The Thursday edition of NYT Connections Sports Edition arrives with puzzle #598, and it's a masterclass in misdirection. Today's grid hides combat sports, basketball fundamentals, a pro golf tour, and a sneaky MLB roster, and the baseball pass is not what you think.
What Makes Connections Sports Edition Tick
For newcomers, NYT Connections Sports Edition presents 16 sports-themed words that must be sorted into four thematic groups of four. The twist?
You're limited to four mistakes, and the color-coded difficulty system (yellow being easiest, purple being trickiest) means surface-level connections often mislead.
Connections Sports Edition brings the same addictive puzzle format to the world of athletics, featuring athletes, teams, sports terminology, and legendary moments. The game's genius lies in its red herrings, words that could fit multiple sports categories but belong in only one.
Today's Grid at a Glance
Here are the 16 words staring back at you in puzzle #598:
PROFESSIONAL | WRESTLING | BEAVERS | BOUNCE
GOLF | JUDO | MAYO | TAEKWONDO
CHEST | BASEBALL | BOXING | ASSOCIATION
OVERHEAD | BAZ | ALONSO | LADIES
A seemingly random collection that somehow connects into four perfect categories.
Strategic Hints (No Spoilers Yet)
Yellow Category Nudge: These sports involve one-on-one competition, and none of them use a ball.
Green Category Clue: Think about how you move the ball around the hardwood, these are specific techniques, not general terms.
Blue Category Hint: A professional organization that has been driving women's sports forward for decades on the fairway.
Purple Category Teaser: These four words share a uniform, look for the MLB club that brings them together.
The Full Solutions
Last chance to solve independently: answers below
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Yellow (Combat Sports): BOXING, JUDO, TAEKWONDO, WRESTLING
Four distinct disciplines where the objective is to defeat an opponent through strikes, throws, or grappling. BOXING brings the fists, JUDO and TAEKWONDO bring Olympic pedigree, and WRESTLING brings the mat warfare.
Green (Types of Basketball Passes): BASEBALL, BOUNCE, CHEST, OVERHEAD
Every basketball player knows these four fundamental passing techniques. A BASEBALL pass is the long-range one-handed heave, a BOUNCE pass skips past defenders, a CHEST pass is the textbook two-handed delivery, and an OVERHEAD pass launches over the top.
Blue (LPGA): ASSOCIATION, GOLF, LADIES, PROFESSIONAL
The Ladies Professional Golf Association, LPGA, is one of the most successful women's sports organizations in history. ASSOCIATION, GOLF, LADIES, and PROFESSIONAL combine to spell out the full name behind the iconic acronym.
Purple (Members of the Baltimore Orioles): ALONSO, BAZ, BEAVERS, MAYO
This is the curveball of the day. ALONSO (infielder), BAZ (pitcher), BEAVERS (outfielder), and MAYO (infielder) are all current players on the Baltimore Orioles roster, a deep-cut baseball knowledge check for the purple slot.
The Verdict
Puzzle #598 registers as moderate difficulty with a sting in the tail. Yellow falls quickly for anyone who recognizes combat sports, while green requires knowing basketball passing terminology rather than just the sport itself.
Blue separates the true sports buffs from casual fans, the LPGA acronym is obvious once you see it, but ASSOCIATION and PROFESSIONAL feel like filler words until the connection clicks. Purple, predictably, is the streak-ender, demanding knowledge of mid-tier MLB roster names.
The real trap? BASEBALL looks like it belongs in a baseball category, but it's actually a basketball pass. And if you saw ALONSO and thought of the Mets' slugger Pete Alonso, you'd be dead wrong, this is Baltimore's ALONSO, not New York's.
Reset and Repeat
Tomorrow's puzzle drops at midnight in your timezone. Until then, reflect on today's performance: did the Orioles roster trip you up, or did you spot the LPGA connection before the purple reveal?
The beauty lies not in perfection but in training your brain to spot these hidden sports connections.
For now, puzzle #598 is solved. See you at midnight for round #599.
