This MLB puzzle ran on Oct 15, 2026. The task was to connect Kent Hrbek to JJ Wetherholt with a chain of real players. The objective: “Your chain must include a player with a 40+ home run season.” Par was 3 links.
Kent Hrbek (1B) played in the MLB from 1981 to 1994. A one-team career, spent with the Twins (1981 to 1994). As the Start of the chain, a household name like this gives you a lot of teammates to branch from, which makes it a friendly place to begin.
JJ Wetherholt (2B) played in the MLB from 2026. A one-team career, spent with the Cardinals (2026). As the Finish of the chain, a household name like this gives you a lot of teammates to branch from, which makes it a friendly place to begin.
Kent Hrbek and JJ Wetherholt do not share a team or a college, so there is no direct link. You need at least one connector in between, and the objective decides which ones are allowed to count.
This was a stat milestone objective. At least one player in the chain has to have cleared the career or season mark named in the objective. Of the 11,807 players in the pool, 139 satisfy it. The best known are Hank Aaron (OF, 1954 to 1976), Ken Griffey Jr. (OF, 1989 to 2010), Reggie Jackson (OF, 1967 to 1987), Willie Mays (OF, 1951 to 1973), David Ortiz (OF, 1997 to 2016), and Vladimir Guerrero (OF, 1996 to 2011).
9 of those players share a team or college with Kent Hrbek, and 14 share one with JJ Wetherholt. The Start is the tighter side, so working forward from Kent Hrbek narrows the options fastest.
One shortest chain found by searching the full player pool, preferring the best known names at every step:
Many other chains work. Scoring rewards lower-profile connectors, so the best-known route is rarely the highest scoring one.
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