World Series Game 6 features a rematch of both teams’ 2025 Box-Toppers points leaders

Friday, Oct. 31 World Series Game 6 preview

Oct 31, 2025

**What are those numbers after players’ names?**

Dodgers’ Yamamoto, Blue Jays’ Gausman, started World Series Game 2, a Dodgers victory, with a complete game win by Yamamoto

The World Series Game 6 pitching matchup on Friday is a rematch of Game 2 won by the Los Angeles Dodgers and features both teams’ leaders in 2025 Box-Toppers points.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (17.7 Box-Toppers points in 2025, seventh among all players and fourth among National League pitchers) starts for the Dodgers against Kevin Gausman of the Toronto Blue Jays (14.1 Box-Toppers points in 2025, 15th among all players and seventh among American League pitchers).

The Blue Jays, with a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven-game series, seek to wrap up the title with a win in Game 6, as the series returns to Toronto.

But the Dodgers, led by Yamamoto, won Game 2 of the series in Toronto on Oct. 25, 5-1. Yamamoto was Box-Toppers Player of the Game, pitching a complete game, striking out eight and allowing one run, four hits and no walks, with 105 total pitches, recording a game-high +11.0 Box-Toppers game score. It was his second complete game of the 2025 postseason. He also did it in the NL Championship Series Game 2 win over the Brewers on Oct. 14.

In the same game, Gausman recorded a +2.2 game score in the loss, striking out six over 6 2/3 innings, allowing four hits, three runs, no walks and picking up the loss.

Yamamoto’s 2025 postseason performances

Yamamoto has won Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors in three of his four 2025 postseason starts:

NL Wild Card Game 2 over the Reds on Oct. 1 (6.2IP 4H 2R 0ER 2BB 9K W) with a +7.2 Box-Toppers game score.
NLCS Game 2 over the Brewers on Oct. 14 (CG 3H R BB 3K W) with a +10.0 Box-Toppers game score.
World Series Game 2 on Oct. 25, +11.0 game score.

He also started in the NLDS Game 3 loss against the Phillies Oct. 8 (4IP 6H 3R BB 2K L), recording a -7.0 game score.

Yamamoto is one of three players to win Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors three times this postseason, along with teammates Blake Snell and Shohei Ohtani (who won two for pitching and one for batting).

Gausman’s 2025 postseason performances

Gausman has made five appearances this postseason, including one in relief, but did not earn Player of the Game honors in any of them. However, he has positive game scores in each of his four starts:

ALDS Game 1 win over the Yankees on Oct. 4 (5.2IP 4H R 2BB 3K W) with a +0.2 Box-Toppers game score.
ALCS Game 1 loss to the Mariners on Oct. 12 (5.2IP 3H 2R BB 5K L) with a +2.2 game score.
ALCS Game 5 loss to the Mariners on Oct. 17 (5.2IP 3H R 3BB 4K ND) with a +1.2 game score.
ALCS Game 7 win over the Mariners on Oct. 20, appearing in relief (1IP 0H 0R 3BB 0K W) with a -2.0 game score.
World Series Game 2 loss to the Dodgers on Oct. 25, +2.2 game score.

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. (No Box-Toppers points are awarded in postseason games.)

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