This MLB puzzle ran on Oct 25, 2026. The task was to connect Kazuma Okamoto to Chan Ho Park with a chain of real players. The objective: “Your chain must include a player born in Curacao.” Par was 4 links. A search of the full player pool found a shortest chain of 3 links.
Kazuma Okamoto (3B) played in the MLB from 2026. A one-team career, spent with the Blue Jays (2026). 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.
Chan Ho Park (SP) played in the MLB from 1994 to 2010. Career stops: the Dodgers (1994 to 2008), the Rangers (2002 to 2005), the Padres (2005 to 2006), the Mets (2007), the Phillies (2009), the Yankees (2010), and the Pirates (2010). No college is on record for this player. 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.
Kazuma Okamoto and Chan Ho Park 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 birthplace objective. At least one player in the chain has to have been born in the named country. Of the 11,807 players in the pool, 17 satisfy it. The best known are Andruw Jones (OF, 1996 to 2012), Kenley Jansen (RP, 2010 to 2026), Ozzie Albies (2B, 2017 to 2026), Jurickson Profar (OF, 2012 to 2025), Andrelton Simmons (SS, 2012 to 2022), and Jonathan Schoop (2B, 2013 to 2023).
0 of those players share a team or college with Kazuma Okamoto, and 9 share one with Chan Ho Park. With one side that thin, the route has to be built outward from the other end.
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.