This MLB puzzle ran on Oct 29, 2026. The task was to connect Brooks Robinson to Roberto Clemente with a chain of real players. The objective: “Your chain must include an Rookie of the Year winner.” Par was 3 links.
Brooks Robinson (3B) played in the MLB from 1955 to 1977. A one-team career, spent with the Orioles (1955 to 1977). 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.
Roberto Clemente (OF) played in the MLB from 1955 to 1972. A one-team career, spent with the Pirates (1955 to 1972). 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.
Brooks Robinson and Roberto Clemente 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, 116 satisfy it. The best known are Derek Jeter (SS, 1995 to 2014), Cal Ripken Jr. (SS, 1981 to 2001), Ichiro Suzuki (OF, 2001 to 2019), Mike Piazza (C, 1992 to 2007), Eddie Murray (1B, 1977 to 1997), and Andre Dawson (OF, 1976 to 1996).
19 of those players share a team or college with Brooks Robinson, and 7 share one with Roberto Clemente. The Finish is the tighter side, so it often pays to work backward from Roberto Clemente.
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.