Breaking down the June 29 Immaculate Grid baseball game with players and connections for Grid 87 that involve the Cubs, Mets, Angels, Marlins and more.
If you haven't played the Immaculate Grid baseball game and are a massive MLB fan, then you are 100% missing out on one of the best things the internet has ever brought us. And there was a fun one on deck for the June 29 game, Grid 87.
This is definitely a tough one as the average score is at just 6.8, which is lower than normal early in the day. Indicative of that is that one of the squares, as of 11:15 a.m. ET, has only a 41% success rate, which is the lowest I've seen since starting to play the Immaculate Grid baseball game. That's shocking for a game that involves the Cubs, Mets, Angels, Marlins, Nationals and 20-game winners.
But if you've completed today's game and are like me, then there is a good chance you're wondering about the top answers and other possible connections that could've worked. So let's take a look at the Immaculate Grid 87 answers and everything else that could've worked on Thursday, June 29.
Immaculate Grid 87: Top answers and connections for each square
Here are the top answers for the Immaculate Grid 87 on Thursday, June 29.
- Nationals/Angels: Anthony Rendon
- Nationals/Cubs: Kyle Schwarber
- Nationals/Mets: Max Scherzer
- Marlins/Angels: Justin Bour
- Marlins/Cubs: Jorge Soler
- Marlins/Mets: Starling Marte
- Angels/20+ win season: Nolan Ryan
- Cubs/20+ win season: Jake Arrieta
- Mets/20+ win season: Tom Seaver
One interesting aspect is that there are only three of the nine top answers that hve more than 50% usage on Thursday. That not only indicates multiple good answers, but also that there aren't too many obvious answers either, which is quite fun. The fact that three of the answers are 25% or lower shows as much too.
5 players who played for Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Angels
Anthony Rendon is the most popular answer on the entire board at 73%, but let's take a look at other players who could've fit the bill for the Nats and Halos after playing for both.
- Anthony Rendon
- Vladimir Guerrero
- Orlando Cabrera
- Fernando Rodney
- Steve Cishek
5 players who played for Washington Nationals and Chicago Cubs
Not as popular as I would've thought, Kyle Schwarber is the top answer for this square, which makes sense given his recent path through several teams. But now we're going to see some other players who suited up for both the Nationals and Cubs.
- Kyle Schwarber
- Andre Dawson
- Moises Alou
- Alfonso Soriano
- Jon Lester
5 players who played for Washington Nationals and New York Mets
Somehow, I actually had trouble thinking of Max Scherzer when playing on Thursday, but he's the top and obvious answer for the Nats and Mets. Here's some other players who would fit the bill for this connection as well.
- Max Scherzer
- Gary Carter
- Wilson Ramos
- Daniel Murphy
- Tyler Clippard
5 players who played for Miami Marlins and Los Angeles Angels
By far the most difficult square in terms of percentage correct that I've ever seen with Immaculate Grid baseball, Justin Bour is somehow the top answer here. So let's see some more correct connections who would work for this near-impossible square.
- Justin Bour
- Cameron Maybin
- Devon White
- Steve Cishek
- Kevin Gregg
5 players who played for Miami Marlins and Chicago Cubs
Jorge Soler came in as the top answer for this square, so let's see which other MLB players actually spent time with both the Marlins and Cubs in their respective careers.
- Jorge Soler
- Derrek Lee
- Cliff Floyd
- Starlin Castro
- Ryan Dempster
5 players who played for Miami Marlins and New York Mets
Current Mets outfielder Starling Marte earned the spot as the top answer for this square. But who else could've fit the bill for this one? Here are a few more players who made a couple of stops in the NL East at these two clubs.
- Starling Marte
- Luis Castillo
- Gary Sheffield
- Bobby Bonilla
- Armando Benitez
Los Angeles Angels pitchers with a 20+ win season
Nolan Ryan began his career with the then-California Angels and had a 20-win season, but here's a look at the other 20-game winners in franchise history for the Halos.
- Nolan Ryan (2 times)
- Bill Singer (1973)
- Dean Chance (1964)
- Andy Messersmith (1971)
- Bartolo Colon (2005)
- Jered Weaver (2012)
- Clyde Wright (1970)
Chicago Cubs pitchers with a 20+ win season
Jake Arrieta is a fan-favorite in Chicago and the top answer for the Cubs' 20-game winner. But there are other big-name pitchers who have been able to hit that mark at Wrigley Field. In fact, there were a lot pre-WW2. But let's look at the post-WW2 guys who were able to get the job done.
- Jake Arrieta (2015)
- Jon Lieber (2001)
- Greg Maddux (1992)
- Rick Reuschel (1977)
- Fergie Jenkins (6 times consecutively from 1967-72)
- Bill Hands (1969)
- Larry Jackson (1964)
- Dick Ellsworth (1963)
New York Mets pitchers with a 20+ win season
Some people might've put Justin Verlander because he did win 20 games, but it just wasn't with the Mets. Tom Seaver was the top answer, but let's take a look at others in New York who got to the 20-game mark.
- R.A. Dickey (2012)
- Frank Viola (1990)
- David Cone (1988)
- Dwight Gooden (1985)
- Jery Koosman (1976)
- Tom Seaver (4 times)
