This MLB puzzle ran on Oct 19, 2026. The task was to connect Larry Walker to Willie Stargell with a chain of real players. The objective: “Your chain must include an Cy Young winner.” Par was 3 links.
Larry Walker (OF) played in the MLB from 1989 to 2005. Career stops: the Nationals (1989 to 1994), the Rockies (1995 to 2004), and the Cardinals (2004 to 2005). No college is on record for this player. Honors in the dataset: MVP. 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.
Willie Stargell (OF) played in the MLB from 1962 to 1982. A one-team career, spent with the Pirates (1962 to 1982). No college is on record for this player. Honors in the dataset: MVP. 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.
Larry Walker and Willie Stargell 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 an award objective. At least one player in the chain has to be a winner of the named honor. Of the 11,807 players in the pool, 76 satisfy it. The best known are Greg Maddux (SP, 1986 to 2008), John Smoltz (SP, 1988 to 2009), Rollie Fingers (RP, 1968 to 1985), Dennis Eckersley (RP, 1975 to 1998), Steve Carlton (SP, 1965 to 1988), and Tom Seaver (SP, 1967 to 1986).
19 of those players share a team or college with Larry Walker, and 3 share one with Willie Stargell. The Finish is the tighter side, so it often pays to work backward from Willie Stargell.
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.
Want more? Browse the full MLB puzzle archive, read the strategy guides, or see how scoring works on How to Play.