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NYT Connections Sports Edition · #658

NYT Connections Sports Edition Hints & Answers (#658) — July 13, 2026

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“When a word feels too short or oddly spelled to mean anything on its own, treat it as a fragment — say it out loud and keep adding letters until a team name appears.Today's puzzle has BLUE, which also appeared in Connections #652 (Jul 7, 2026). It was part of Premier League club nicknames with a letter removed from the end.”

NYT Sports Connections hints for July 13, 2026

Three levels of help — a definition for every word, colour-coded group nudges, and a heads-up on the traps. Skip to all answers →

1

Word clues

A spoiler-free definition for every word in the grid. Tap the eye on any card to reveal which colour-group it belongs to.

1 ARGENTINAHis national team — he won the 2021 Copa América and 2022 World Cup with them.
2 BARCELONAThe Spanish club where Messi spent the majority of his career and won four Champions Leagues.
3 BLUEStart of the Toronto Blue Jays — the colour reading is the bait.
4 CHALKUsed to draw the foul lines and batter's box before every game.
5 DIRTThe infield skin — the brown, packed surface around the bases.
6 GRASSThe outfield and parts of the infield, depending on the stadium.
7 INTER MIAMIThe MLS club where Messi moved in 2023, bringing global attention to American soccer.
8 JAYHAWKSThe mascot of the University of Kansas in Lawrence.
9 MARLStart of the Miami Marlins — marl is a real type of soil, but that's the misdirect.
10 PARIS SAINT-GERMAINThe French club Messi joined in 2021 after Barcelona's financial collapse forced him out.
11 ROCKStart of the Colorado Rockies — looks like a stone, works as a team name fragment.
12 RUBBERLooks like a generic material; here it's the pitcher's plate on the mound.
13 SHOCKERSWichita State's mascot, rooted in the state's wheat-harvesting history.
14 SPORTING KCKansas City's MLS club — the only professional team in the group.
15 WHITStart of the Chicago White Sox — on its own it means a tiny amount, but add 'e Sox' and it clicks.
16 WILDCATSKansas State University's team — not Kentucky, not Arizona.
2

Group hints

Four colour-coded groups, easiest → hardest. Every button reveals the hint, the category name, or a single word — tap only what you need.

See Hint Step onto the diamond and look down at your feet.
See Group MATERIALS FOUND ON A BASEBALL FIELD
See WordDIRT
See WordGRASS
See WordCHALK
See WordRUBBER
See Hint All four call the Sunflower State home.
See Group TEAMS IN KANSAS
See WordJAYHAWKS
See WordWILDCATS
See WordSHOCKERS
See WordSPORTING KC
See Hint One man's career stops, from youth academy to retirement.
See Group LIONEL MESSI TEAMS
See WordINTER MIAMI
See WordARGENTINA
See WordBARCELONA
See WordPARIS SAINT-GERMAIN
See Hint Each one is a team name with its ending torn off.
See Group STARTS OF MLB TEAM NAMES
See WordROCK
See WordBLUE
See WordWHIT
See WordMARL
3

Words the puzzle wants you to mis-group

Read these before you guess — they're the words most likely to break a streak. Tap for the trap.

1 BLUE Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably reading it as a colour or a mood — but here the puzzle is using it as the opening fragment of a professional baseball team's full name, not a standalone descriptor.
2 ROCK Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably thinking of a stone or a genre of music, but here it's the first syllable of an MLB team name, not anything geological or musical.
3 MARL Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably reading it as a type of clay or soil — that's the bait, but here it's the start of a baseball franchise's name, not a geology term.
4 RUBBER Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably picturing an eraser or a stretchy material, but on a baseball field it refers specifically to the pitcher's plate — a very real piece of equipment.

NYT Sports Connections answers for July 13, 2026

All four groups revealed, easiest first. Each card holds the theme, the four words, and why the group works.

Y MATERIALS FOUND ON A BASEBALL FIELD · Yellow · easiest
  • DIRT
  • GRASS
  • CHALK
  • RUBBER

DIRT, GRASS, CHALK and RUBBER are all physical materials you find on a baseball field. RUBBER is the least obvious — it refers to the pitcher's rubber, the rectangular slab on the mound that the pitcher must stay in contact with when delivering a pitch.

G TEAMS IN KANSAS · Green · easy
  • JAYHAWKS
  • WILDCATS
  • SHOCKERS
  • SPORTING KC

JAYHAWKS, WILDCATS, SHOCKERS and SPORTING KC are all sports teams based in Kansas. SHOCKERS is the one most likely to trip solvers — it's the mascot of Wichita State University, named after wheat shockers who harvested the state's famous crop.

B LIONEL MESSI TEAMS · Blue · medium
  • INTER MIAMI
  • ARGENTINA
  • BARCELONA
  • PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN

INTER MIAMI, ARGENTINA, BARCELONA and PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN are all teams Lionel Messi has represented during his career. ARGENTINA is the only national team in the group — Messi famously waited until 2021 to win his first major international trophy with them, ending a long drought.

P STARTS OF MLB TEAM NAMES · Purple · hardest
  • ROCK
  • BLUE
  • WHIT
  • MARL

ROCK, BLUE, WHIT and MARL are the opening fragments of four MLB team names: Rockies, Blue Jays, White Sox and Marlins. WHIT is the hardest — nothing about those four letters screams baseball until you add 'e Sox' and the Chicago White Sox snap into view.

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