This MLB puzzle ran on Oct 21, 2026. The task was to connect Mark McGwire to Brandon Belt with a chain of real players. The objective: “Every player in the chain must be a first baseman.” Par was 2 links.
Mark McGwire (1B) played in the MLB from 1986 to 2001. Career stops: the Athletics (1986 to 1997) and the Cardinals (1997 to 2001). Honors in the dataset: Rookie of the Year. 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.
Brandon Belt (1B) played in the MLB from 2011 to 2023. Career stops: the Giants (2011 to 2022) and the Blue Jays (2023). 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.
Mark McGwire and Brandon Belt 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 position objective. Every player in the chain, not just one, has to fit the position listed.
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.