Cubs could reach World Series for 1st time in 71 years with win Saturday in NL Championship Series Game 6 vs. Dodgers

The Chicago Cubs could reach the World Series for the first time since 1945 (that’s 71 years if you’re counting) with a win Saturday over the Los Angeles Dodgers:

National League Championship Series Game 6: Cubs lead Dodgers, 3-2

The pitching matchup Saturday is a rematch of Game 2 of the series, won by the Dodgers, 1-0:

Dodgers—Clayton Kershaw, 24.4 Box-Toppers points, second among all players, second among NL pitchers.

Cubs—Kyle Hendricks, 13.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked 17th among all players, 10th among NL pitchers.

In Game 2, both pitchers did well, with Kershaw pitching seven scoreless innings and Hendricks allowing one run over 5 1/3 innings—a solo home run by Adrian Gonzalez, the only scoring in the game.

If the Dodgers win Game 6, they tie the series, 3-3, and Game 7 happens Sunday in Chicago. If the Cubs win, they win the series and face the Cleveland Indians in the World Series beginning Tuesday in Cleveland.

See Box-Toppers NLCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.

Factoid—The Cubs hold the record for the longest streak between World Series championships. It is 108 years and counting since their 1908 win.

In 1945, the last time the Cubs made the World Series, they had the longest streak of any team since winning their last World Series. At the time, they had not won a World Series in the 37 years since they won in 1908. However, in 1945, three franchises had yet to earn their first World Series title:

• The St. Louis Browns, franchise begun in 1901, won their first title in 1966 as the Baltimore Orioles.
• The Philadelphia Phillies, franchise begun in 1883, won their first title in 1980.
• The Brooklyn Dodgers, franchise begun in 1884, won their first title in 1955. They are now the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Cubs have been the longest-suffering team between World Series championships since 1922. That year, the New York Giants won the World Series for the first time since 1905, ending the then longest drought between championships of 17 years. The Cubs’ 14-year drought then became the longest and has grown each year for the past 94 years.

The Cubs franchise began in 1876 and has won two World Series titles in 1907 and 1908. They made it to seven World Series between 1910 and 1945—including four from 1929 to 1939—losing all of them.

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.

Jon Lester tops players in NLCS Game 5 Thursday as Cubs take 3-2 lead over Dodgers in series

Cubs pitcher Jon Lester is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in Thursday’s National League Championship Series Game 5.

National League Championship Series Game 5: Cubs 8, Dodgers 4

Lester allowed one run over seven innings, allowing five hits, one walk and striking out six, as the Cubs take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven game series.

Lester had a Box-Toppers game score Thursday of +5.0, highest among Cubs players. Second baseman Javier Baez had the highest Box-Toppers game score (+2.0) among Cubs batters (2B 3-5 R 3BI).

Opposing starting pitcher Kenta Maeda of the Dodgers had a Box-Toppers game score of +2.2 (3.2IP 3H R 2BB 6K ND).

Lester, during the regular season, had 22.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked fourth among all players, third among NL pitchers. This was the second time this postseason he’s earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors. He was also Player of the Game in the NL Division Series Game 1 win over the Giants, 1-0, on Oct. 7.

The series resumes Saturday with Game 6 in Chicago. There are no games scheduled for Friday.

See Box-Toppers NLCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.

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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

BTG	Game	Player of Game	AB	R	H	BI		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
5.0	CHC 8, LAD 4	Jon Lester (W,2-0)	-	-	-	-		7.0	5	1	1	1	6
BTG: Box-Toppers game score

Ryan Merritt tops players as Indians eliminate Blue Jays in ALCS; Cubs' Rizzo tops players in NLCS Game 4 win

Pitcher Ryan Merritt led the Indians to a clinching American League Championship Series Game 5 win Wednesday, even though he has never earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors during the regular season.

Also Wednesday, Anthony Rizzo was Box-Toppers Player of the Game in the Cubs’ Game 4 win to even the National League Championship Series with the Dodgers at two games apiece.

American League Championship Series Game 5: Indians 3, Blue Jays 0

Merritt pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits, no walks and striking out three, to earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors.

The Indians win the best-of-seven-game series over the Blue Jays, 4-1, and advance to the World Series beginning next Tuesday in Cleveland.

Merritt picked up a no decision because he did not pitch the requisite five innings to earn the win. However, he did pitch at least three innings, enough to qualify to earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game.

Merritt had a Box-Toppers game score Wednesday of +5.1, most of any Indians player. Left fielder Coco Crisp had the highest Box-Toppers game score (+1.0) among Indians batters (HR 1-2 R BI).

Opposing pitcher Marco Estrada of the Blue Jays had a Box-Toppers game score of +3.0 (6IP 5H 3R 0BB 7K L).

Merritt had no Box-Toppers points during the regular season and in fact is unranked because he has yet to earn his first career Player of the Game honor during the regular season. Merritt made his Major League debut May 30 and has played in four games, pitching a total of 11 innings.

The Indians ranked higher than the Blue Jays in Box-Toppers team rankings. The Indians ranked fourth with an accumulated 123.7 Box-Toppers points earned by their players in 2016. The Blue Jays ranked ninth with 114.0, the lowest of the five AL teams to qualify for the playoffs.

Yet, the Indians were weakened by the loss of two of their top starting pitchers—Danny Salazar (12.5 Box-Toppers points, ranked eighth among AL pitchers) and Carlos Carrasco (12.4 points, ranked 10th among AL pitchers). Both were out with injuries. A third starter, Trevor Bauer (11.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked 12th among AL pitchers), was injured during the series—cutting his pinky finger repairing a drone—and could only pitch 2/3 of an inning in Game 3 before having to be removed because he was bleeding so profusely from his drone wound.

Yet, the Indians were able to cobble together four wins with bullpen stars like Andrew Miller (8.0 Box-Toppers points, first among AL middle relievers) and Cody Allen (7.0 Box-Toppers points, fourth among AL closers), plus their ace starter Corey Kluber (21.2 Box-Toppers points, first among AL pitchers).

One final note: In March, Box-Toppers somehow made the correct preseason forecast that the Indians and Blue Jays would face off in the American League Championship Series and the Cubs and Dodgers would face off in the National League Championship Series.

The only problem with that: Box-Toppers picked the Blue Jays to win the ALCS and the World Series. Now, that ain’t gonna happen.

See Box-Toppers ALCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.

National League Championship Series Game 4: Cubs 10, Dodgers 2

Rizzo homered and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in three runs, to earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors.

The Cubs now even the best-of-seven-game National League Championship Series with the Dodgers, 2-2.

Rizzo had a Box-Toppers game score Wednesday of +3.0, most among Cubs players. Cubs starting pitcher John Lackey (13.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked 16th, ninth among NL pitchers) had a Box-Toppers game score of −3.0 (4IP 3H 2R 3BB 3K ND).

Opposing pitcher Julio Urias of the Dodgers had a Box-Toppers game score of −6.8 (3.2IP 4H 4R 2BB 4K L).

Rizzo had 3.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, 71st among NL batters and 16th among NL first basemen.

The series resumes Thursday with Game 5 in Los Angeles.

See Box-Toppers NLCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.

BTG	Game	Player of Game	AB	R	H	BI		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
5.1	`CLE 3, TOR 0	Ryan Merritt	-	-	-	-		4.1	2	0	0	0	3
3.0	CHC 10, LAD 2	Anthony Rizzo, 1B	5	2	3	3		-	-	-	-	-	-
	`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
BTG: Box-Toppers game score

National League Championship Series Game 5, Cubs at Dodgers, series tied, 2-2

The pitching matchup Thursday is a rematch of the Game 1 starters from Saturday. The Cubs won that game, 8-4:

Cubs—Jon Lester, 22.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked fourth among all players, third among NL pitchers.

Dodgers—Kenta Maeada, 10.0 Box-Toppers points, 54th among all players, 21st among NL pitchers.

See Box-Toppers NLCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.

Dodgers' Rich Hill, Blue Jays' Aaron Sanchez top players in Tuesday's League Championship Series games

Dodgers pitcher Rich Hill and Blue Jays pitcher Aaron Sanchez are top players in Tuesday’s two League Championship Series games.

In both LCS games Tuesday, the top 10 pitcher was outdueled by a lesser-ranked starter:

• Indians pitcher Corey Kluber (21.2 Box-Toppers points, ranked fifth among all players and first among AL pitchers) lost against the Blue Jays’ Sanchez (10.7 Box-Toppers points, 45th among all players and 19th among AL pitchers).
• Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta (15.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked ninth among all players and sixth among NL pitchers) lost against the Dodgers’ Hill (14.4 Box-Toppers points, 13th among all players and eighth among NL pitchers).

National League Championship Series Game 3: Dodgers 6, Cubs 0

Hill pitched six scoreless innings, allowing two hits, two walks and striking out six to earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors. The Dodgers take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven game series.

Hill had a Box-Toppers game score Tuesday of +8.0, most among Dodgers players. Top Dodgers batter was catcher Yasmani Grandal, who had a Box-Toppers game score of +2.0 (HR 1-3 R 3BI).

Opposing starting pitcher Jake Arrieta of the Cubs had a Box-Toppers game score of −4.0 (5IP 6H 4R 0BB 5K L).

The series resumes Wednesday in Los Angeles.

American League Championship Series Game 4: Blue Jays 5, Indians 1

Sanchez allowed one run over six innings, giving up two hits, two walks and striking out five to earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors. The Blue Jays stave off elimination and now trail the Indians 3-1 in the best-of-seven game series.

Sanchez had a Box-Toppers game score Tuesday of +5.0, most among Blue Jays players. Top Blue Jays batter was first baseman Edwin Encarnacion who had a Box-Toppers game score of 0.0 (2-4 0R 2BI).

Opposing starting pitcher Corey Kluber of the Indians had a Box-Toppers game score of +2.0 (5IP 4H 2R 2BB 7K L).

The series resumes Wednesday in Toronto.

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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

BTG	Game	Player of Game	AB	R	H	BI		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
8.0	LAD 6, CHC 0	Rich Hill (W,1-1)	-	-	-	-		6.0	2	0	0	2	6
5.0	TOR 5, CLE 1	Aaron Sanchez (W,1-0)	-	-	-	-		6.0	2	1	1	2	5
BTG: Box-Toppers game score

Coming Wednesday\

American League Championship Series Game 5: Indians lead Blue Jays, 3-1

Though the Blue Jays are on the brink of elimination, they hold the distinct advantage in pitching.

The Indians staff depleted by injury, throw a rookie on the mound to start Game 5 who has never earned a Box-Toppers point. Meanwhile, the Indians have already used their one healthy ace Corey Kluber, who leads AL pitchers in Box-Toppers points, twice during this series already. The Blue Jays counter with starter Marco Estrada, who ranks among the top 15 AL pitchers. And with Kluber unavailable for at least a couple of games, the Blue Jays may be able to stave off elimination and possibly make the series competitive.

The pitching matchup Wednesday:

Indians—Ryan Merritt, 0.0 Box-Toppers points, unranked. Merritt made his Major League debut May 30 and has played in four games but has yet to make his Box-Toppers debut—he has never earned Player of the Game honors. 

Blue Jays—Marco Estrada, 11.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 37th among all players, 15th among AL pitchers.

See Box-Toppers ALCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.

National League Championship Series Game 4, Dodgers lead Cubs, 2-1

The Cubs lost Game 3 though they had a slight pitching advantage with Arrieta (15.7 Box-Toppers points) over Hill (14.4). They hold a more distinct advantage Wednesday when the higher-ranked and veteran pitcher John Lackey with 24 games of postseason experience takes on the rookie Julio Urias with two innings of postseason experience.

The pitching matchup Wednesday:

Cubs—John Lackey, 13.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked 16th, ninth among NL pitchers.

Dodgers—Julio Urias, 5.7 Box-Toppers points, 179th among all players, 51st among NL pitchers.

See Box-Toppers NLCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.

Andrew Miller tops players in ALCS Game 3 Monday, giving Indians 3-0 series lead over Blue Jays

Indians closing pitcher Andrew Miller is Box-Toppers Player of the Game Monday in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series.

Miller pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit, no walks, striking out three and earning the save, in the 4-2 win over the Blue Jays. The Indians take a 3-0 lead over the Blue Jays in the best-of-seven game series.

Miller had 8.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranked 92nd among all players and 32nd among AL pitchers. Miller earned 3.0 of his Box-Toppers points as a middle reliever and 5.0 as a closer during the season. He ranks third among AL closers and first among AL middle relievers. He started the season with the Yankees (earning 4.0 Box-Toppers points) before being traded to the Indians (earning 4.0 more points).

This is the second time this postseason Miller has earned Player of the Game honors. He was also Player of the Game on Oct. 6 in Game 1 of the AL Division Series against the Red Sox.

Miller had a Box-Toppers game score Monday of +3.1, most among Indians players. He narrowly beat first baseman Mike Napoli, who had a Box-Toppers game score of +3.0 (HR 2B 2-3 2R 2BI). 

Blue Jays starting pitcher Marcus Stroman had a Box-Toppers game score Monday of −3.9 (5.1IP 3H 4R 3BB 5K L).

The series resumes Tuesday with Game 4 in Toronto (more details below).

See Box-Toppers ALCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.

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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

BTG	Game	Player of Game	AB	R	H	BI		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
3.1	CLE 4, TOR 2	Andrew Miller (S,1)	-	-	-	-		1.1	1	0	0	0	3
BTG: Box-Toppers game score

Coming Tuesday:

American League Championship Series Game 4: Indians lead Blue Jays, 3-0

The tentative pitching matchup Tuesday:

Indians—Corey Kluber, 21.2 Box-Toppers points, fifth among all players, first among AL pitchers. Kluber was also Player of the Game in ALCS Game 1 and ALDS Game 2.

Blue Jays—Aaron Sanchez, 10.7 Box-Toppers points, 45th among all players, 19th among AL pitchers.

See Box-Toppers ALCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.

National League Championship Series Game 3, Cubs at Dodgers, series tied, 1-1

The pitching matchup Tuesday:

Cubs—Jake Arrieta, 15.7 Box-Toppers points, ninth among all players, sixth among NL pitchers.

Dodgers—Rich Hill, 14.4 Box-Toppers points, 13th among all players, eighth among NL pitchers.

See Box-Toppers NLCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.

Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw tops players in NLCS Game 2 win to even series with Cubs, 1-1

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in the National League Championship series Game 2 win Sunday over the Cubs.

Kershaw pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing two hits, one walk and striking out six, in the 1-0 win over the Cubs. The Dodgers have tied the best-of-seven series, 1-1.

Kershaw had 24.4 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranked second among all players. This was the second time this postseason he’s earned Player of the Game honors—he was Player of the Game Thursday in the NL Division Series Game 5 against the Nationals, when he picked up the save.

Kershaw had a Box-Toppers game score of +10.0, best of any Dodgers player. First baseman Adrian Gonzalez had the highest Box-Toppers game score (0.0) among Dodgers batters, providing the game’s only scoring with a solo home run (1-3 R BI).

Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks (13.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked 17th) had a Box-Toppers game score of +1.1 (5.1IP 3H R 4BB 5K L).

The series resumes Tuesday in Los Angeles.

See Box-Toppers NLCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.

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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

BTG	Game	Player of Game	AB	R	H	BI		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
10.0	LAD 1, CHC 0	Clayton Kershaw (W,2-0)	-	-	-	-		7.0	2	0	0	1	6
BTG: Box-Toppers game score

Coming Monday:

American League Championship Series Game 3: Indians lead Blue Jays, 2-0

The pitching matchup Monday:

Indians—Trevor Bauer, 11.4 Box-Toppers points, 34th among all players, 12th among AL pitchers.

Blue Jays—Marcus Stroman, 6.7 Box-Toppers points, 132nd among all players, 43rd among AL pitchers.

See Box-Toppers ALCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.

Cubs' Montero, Indians' Tomlin top players in Saturday's league championship series games

Miguel Montero of the Cubs is Box-Toppers Player of the Game Saturday in the National League Championship Series Game 1 win over the Dodgers.

And Indians pitcher Josh Tomlin is Box-Toppers Player of the Game Saturday in the American League Championship Series Game 2 win over the Blue Jays.

National League Championship Series Game 1: Cubs 8, Dodgers 4

Montero hit an eighth-inning, pinch-hit, grand slam homer to earn Player of the Game honors as the Cubs take a 1-0 lead over the Dodgers in the best-of-seven game series.

Montero had 2.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season.

He had a Box-Toppers game score Saturday of +5.0, highest among all Cubs players. Starting pitcher Jon Lester (22.1 Box-Toppers points in 2016, ranked fourth) had a Box-Toppers game score of +2.0 (6IP 4H R BB 3K ND).

The series resumes Sunday with Game 2 in Chicago.

American League Championship Series Game 2: Indians 2, Blue Jays 1

Tomlin allowed one run over 5 2/3 innings, allowing three hits, two walks, striking out six and earning the win, as the Indians take a 2-0 lead over the Blue Jays in the best-of-seven game series.

Tomlin had 5.0 Box-Toppers points on the season, 202nd among all players and 63rd among AL pitchers.

Tomlin had a Box-Toppers game score Saturday of +4.2. Middle reliever Andrew Miller had a higher Box-Toppers game score (+7.0) but did not qualify to earn Player of the Game because he did not earn the win or save and did not pitch the requisite three innings to earn the honor. However, he struck out five over two perfect innings. Designated hitter Carlos Santana had the highest Box-Toppers game score (+1.0) among Indians batters (HR 1-2 R BI).

Blue Jays starting pitcher J.A. Happ (14.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 11th, third among AL pitchers) had a Box-Toppers game score of 0.0 in the loss (5IP 4H 2R BB 4K L).

The series resumes Monday with Game 3 in Toronto.

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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

BTG	Game	Player of Game	AB	R	H	BI		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
5.0	CHC 8, LAD 4	Miguel Montero, PH	1	1	1	4		-	-	-	-	-	-
4.2	CLE 2, TOR 1	Josh Tomlin (W,2-0)	-	-	-	-		5.2	3	1	1	2	6
BTG: Box-Toppers game score

Coming Sunday:

National League Championship Series Game 2, Cubs lead Dodgers, 1-0

The pitching matchup Sunday:

Dodgers—Clayton Kershaw, 24.4 Box-Toppers points, second among all players, second among NL pitchers.

Cubs—Kyle Hendricks, 13.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked 17th among all players, 10th among NL pitchers.

See Box-Toppers NLCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.

Indians' Corey Kluber tops players in ALCS Game 1 win over Blue Jays

Indians pitcher Corey Kluber is Player of the Game in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series.

The Indians beat the Blue Jays 2-0 to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven game series.

Kluber pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing six hits, two walks and striking out six. It is the second time this postseason Kluber has earned Player of the Game honors. He was also Player of the Game in the AL Division Series Game 2 win over the Red Sox on Oct. 7.

Kluber has 21.2 Box-Toppers points on the season, fifth among all players and first among AL pitchers.

Kluber had a Box-Toppers game score Friday of +4.1. The Indians top batter, Francisco Lindor, had a Box-Toppers game score of +1.0 (HR 2-4 R 2BI).

On the losing side, Blue Jays pitcher Marco Estrada pitched a complete game and had a Box-Toppers game score of +3.0 (8IP 6H 2R BB 6K L).

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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

BTG	Game	Player of Game	AB	R	H	BI		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
4.1	CLE 2, TOR 0	Corey Kluber (W,2-0)	-	-	-	-		6.1	6	0	0	2	6
BTG: Box-Toppers game score

Coming Saturday:

ALCS Game 2: Indians lead Blue Jays, 1-0

The pitching matchup Saturday:

Blue Jays—J.A. Happ, 14.7 Box-Toppers points, 11th among all players, third among AL pitchers.

Indians—Josh Tomlin, 5.0 Box-Toppers points, 202nd among all players, 63rd among AL pitchers.

NLCS Game 1: Dodgers at Cubs

The pitching matchup Saturday:

Dodgers—Kenta Maeada, 10.0 Box-Toppers points, 54th among all players, 21st among NL pitchers.

Cubs—Jon Lester, 22.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked fourth among all players, third among NL pitchers.

Clayton Kershaw, with rare save, tops players in NLDS Game 5, as Dodgers eliminate Nationals

Clayton Kershaw picked up his first career save, earning Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors, as the Los Angeles Dodgers eliminated the Washington Nationals Thursday in Game 5 of the National League Division Series.

National League Division Series Game 5: Dodgers 4, Nationals 3

Kershaw got the final two outs, allowing no runs, no hits, no walks, striking out one and earning the save.

The Dodgers beat the Nationals in the best-of-five game series, 3-2.

Kershaw, far and away the most dominant starting pitcher of the 2010s decade, earned his first career save only two days after starting in Game 4.

During the regular season, Kershaw had 24.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked second among all players, behind only Max Scherzer (25.7), who started Game 5 for the Nationals. Since 2011, Kershaw has 150.2 Box-Toppers points, far ahead of the second-place player, who is also Scherzer (111.3).

Kershaw had a Box-Toppers game score Thursday of +1.2. Dodgers starting pitcher Rich Hill also had a Box-Toppers game score of +1.2 (2.2IP 3H R 2BB 6K ND). But Kershaw won Player of the Game honors on a tiebreaker because he earned the save while Hill earned a no decision. Had Kershaw not earned a win or save, Hill would have won Player of the Game because he had more innings pitched. Hill had 14.4 Box-Toppers points on the season, eighth among NL pitchers.

Joc Pederson had the highest Box-Toppers game score (+1.0) among Dodgers batters (HR 2-3 R BI). The usual Dodgers closing pitcher, Kenley Jansen, pitched middle relief in the seventh, eighth and part of the ninth inning before being relieved by Kershaw. Jansen had a Box-Toppers game score of +1.1 (2.1IP H 0R 4BB 4K ND).

Scherzer, the season leader in Box-Toppers points who started for the Nationals, seemed on track to earn Player of the Game honors while his team led. Scherzer had a Box-Toppers game score of +4.0 (6IP 5H R 2BB 7K ND). The Nationals top batter was Chris Heisey, who had a Box-Toppers game score of +3.0 (HR 1-1 R 2BI).

Though the Washington Nationals had the better regular season winning percentage (.586 vs. .562), the Los Angeles Dodgers rank higher in Box-Toppers team rankings. Dodgers players have accumulated 125.2 Box-Toppers points, third-most among all teams, while the Nationals have 116.1, ranked eighth.

The Dodgers now face the Chicago Cubs in the best-of-seven National League Championship Series beginning Saturday in Chicago.

See the season Box-Toppers point totals of all Dodgers and Nationals players who earned Player of the Game honors in 2016.

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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

BTG	Game	Player of Game	AB	R	H	BI		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
1.2	LAD 4, WSH 3	Clayton Kershaw (S,1)	-	-	-	-		0.2	0	0	0	0	1
BTG: Box-Toppers game score

Nationals' Max Scherzer, Box-Toppers' top-ranked player in 2016, faces Dodgers in NLDS deciding game Thursday

Box-Toppers’ top-ranked player for 2016 takes the mound for a deciding Game 5 in the National League Division Series Thursday.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of Oct. 2 (2016 final standings):  

	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	25.7
2	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	24.4
3	Fernandez, Jose 3147	pi sp	died*	22.4
4	Lester, Jon 2173	pi sp	chi nl	22.1
5	Kluber, Corey 3200	pi sp	cle al	21.2
6	Hamels, Cole 2135	pi sp	tex al	17.8
7	Syndergaard, Noah 3472	pi sp	nym nl	16.7
8	Cueto, Johnny 2400	pi sp	sf nl	16.4
9	Arrieta, Jake 2738	pi sp	chi nl	15.7
10	Strasburg, Stephen 2736	pi sp	dc nl	15.1

What are those numbers after players' names?
* Jose Fernandez died in a boating accident Sept. 25. His team was the Miami Marlins.

Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer led all players in Box-Toppers points for 2016 with 25.7 and gets the start as his team faces the Dodgers for the right to play in the NL Championship Series.

The best-of-five series is tied at two games apiece and moves to Washington for the deciding game. The pitching matchup Thursday:

Dodgers—As of early Thursday, the Dodgers starter was still to be announced but was expected to be one of two pitchers:

• Rich Hill, 14.4 Box-Toppers points, 13th among all players, eighth among NL pitchers. Hill started Game 2 of the series, which the Dodgers lost 5-2.
• Julio Urias, 5.7 Box-Toppers points, 179th among all players, 51st among NL pitchers. 

Nationals—Max Scherzer, 25.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked first among all players, ranked first among NL pitchers. In his previous start in Game 1 of the series, the Nationals lost 4-3, Scherzer picked up the loss and had a Box-Toppers game score of −2.0 (6IP 5H 4R 0BB 5K L).

The winner of this game will face the Chicago Cubs in the NL Championship Series beginning Saturday in Chicago.

See the season Box-Toppers point totals of all Dodgers and Nationals players who earned Player of the Game honors in 2016.

There were no games Wednesday.

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.

Cubs' Aroldis Chapman, Dodgers' Joe Blanton top players in Tuesday's NLDS games

Cubs closer Aroldis Chapman and Dodgers reliever Joe Blanton are Box-Toppers’ top players in Tuesday’s two National League Division Series games.

National League Division Series Game 4: Cubs 6, Giants 5

Chapman is Box-Toppers Player of the Game as the Cubs eliminate the Giants in the best-of-five game series, 3-1, with a four-run, ninth-inning comeback.

Chapman pitched a scoreless ninth inning, striking out the side and allowing no hits and no walks. He earned the save.

Chapman had 7.4 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, 104th among all players, 33rd among NL pitchers and second among NL closers, behind Jeurys Familia of the Mets (8.0).

Chapman led all Cubs players with a Box-Toppers game score of +4.0. Willson Contreras led all Cubs batters with a Box-Toppers game score of +2.0 (1-1 2BI). Cubs starting pitcher John Lackey had a Box-Toppers game score of −7.0 (4IP 7H 3R 2BB 4K ND).

Meanwhile, Giants starting pitcher Matt Moore held a commanding lead as Box-Toppers Player of the Game going into the ninth inning. Moore had the highest Box-Toppers game score of any player on either team, +11.0 (8IP 2H 2R 2BB 10K ND). But Moore lost his Player of the Game lead when the Cubs went ahead in the ninth and won the game.

The Cubs eliminate the Giants in four games, 3-1. The Cubs were the runaway leader in Box-Toppers team rankings, leading nearly all the season with 139.5 Box-Toppers points. The Giants were the lowest-ranking team to qualify for the postseason, ranked 10th with 112.7.

This also ends the Giants’ streak of winning the World Series in even-numbered years after winning in 2010, 2012 and 2014.

The Cubs now advance to the best-of-seven game National League Championship Series beginning Saturday in Chicago against either the Dodgers or the Nationals.

National League Division Series Game 4: Dodgers 6, Nationals 5

Dodgers middle reliever Joe Blanton is Box-Toppers Player of the Game Tuesday as the Dodgers even the best-of-five game NL Division Series against the Nationals at two games apiece.

Blanton pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing no hits, no walks, striking out two and earning the win.

Blanton had no Box-Toppers points during the regular season. He had 3.0 points in 2015 with the Royals and the Pirates. His best year was 2012 with the Phillies and Dodgers when he had 9.4.

Blanton had the highest Box-Toppers game score among Dodgers players (+3.0). He qualified to be Player of the Game because, though he pitched fewer than the required three innings, he did earn the win. Top Dodgers batter was Adrian Gonzalez, who had a Box-Toppers game score of +1.0 (HR 1-3 R 2BI). Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw seemed on track to earn Player of the Game honors until the seventh inning when the Nationals scored three runs and tied the game. Kershaw ended with a Box-Toppers game score of −1.8 (6.2IP 7H 5R 2BB 11K ND). Nationals top player was Daniel Murphy, who had a Box-Toppers game score of +3.0 (2-3 4BI).

The Dodgers and Nationals face off in the deciding Game 5 of the NLDS Thursday in Washington.

There are no games Wednesday.

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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

BTG	Game	Player of Game	AB	R	H	BI		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
4.0	CHC 6, SF 5	Aroldis Chapman (S,3)	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	3
3.1	LAD 6, WSH 5	Joe Blanton (W,1-0)	-	-	-	-		1.1	0	0	0	0	2
BTG: Box-Toppers game score

Nationals' Jayson Werth tops players in Monday's League Division Series playoff games

Jayson Werth of the Nationals is top player in Monday’s three league division series playoff games.

Other Players of the Game Monday:

• Giants middle reliever Derek Law.
• Coco Crisp of the Indians.

National League Division Series Game 3: Nationals 8, Dodgers 3

Werth homered, doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in two runs to earn Player of the Game.

Werth had 6.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranked 165th among all players and 23rd among NL batters.

Werth had a Box-Toppers game score of +3.0 Monday to lead all Nationals players.

The Nationals now lead the Dodgers in the best-of-five game series, 2-1, which resumes Tuesday in Los Angeles.

National League Division Series Game 3: Giants 6, Cubs 5 (13 innings)

Giants middle reliever Derek Law pitched two scoreless innings—the sixth and seventh—and allowed no hits, one walk and struck out two.

So how did Law earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game? Under Box-Toppers rules, pitchers can qualify to earn Player of the Game honors if they pitch a minimum of three innings or earn the win or save. Law did not meet any of those requirements. However, pitchers can also earn Player of the Game honors if their Box-Toppers game score is higher than the pitcher who otherwise would have earned Player of the Game—if they have the same or more innings pitched. Closer Ty Blach (2IP 2H 0R 0BB K W) was in line to earn Player of the Game based on the fact that he earned the decision and had the highest Box-Toppers game score of qualifying pitchers (+1.0). But since Law pitched the same number of innings and had a higher Box-Toppers game score (+3.0), he wins Player of the Game.

Giants starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner would have qualified to earn Player of the Game honors (because he had more than three innings pitched) but he had a Box-Toppers game score Monday of −5.0 (5IP 7H 3R BB 4K ND). Giants top batter was catcher Buster Posey (3-5 R BI) who had a Box-Toppers game score of 0.0.

Law has 2.0 Box-Toppers points on the season.

Cubs starting pitcher Jake Arrieta (15.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked ninth among all players) had a Box-Toppers game score Monday of 0.0 in the loss (6IP 6H 2R BB 5K ND).

The Giants now trail the Cubs in the best-of-five game series, 2-1, which resumes Tuesday in San Francisco.

American League Division Series Game 3: Indians 4, Red Sox 3

Coco Crisp of the Indians hit a sixth-inning two-run homer to earn Player of the Game honors as the Indians swept the Red Sox to advance to the AL Championship Series.

Crisp went 1-for-2 and had a Box-Toppers game score of +2.0.

During the regular season, Crisp had 3.0 Box-Toppers points.

The Indians sweep the Red Sox in the NL Division Series in three games and now face the Blue Jays in the AL Championship Series beginning Friday in Cleveland.

The Red Sox ranked first among all AL teams in Box-Toppers rankings with 128.3 Box-Toppers points (ranking second overall behind the Cubs). The Indians ranked fourth with 123.7, second among AL teams.

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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

BTG	Game	Player of Game	AB	R	H	BI		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
3.0	WSH 8, LAD 3	Jayson Werth, LF	4	2	3	2		-	-	-	-	-	-
3.0	`SF 6, CHC 5 (13)	Derek Law	-	-	-	-		2.0	0	0	0	1	2
2.0	CLE 4, BOS 3	Coco Crisp, LF	2	1	1	2		-	-	-	-	-	-
	`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
BTG: Box-Toppers game score

Coming Tuesday, the NL Division Series playoff games resume:

NL Division Series Game 4: Nationals lead Dodgers, 2-1

The pitching matchup Tuesday:

Nationals—Joe Ross, 5.7 Box-Toppers points, 173rd among all players, 50th among NL pitchers.

Dodgers—Clayton Kershaw, 24.4 Box-Toppers points, second among all players, second among NL pitchers.

See the season Box-Toppers point totals of all Dodgers and Nationals players who earned Player of the Game honors in 2016.

NL Division Series Game 4: Cubs lead Giants, 2-1

The pitching matchup Tuesday:

Cubs—John Lackey, 13.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked 16th, ninth among NL pitchers.

Giants—Matt Moore, 12.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked 31st, 16th among NL pitchers.

See the season Box-Toppers point totals of all Dodgers and Nationals players who earned Player of the Game honors in 2016.

Two relievers are Box-Toppers top players in Sunday's two Division Series games

Two relief pitchers were Box-Toppers’ top players in two League Division Series playoff games Sunday:

• Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna was Player of the Game in the 7-6, 10-inning win over the Rangers, as his team swept Texas in the series. 
• And Nationals middle reliever Blake Treinen was Player of the Game in the 5-2 win over the Dodgers to even that series at one game apiece.

ALDS Game 3, Blue Jays 7, Rangers 6 (10 innings)

Osuna pitched two scoreless innings, allowing no hits, no walks, striking out two and earning the win. The Blue Jays win the best-of-five game series, 3-0 and advance to the American League Championship Series beginning Friday against the winner of the Red Sox-Indians series.

Osuna was also Player of the Game in the Blue Jays’ Game 2 win agains the Rangers on Friday. He is the first player this postseason to earn Player of the Game honors more than once.

During the regular season, Osuna had 3.0 Box-Toppers points (all in April) and ranked 319th among all players, 87th among AL pitchers and 15th among AL closers.

Osuna had a Box-Toppers game score Sunday of +4.0. Blue Jays’ top batter in the game was Edwin Encarnacion, who had a Box-Toppers game score of +3.0 (HR 2-3 R 3BI).

NLDS Game 2: Nationals 5, Dodgers 2

Nationals middle reliever Blake Treinen pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing no hits, no walks, striking out two and earning the win.

Treinen had no Box-Toppers points during the regular season. He has 1.0 for his career, earned June 10, 2015.

Treinen had a Box-Toppers game score Sunday of +3.1. Nationals’ top batter in the game, Daniel Murphy, had a Box-Toppers game score of +3.0 (3-3 R 2BI).

The best-of-five game series is now tied 1-1 and resumes Monday in Los Angeles.

ALDS Game 3 between the Red Sox and Indians was rained out Sunday and rescheduled for Monday. More details below.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

BTG	Game	Player of Game	AB	R	H	BI		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
4.0	TOR 7, TEX 6 (10)	Roberto Osuna (W,1-0)	-	-	-	-		2.0	0	0	0	0	2
3.1	WSH 5, LAD 2	Blake Treinen (W,1-0; H,1)	-	-	-	-		1.1	0	0	0	0	2
BTG: Box-Toppers game score

Coming Monday: League Division playoff games resume:

NL Division Series Game 3, Nationals at Dodgers, series tied, 1-1

The pitching matchup Monday:

Nationals—Gio Gonzalez, 6.0 Box-Toppers points, 158th among all players, 45th among NL pitchers.

Dodgers—Kenta Maeada, 10.0 Box-Toppers points, 54th among all players, 21st among NL pitchers.

See the season Box-Toppers point totals of all Dodgers and Nationals players who earned Player of the Game honors in 2016.

AL Division Series Game 3, Indians lead Red Sox, 2-0

The pitching matchup Monday:

Indians—Josh Tomlin, 5.0 Box-Toppers points, 202nd among all players, 63rd among AL pitchers.

Red Sox—Clay Buchholz, 5.0 Box-Toppers points, 200th among all players, 62nd among AL pitchers.

See the season Box-Toppers point totals of all Red Sox and Indians players who earned Player of the Game honors in 2016.

NL Division Series Game 3, Cubs lead Giants, 2-0

The pitching matchup Monday:

Cubs—Jake Arrieta, 15.7 Box-Toppers points, ninth among all players, sixth among NL pitchers.

Giants—Madison Bumgarner, 13.0 Box-Toppers points, 19th among all players, 12th among NL pitchers.

See the season Box-Toppers point totals of all Cubs and Giants players who earned Player of the Game honors in 2016.

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.

Travis Wood tops players in Cubs' NLDS Game 2 win over Giants

Cubs pitcher Travis Wood is Box-Toppers Player of the Day in Saturday’s National League Division Series Game 2 win over the Giants.

Wood pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings of middle relief, allowing no hits, no walks and striking out two, in the 5-2 win. 

During the regular season, Wood had just 1.0 Box-Toppers point (earned May 30), which ranks him 563rd among all players, 144th among NL pitchers and 33rd among NL middle relievers. Wood had 8.0 Box-Toppers points in both 2013 and 2014 when he was a starter for the Cubs, his two best seasons.

Wood had a Box-Toppers game score of +3.1. Cubs’ top batter in the game was pitcher Kyle Hendricks, who had a Box-Toppers game score of +2.0 for batting. Hendricks (1-1 2BI) hit a second-inning single, driving in two runs. Hendricks had a Box-Toppers game score of −4.8 as starting pitcher (3.2IP 4H 2R 0BB 0K ND).

Wood had the second-highest Box-Toppers game score among Cubs’ batters. His score was also +2.0, tied with Hendricks, but Hendricks ranked ahead because he had more runs batted in (2 vs. 1). Wood (1-1 R BI) hit a solo home run in the fourth inning.

The Cubs now lead the best-of-five game series 2-0. The series resumes Monday in San Francisco.

NLDS Game 2 between the Dodgers and Nationals was rained out Saturday and rescheduled for Sunday. More details below.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

BTG	Game	Player of Game	AB	R	H	BI		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
3.1	CHC 5, SF 2	Travis Wood (W,1-0)	-	-	-	-		1.1	0	0	0	0	2
BTG: Box-Toppers game score

Coming Sunday: Three division series playoff games:

NL Division Series Game 2, Dodgers lead Nationals, 1-0

NLDS Game 2 between the Dodgers and Nationals was rained out Saturday and rescheduled for Sunday.

The pitching matchup Sunday:

Dodgers—Rich Hill, 14.4 Box-Toppers points, 13th among all players, eighth among NL pitchers.

Nationals—Tanner Roark, 12.7 Box-Toppers points, 22nd among all players, 14th among NL pitchers.

See the season Box-Toppers point totals of all Dodgers and Nationals players who earned Player of the Game honors in 2016.

AL Division Series Game 3, Indians lead Red Sox, 2-0

The pitching matchup Sunday:

Indians—Josh Tomlin, 5.0 Box-Toppers points, 202nd among all players, 63rd among AL pitchers.

Red Sox—Clay Buchholz, 5.0 Box-Toppers points, 200th among all players, 62nd among AL pitchers.

See the season Box-Toppers point totals of all Red Sox and Indians players who earned Player of the Game honors in 2016.

AL Division Series Game 3, Blue Jays lead Rangers, 2-0

The pitching matchup Sunday:

Rangers—Colby Lewis, 7.7 Box-Toppers points, 96th among all players, 34th among AL pitchers.

Blue Jays—Aaron Sanchez, 10.7 Box-Toppers points, 45th among all players, 19th among AL pitchers.

See the season Box-Toppers point totals of all Blue Jays and Rangers players who earned Player of the Game honors in 2016.

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.

Cubs' Lester tops players in 4 league division playoff games, Friday, Oct. 7

Cubs pitcher Jon Lester is Box-Toppers top player in Friday’s four league division series playoff games.

The other three Players of the Game Friday:

• Indians pitcher Corey Kluber.
• Dodgers closing pitcher Kenley Jansen.
• Blue Jays closing pitcher Roberto Osuna.

NLDS Game 1: Cubs 1, Giants 0

Cubs pitcher Jon Lester pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing five hits, no walks and striking out five.

During the regular season, Lester had 22.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked fourth among all players, third among National League pitchers.

He outdueled fellow Box-Toppers top 10 pitcher, Johnny Cueto of the Giants (8IP 3H R 0BB 10K L). In the loss, Cueto had a higher Box-Toppers game score than Lester (+13.0 vs. +8.0) but Lester still wins Player of the Game since he had the highest score on the winning team. Cueto, during the regular season, had 16.4 Box-Toppers points, eighth among all players and fifth among NL pitchers.

Second baseman Javier Baez had the highest Box-Toppers game score (+2.0) among Cubs batters, hitting the eighth-inning home run that was the only scoring of the game (2-3 R BI).

The Cubs now lead the best-of-five game series, 1-0, which resumes Saturday in Chicago.

ALDS Game 2: Indians 6, Red Sox 0

Indians pitcher Corey Kluber pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out seven and allowing three hits and three walks.

During the regular season, Kluber led all American League pitchers with 21.2 Box-Toppers points and ranked fifth among all players.

Kluber had a Box-Toppers game score of +8.0, same as Lester had for the Cubs in they NLDS win, but Lester’s game score ranks higher because he had more innings pitched (8 vs. 7).

Left fielder Brandon Guyer had the highest Box-Toppers game score (+2.0) among Indians batters (3-4 2R BI).

The Indians now lead the best-of-five game series, 2-0, which resumes Sunday in Boston.

NLDS Game 1, Dodgers 4, Nationals 3

Dodgers closing pitcher Kenley Jansen pitched a five-out save, going 1 2/3 innings, allowing one hit, no runs, no walks and striking out two.

During the regular season, Jansen had 6.0 Box-Toppers points, ranking 163rd among all players, 46th among NL pitchers and third among NL closing pitchers.

Jansen had a Box-Toppers game score of +3.2, most of any Dodgers player in the win. Third baseman Justin Turner had the highest Box-Toppers game score (+2.0) among Dodgers batters (HR 2-3 R 2BI).

The game pitted Box-Toppers two top-ranked players against each other as starting pitchers, but neither had positive Box-Toppers game scores:

• Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers (24.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked second) had a Box-Toppers game score of −3.0 (5IP 8H 3R BB 7K W).
• Max Scherzer of the Nationals (25.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked first) had a Box-Toppers game score of −2.0 (6IP 5H 4R 0BB 5K L).

The Dodgers now lead the best-of-five game series, 1-0, which resumes Saturday in Washington.

ALDS Game 2: Blue Jays 5, Rangers 3

Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna pitched a five-out save, going 1 2/3 innings, allowing one hit, no runs, no walks and striking out two.

During the regular season, Osuna had 3.0 Box-Toppers points (all in April) and ranked 319th among all players, 87th among AL pitchers and 15th among AL closers.

Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki had the highest Box-Toppers game score (+1.0) among Blue Jays batters (HR 2-4 R 2BI).

The Blue Jays now lead the best-of-five game series, 2-0, which resumes Sunday in Toronto.

BTG	Game	Player of Game	AB	R	H	BI		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
8.0	CHC 1, SF 0	Jon Lester (W,1-0)	-	-	-	-		8.0	5	0	0	0	5
8.0	CLE 6, BOS 0	Corey Kluber (W,1-0)	-	-	-	-		7.0	3	0	0	3	7
3.2	LAD 4, WSH 3	Kenley Jansen (S,1)	-	-	-	-		1.2	1	0	0	0	3
2.2	TOR 5, TEX 3	Roberto Osuna (S,1)	-	-	-	-		1.2	1	0	0	0	2
BTG: Box-Toppers game score

Coming Saturday: The National League Division Series playoffs resume with two Game 2s:

NL Division Series Game 2, Dodgers lead Nationals, 1-0

The pitching matchup Saturday:

Dodgers—Rich Hill, 14.4 Box-Toppers points, 13th among all players, eighth among NL pitchers.

Nationals—Tanner Roark, 12.7 Box-Toppers points, 22nd among all players, 14th among NL pitchers.

See the season Box-Toppers point totals of all Dodgers and Nationals players who earned Player of the Game honors in 2016.

NL Division Series Game 2, Cubs lead Giants, 1-0

The pitching matchup Saturday:

Giants—Jeff Samardzija, 10.7 Box-Toppers points, 41st among all players, 18th among NL pitchers.

Cubs—Kyle Hendricks, 13.4 Box-Toppers points, 17th among all players, 10th among NL pitchers.

See the season Box-Toppers point totals of all Giants and Cubs players who earned Player of the Game honors in 2016.

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.

Blue Jays' Estrada, Indians' Miller top players in pair of opening ALDS games for Thursday, Oct. 6

Marco Estrada of the Blue Jays and Andrew Miller of the Indians are Box-Toppers Players of the Game in Thursday’s pair of American League Division Series openers.

Estrada allowed one run over 8 1/3 innings, allowing four hits, no walks and striking out six, in the 10-1 win over the Rangers. The Blue Jays now lead the Rangers 1-0 in the best-of-five series.

Estrada had 11.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, 37th among all players and 15th among AL pitchers.

Estrada had a Box-Toppers game score Thursday of +8.1. Blue Jays’ top batter in the game was third baseman Josh Donaldson (two doubles, 4-4 2R 2BI) with a Box-Toppers game score of +4.0. Rangers starting pitcher Cole Hamels had a bad day (3.1IP 6H 7R 3BB K L), earning a Box-Toppers game score of −17.9. During the regular year, Hamels had 15.4 Box-Toppers points, sixth among all players and second among AL pitchers.

Indians 5, Red Sox 4—In the other ALDS Game 1, Indians pitcher Andrew Miller earned Player of the Game, allowing no runs over two innings of middle relief. He allowed one hit, one walk and struck out four.

During the regular season, Miller had 8.0 Box-Toppers points as a closer and middle reliever. He earned 4.0 points for the Yankees before his midseason trade to the Indians. He ranks 92nd among all players in Box-Toppers points, 32nd among AL pitchers, third among AL closing pitchers and first among AL middle relievers.

Indians’ top batter Thursday was second baseman Jason Kipnis (HR 3-4 R 2BI) with a Box-Toppers game score of +2.0.

Neither starting pitcher fared particularly well. Red Sox pitcher Rick Porcello (4.1IP 6H 5R 0BB 6K L) had a Box-Toppers game score of −5.9. Indians starter Trevor Bauer (4.2IP 6H 3R 0BB 6K ND) had a game score of −1.8.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

BTG	Game	Player of Game	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
8.1	TOR 10, TEX 1	Marco Estrada (W,1-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.1	4	1	1	0	6
4.0	CLE 5, BOS 4	Andrew Miller (W,1-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		2.0	1	0	0	1	4
BTG: Box-Toppers game score

AL Division Series Game 2, Blue Jays lead Rangers, 1-0

The pitching matchup Friday:

Blue Jays—J.A. Happ, 14.7 Box-Toppers points, 11th among all players, third among AL pitchers.

Rangers—Yu Darvish, 10.4 Box-Toppers points, 51st among all players, 21st among AL pitchers.

See the season Box-Toppers point totals of all Blue Jays and Rangers players who earned Player of the Game honors in 2016.

AL Division Series Game 2, Indians lead Red Sox, 1-0

The pitching matchup Friday:

Red Sox—David Price, 12.4 Box-Toppers points, 27th among all players, ninth among AL pitchers.

Indians—Corey Kluber, 21.2 Box-Toppers points, fifth among all players, first among AL pitchers.

Price and Kluber are the top two AL pitchers over the past two seasons. Over 2015 and 2016, Kluber ranks first among AL pitchers with 34.6 Box-Toppers points; Price ranks second with 33.5.

See the season Box-Toppers point totals of all Red Sox and Indians players who earned Player of the Game honors in 2016.

NL Division Series Game 1, Dodgers at Nationals

Though the Washington Nationals have the better winning percentage (.586 vs. .562), the Los Angeles Dodgers rank higher in Box-Toppers team rankings. Dodgers players have accumulated 125.2 Box-Toppers points, third-most among all teams, while the Nationals have 116.1, ranked eighth.

The pitching matchup Friday features the season’s top two players in Box-Toppers player rankings:

Dodgers—Clayton Kershaw, 24.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked second among all players, ranked second among NL pitchers. 

Nationals—Max Scherzer, 25.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked first among all players, ranked first among NL pitchers.

Kershaw led in Box-Toppers points much of the season and had earned 20.0 Box-Toppers points before the end of June, on pace to shatter the single-season Box-Toppers point record of 33.7. But then in late June, he went on the disabled list for two months. Despite his time away, Kershaw did not slip much down Box-Toppers rankings and was only passed by Scherzer in late August.

Kershaw and Scherzer are also the top two NL pitchers over the past two seasons. Over 2015 and 2016, Kershaw ranks first with 50.1 Box-Toppers points and Scherzer ranks second with 46.7. They are also the top two NL pitchers over the past six seasons. From 2011 to the present, Kershaw ranks first with 150.2 points and Scherzer ranks second with 111.3.

In addition to Kershaw, the Dodgers have one other player in a season’s top 10 Box-Toppers category list: Rich Hill with 14.4 Box-Toppers points ranks eighth among NL pitchers.

In addition to Scherzer, the Nationals have one other player a season’s top 10 Box-Toppers category list: Stephen Strasburg with 15.1 Box-Toppers points ranks 10th among all players and seventh among NL pitchers.

Dodgers vs. Nationals

Here are players for both teams in the NL Divisional Series beginning Friday. Players are listed for both teams ranked by Box-Toppers points earned in 2016. All players listed were on active Major or Minor League rosters at the end of the season—not necessarily all of them will be included on postseason rosters.  

Los Angeles Dodgers				Washington Nationals
Player	Pos	BTP		Player	Pos	BTP
Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	24.4		Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	25.7
Hill, Rich 2215	pi sp	14.4		Strasburg, Stephen 2736	pi sp	15.1
Maeda, Kenta 3609	pi sp	10.0		Roark, Tanner 3261	pi sp	12.7
Kazmir, Scott 1947	pi sp	8.7		Murphy, Daniel 2589	2b	7.5
Grandal, Yasmani 3058	ca	7.2		Gonzalez, Gio 2626	pi sp	6.0
Jansen, Kenley 2871	pi cp	6.0		Werth, Jayson 1664	lf	6.0
Gonzalez, Adrian 2193	1b	5.7		Ross, Joe 3499	pi sp	5.7
Urias, Julio 3652	pi sp	5.7		Rendon, Anthony 3258	3b	5.5
Stripling, Ross 3629	pi sp	4.7		Latos, Mat 2644	pi sp	3.7
Kendrick, Howie 2191	2b lf 1b	4.0		Espinosa, Danny 2804	ss 2b	3.2
Seager, Corey 3587	ss	4.0		Harper, Bryce 3011	rf	3.0
Pederson, Joc 3621	cf	4.0		Melancon, Mark 2792	pi cp	3.0
Toles, Andrew 3692	rf lf cf ph	4.0		Turner, Trea 3730	2b cf	2.5
Reddick, Josh 2936	rf	3.5		Petit, Yusmeiro 2337	pi mr sp	2.0
Puig, Yasiel 3193	rf	3.5		Lopez, Reynaldo 3712	pi sp mr	2.0
McCarthy, Brandon 2082	pi sp	2.7		Solis, Sammy 3651	pi mr	2.0
Turner, Justin 2865	3b 2b	2.5		Zimmerman, Ryan 2180	1b 3b	1.5
Howell, J.P. 2016	pi mr	2.0		Ramos, Wilson 2904	ca	1.5
Stewart, Brock 3722	pi sp	1.7		den Dekker, Matt 3534	lf ph	1.5
Taylor, Chris 3684	2b	1.5		Taylor, Michael 3447	cf	1.0
Wood, Alex 3246	pi sp	1.0		Robinson, Clint 3475	1b	1.0
Hatcher, Chris 3420	pi mr	1.0		Kelley, Shawn 2630	pi cp mr	1.0
Hernandez, Enrique 3541	lf	1.0		Revere, Ben 2886	cf	1.0
Utley, Chase 1861	2b	1.0		Lobaton, Jose 3216	ca	1.0
Baez, Pedro 3678	pi mr	1.0		Cole, A.J. 3727	pi sp	1.0
Totals		125.2		Totals		116.1

What are those numbers after players' names?

NL Division Series Game 1, Giants at Cubs

The Cubs are the runaway leader in Box-Toppers team rankings, leading nearly all the season with 139.5 Box-Toppers points. The Giants are the lowest-ranking team to qualify for the postseason, ranked 10th with 112.7. 

But the Giants have won the World Series each of the past three even-numbered years (2010, 2012 and 2014)—2016 is an even-numbered year. The Cubs last won the World Series in an even-numbered year, but that year was 1908, 106 years ago.

The pitching matchup Friday:

Giants—Johnny Cueto, 16.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked eighth among all players, fifth among NL pitchers.

Cubs—Jon Lester, 22.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked fourth among all players, third among NL pitchers.

Cueto is the only Giants players in the top 10 in a Box-Toppers category.

The Cubs have four other players in season top 10 lists:

• Jake Arrieta, 15.7 Box-Toppers points, ranks ninth among all players and sixth among NL pitchers. (Arrieta led all players in 2015 with 29.1 Box-Toppers points).
• John Lackey, 13.4 Box-Toppers points, ranks ninth among NL pitchers.
• Kyle Hendricks, 13.4 Box-Toppers points, ranks 10th among NL pitchers.
• Kris Bryant, 10.5 Box-Toppers points, ranks second among NL batters.

Giants vs. Cubs

Here are players for both teams in the NL Divisional Series beginning Friday. Players are listed for both teams ranked by Box-Toppers points earned in 2016. All players listed were on active Major or Minor League rosters at the end of the season—not necessarily all of them will be included on postseason rosters.  

San Francisco Giants				Chicago Cubs
Player	Pos	BTP		Player	Pos	BTP
Cueto, Johnny 2400	pi sp	16.4		Lester, Jon 2173	pi sp	22.1
Bumgarner, Madison 2753	pi sp	13.0		Arrieta, Jake 2738	pi sp	15.7
Moore, Matt 2975	pi sp	12.4		Lackey, John 1640	pi sp	13.4
Samardzija, Jeff 2495	pi sp	10.7		Hendricks, Kyle 3386	pi sp	13.4
Belt, Brandon 2943	1b	7.0		Hammel, Jason 2235	pi sp	13.0
Panik, Joe 3401	2b	5.5		Bryant, Kris 3465	lf 3b rf	10.5
Nunez, Eduardo 2795	3b 2b ss	5.5		Chapman, Aroldis 2826	pi cp	7.4
Peavy, Jake 1635	pi sp	5.0		Montgomery, Mike 3513	pi cp mr sp	5.0
Posey, Buster 2745	ca 1b	3.5		Rondon, Hector 3201	pi cp	5.0
Pence, Hunter 2287	rf	3.5		Zobrist, Ben 2216	2b rf lf	4.0
Casilla, Santiago 2301	pi cp	3.0		Russell, Addison 3559	ss	3.5
Kontos, George 3106	pi cp mr	3.0		Rizzo, Anthony 3063	1b	3.0
Span, Denard 2502	cf	3.0		Cahill, Trevor 2658	pi mr sp	3.0
Tomlinson, Kelby 3619	2b ph	3.0		Soler, Jorge 3403	lf	2.5
Cain, Matt 2081	pi sp	2.7		Coghlan, Chris 2610	3b rf ph	2.5
Brown, Trevor 3610	ca	2.5		Ross, David 1729	ca	2.5
Crawford, Brandon 2878	ss	2.0		Montero, Miguel 2304	ca ph	2.0
Gillaspie, Conor 3218	3b ph	2.0		Smith, Joe 2388	pi cp mr	2.0
Blach, Ty 3754	pi sp	2.0		Baez, Javier 3395	2b ss	2.0
Law, Derek 3657	pi sp mr	2.0		LaStella, Tommy 3367	3b 2b	2.0
Pagan, Angel 2184	lf	1.0		Fowler, Dexter 2698	cf	1.5
Beckham, Gordon 2620	2b	1.0		Szczur, Matt 3704	cf	1.5
Strickland, Hunter 3546	pi mr	1.0		Wood, Travis 2777	pi mr sp	1.0
Okert, Steven 3745	pi mr	1.0		Heyward, Jason 2695	rf	1.0
Osich, Josh 3677	pi mr	1.0
Totals		112.7		Totals		139.5

What are those numbers after players' names?

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.

Giants' Madison Bumgarner tops players in NL Wild Card Game win over Mets

Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner is Box-Toppers Player of the Day in Wednesday’s National League Wild Card game.

Bumgarner pitched a complete-game, four-hit shutout, striking out six and walking two, in the 3-0 win over the Mets.

Bumgarner had a Box-Toppers game score of +9.0. Third baseman Conor Gillaspie who hit the ninth-inning, three-run homer that put the Giants ahead, had a Box-Toppers game score of +2.0 (HR 2-4 R 3BI).

Bumgarner had 13.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, 19th among all players and 12th among NL pitchers. Over the past two seasons, Bumgarner has 30.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked seventh among NL pitchers. Gillaspie had 2.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season.

The Giants, 10th-ranked in Box-Toppers team rankings (112.7), beat the Mets, ranked sixth (119.1). The Giants are the lowest-ranked team to qualify for the postseason but among the 10 teams in the playoffs, they were hottest down the stretch—in the season’s final 10 games, they picked up 8.7 Box-Toppers points.

The Giants will face the Cubs in the best-of-five NL Divisional Series beginning Friday in Chicago. The Cubs have baseball’s best record and highest accumulated Box-Toppers point total of 139.5.

Top player from NL Wild Card Game

BTG	Game	Player of Game	AB	R	H	BI		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
9.0	SF 3, NYM 0	Madison Bumgarner (W,1-0)	-	-	-	-		9.0	4	0	0	2	6
BTG: Box-Toppers game score

Coming Thursday: The American League begins both division playoff series:

AL Division Series, Game 1: Blue Jays at Rangers

The Blue Jays rank 10th in Box-Toppers team rankings (114.0 Box-Toppers points) while the Rangers rank fifth (122.5). In the final 10 days of the season, the Rangers picked up 7.5 Box-Toppers points while the Blue Jays picked up 6.0.

The pitching matchup Thursday:

Blue Jays—Marco Estrada, 11.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 37th among all players, 15th among AL pitchers.

Rangers—Cole Hamels, 17.8 Box-Toppers points, ranked sixth among all players, second among AL pitchers.

The Blue Jays have three players who are among the top 10 in their Box-Toppers category:

• J.A. Happ, 14.7 Box-Toppers points, ranks third among AL pitchers.
• Catcher Russell Martin, 10.5 Box-Toppers points, ranks sixth among AL batters.
• Third baseman Josh Donaldson, 9.7 Box-Toppers poitns, ranks seventh among AL batters.

The Rangers also have three players who are among the top 10 in their Box-Toppers category:

• Hamels, 17.8 Box-Toppers points, second among AL pitchers, sixth among all players.
• Third baseman Adrian Beltre, 9.5 Box-Toppers points, eighth among AL batters.
• Shortstop Elvis Andrus, 9.2 Box-Toppers points, 10th among AL batters.

Blue Jays vs. Rangers

Here are players for both teams in the AL Divisional Series beginning Thursday. Players are listed for both teams ranked by Box-Toppers points earned in 2016. All players listed were on active Major or Minor League rosters at the end of the season—not necessarily all of them will be included on postseason rosters.  

Toronto Blue Jays				Texas Rangers
Player	Pos	BTP		Player	Pos	BTP
Happ, J.A. 2536	pi sp	14.7		Hamels, Cole 2135	pi sp	17.8
Estrada, Marco 2847	pi sp	11.0		Darvish, Yu 3003	pi sp	10.4
Sanchez, Aaron 3392	pi sp	10.7		Beltre, Adrian 1141	3b	9.5
Martin, Russell 2202	ca	10.5		Andrus, Elvis 2582	ss	9.2
Donaldson, Josh 3144	3b	9.7		Lewis, Colby 1567	pi sp	7.7
Liriano, Francisco 2104	pi sp	8.0		Mazara, Nomar 3614	rf lf	7.0
Encarnacion, Edwin 2098	dh 1b	8.0		Odor, Rougned 3336	2b	6.5
Dickey, R.A. 1734	pi sp	7.0		Beltran, Carlos 1194	dh rf	6.0
Stroman, Marcus 3327	pi sp	6.7		Lucroy, Jonathan 2744	ca	5.7
Saunders, Michael 2768	lf	5.2		Griffin, A.J. 3074	pi sp	5.7
Smoak, Justin 2731	1b	3.5		Gomez, Carlos 2397	lf	4.5
Osuna, Roberto 3512	pi cp	3.0		Holland, Derek 2634	pi sp	4.0
Upton, Melvin 1922	lf cf	2.5		Desmond, Ian 2673	cf lf	4.0
Pillar, Kevin 3486	cf	2.0		Moreland, Mitch 2799	1b	3.5
Biagini, Joe 3646	pi mr	2.0		Harrell, Lucas 2988	pi sp	3.0
Goins, Ryan 3478	2b	1.5		Rua, Ryan 3631	1b lf	3.0
Bautista, Jose 2169	rf	1.0		DeShields, Delino 3557	cf lf	2.0
Tulowitzki, Troy 2308	ss	1.0		Perez, Martin 3213	pi sp	2.0
Bolsinger, Mike 3318	pi sp	1.0		Barnette, Tony 3670	pi mr	2.0
Grilli, Jason 2209	pi mr cp	1.0		Bush, Matt 3673	pi mr cp	2.0
Travis, Devon 3436	2b	1.0		Tolleson, Shawn 3077	pi cp	1.0
Benoit, Joaquin 1663	pi mr	1.0		Choo, Shin-Soo 2267	rf	1.0
Cecil, Brett 2566	pi mr	1.0		Claudio, Alex 3459	pi mr	1.0
Navarro, Dioner 2087	dh ca	1.0		Jeffress, Jeremy 3473	pi cp	1.0
				Diekman, Jake 3266	pi mr	1.0
				Alvarez, Dario 3663	pi mr	1.0
				Profar, Jurickson 3665	ph	1.0
Totals		114.0		Totals		122.5

What are those numbers after players' names?

AL Division Series, Game 1: Red Sox at Indians

The Red Sox rank second in Box-Toppers team rankings (128.3 Box-Toppers points) while the Indians rank fourth (123.7). In the final 10 days of the season, the Indians picked up 6.0 Box-Toppers points while the Red Sox picked up 5.0.

The pitching matchup Thursday:

Red Sox—Rick Porcello, 8.0 Box-Toppers points, 91st among all players, 31st among AL pitchers. (Despite leading all pitchers with 22 wins, Porcello did not rank highly in Box-Toppers player rankings in 2016.) 

Indians—Trevor Bauer, 11.4 Box-Toppers points, 34th among all players, 12th among AL pitchers. (Bauer ranks higher than Porcello in Box-Toppers player rankings but has 10 fewer wins—he was 12-8 in 2016.)

The Red Sox are the AL’s top-ranked team in Box-Toppers points, but have only one player ranked in the top 10 in a Box-Toppers category—David Price, 12.4 Box-Toppers points, ranks ninth among AL pitchers.

The Indians have three pitchers in Box-Toppers top 10 pitchers list, none of whom is starting Game 1:

• Corey Kluber, 21.2 Box-Toppers points, ranks first among AL pitchers and fifth among all players.
• Danny Salazar, 12.5 Box-Toppers points, ranks eighth among AL pitchers.
• Carlos Carrasco, 12.4 Box-Toppers points, ranks 10th among AL pitchers.

Red Sox vs. Indians

Here are players for both teams in the AL Divisional Series beginning Thursday. Players are listed for both teams ranked by Box-Toppers points earned in 2016. All players listed were on active Major or Minor League rosters at the end of the season—not necessarily all of them will be included on postseason rosters.  

Boston Red Sox				Cleveland Indians
Player	Pos	BTP		Player	Pos	BTP
Price, David 2593	pi sp	12.4		Kluber, Corey 3200	pi sp	21.2
Pomeranz, Drew 3061	pi sp	12.4		Salazar, Danny 3223	pi sp	12.5
Wright, Steven 3224	pi sp	8.4		Carrasco, Carlos 2885	pi sp	12.4
Kimbrel, Craig 2825	pi cp	8.0		Bauer, Trevor 3065	pi sp	11.4
Ortiz, David	dh	8.0		Miller, Andrew 2436	pi cp mr	8.0
Porcello, Rick 2573	pi sp	8.0		Allen, Cody 3265	pi cp mr	7.0
Shaw, Travis 3544	1b 3b	7.0		Lindor, Francisco 3586	ss	7.0
Ramirez, Hanley 2119	1b	7.0		Napoli, Mike 2161	1b	6.5
Betts, Mookie 3404	rf	6.2		Tomlin, Josh 2771	pi sp	5.0
Bradley, Jackie Jr. 3293	cf	5.5		Chisenhall, Lonnie 2959	rf	3.5
Hill, Aaron 2056	2b	5.5		Crisp, Coco 1876	lf	3.0
Buchholz, Clay 2363	pi sp	5.0		Otero, Dan 3365	pi mr	3.0
Pedroia, Dustin 2320	2b	5.0		Shaw, Bryan 2995	pi mr	3.0
Rodriguez, Eduardo 3480	pi sp	4.7		Clevinger, Mike 3707	pi mr sp	3.0
Uehara, Koji 2802	pi cp	4.0		Byrd, Marlon 1751	rf	2.5
Ross, Robbie Jr. 2999	pi cp mr sp	3.0		Santana, Carlos 2757	dh 1b	2.5
Leon, Sandy 3676	ca	3.0		Almonte, Abraham 3554	rf ph	2.0
Holt, Brock 3340	3b lf	2.5		Naquin, Tyler 3662	cf ph	2.0
Ziegler, Brad 2504	pi cp	2.0		Anderson, Cody 3509	pi sp	1.7
Abad, Fernando 3653	pi mr	2.0		Ramirez, Jose 3436	3b	1.5
Hembree, Heath 3620	pi cp	1.7		Brantley, Michael 2785	lf	1.0
Swihart, Blake 3565	lf ca	1.0		McAllister, Zach 3088	pi mr sp	1.0
Kelly, Joe 3066	pi sp	1.0		Gomes, Yan 3177	ca	1.0
Bogaerts, Xander 3383	ss	1.0		Guyer, Brandon 3363	lf	1.0
Hanigan, Ryan 2708	ca	1.0		Gimenez, Chris 2870	ca	1.0
Tazawa, Junichi 3151	pi mr	1.0
Vazquez, Christian 3380	ca	1.0
Brentz, Bryce 3680	lf	1.0
Totals		128.3		Totals		123.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

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.