Day. Hughes receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Cabrera and Pollock receive 1.5 each for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Saturday's other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point:

504	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	14.0	Marlins	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jose Fernandez (W, 1-2)	7.0	1	0	0	1	9
AL	11.0	Yankees	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Phil Hughes (W, 1-2)	8.0	4	0	0	2	9
BAT	9.0	Tigers	Miguel Cabrera 3B	4	3	4	6	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	7.0	Royals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jeremy Guthrie (W, 4-0)	9.0	4	0	0	1	3
BAT	4.0	Diamondbacks	A.J. Pollock CF	4	3	2	3	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	4.0	Rockies	Troy Tulowitzki SS	3	1	3	3	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	4.0	Cardinals	Jon Jay CF	3	1	2	4	1	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	3.0	Mariners	Michael Saunders CF	5	2	3	3	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	3.0	Indians	Jason Kipnis 2B	4	2	3	2	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	3.0	Giants	Pablo Sandoval 3B	4	3	3	1	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Rangers	Craig Gentry CF	4	1	2	3	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Nationals	Ryan Zimmerman 3B	2	3	1	0	2	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Orioles	Nolan Reimold DH	4	2	1	2	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Reds	Devin Mesoraco PH, C	0	0	0	1	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0