NYT Connections · Sports Edition · #658
NYT Connections Sports Edition Hints & Answers (#658) — July 13, 2026
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.
Traps & Misdirects for July 13, 2026
The decoys built into this puzzle — and why each one bites.
BLUE Decoy
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.
ROCK Decoy
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.
MARL Decoy
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.
RUBBER Decoy
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.
Sports Connections Word Clues for July 13, 2026
Spoiler-free meaning for every name in the grid.
ARGENTINA
His national team — he won the 2021 Copa América and 2022 World Cup with them.
BARCELONA
The Spanish club where Messi spent the majority of his career and won four Champions Leagues.
BLUE
Start of the Toronto Blue Jays — the colour reading is the bait.
CHALK
Used to draw the foul lines and batter's box before every game.
DIRT
The infield skin — the brown, packed surface around the bases.
GRASS
The outfield and parts of the infield, depending on the stadium.
INTER MIAMI
The MLS club where Messi moved in 2023, bringing global attention to American soccer.
JAYHAWKS
The mascot of the University of Kansas in Lawrence.
MARL
Start of the Miami Marlins — marl is a real type of soil, but that's the misdirect.
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN
The French club Messi joined in 2021 after Barcelona's financial collapse forced him out.
ROCK
Start of the Colorado Rockies — looks like a stone, works as a team name fragment.
RUBBER
Looks like a generic material; here it's the pitcher's plate on the mound.
SHOCKERS
Wichita State's mascot, rooted in the state's wheat-harvesting history.
SPORTING KC
Kansas City's MLS club — the only professional team in the group.
WHIT
Start of the Chicago White Sox — on its own it means a tiny amount, but add 'e Sox' and it clicks.
WILDCATS
Kansas State University's team — not Kentucky, not Arizona.
Sports Connections Hints for July 13, 2026
Reveal exactly what you need — a hint, the group name, or a single word.
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Sports Connections Answers for July 13, 2026
Full spoilers — all four groups revealed.
Yellow group
Materials found on a baseball field
- 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.
Green group
Teams in kansas
- 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.
Blue group
Lionel messi teams
- 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.
Purple group
Starts of mlb team names
- 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.