This MLB puzzle ran on Oct 24, 2026. The task was to connect Carl Yastrzemski to Charlie Hough with a chain of real players. The objective: “Your chain must include a player with a 50+ home run season.” Par was 3 links.
Carl Yastrzemski (OF) played in the MLB from 1961 to 1983. A one-team career, spent with the Red Sox (1961 to 1983). No college is on record for this player. 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.
Charlie Hough (SP) played in the MLB from 1970 to 1994. Career stops: the Dodgers (1970 to 1980), the Rangers (1980 to 1990), the White Sox (1991 to 1992), and the Marlins (1993 to 1994). 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.
Carl Yastrzemski and Charlie Hough 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, 26 satisfy it. The best known are Ken Griffey Jr. (OF, 1989 to 2010), Willie Mays (OF, 1951 to 1973), David Ortiz (OF, 1997 to 2016), Jim Thome (1B, 1991 to 2012), Barry Bonds (OF, 1986 to 2007), and Alex Rodriguez (SS, 1994 to 2016).
3 of those players share a team or college with Carl Yastrzemski, and 12 share one with Charlie Hough. The Start is the tighter side, so working forward from Carl Yastrzemski 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.
Want more? Browse the full MLB puzzle archive, read the strategy guides, or see how scoring works on How to Play.