I’ve been obsessed lately with a game called Immaculate Grid—and I’m not the only one. Sports Illustrated’s Stephanie Apstein spoke to several MLB players who are equally wrapped up in the increasingly popular baseball guessing game. (In just the two hours since the most recent iteration of the game was posted, more than 60,000 people have played it.)
The game is pretty simple. It features a three-by-three grid of baseball teams and statistical accomplishments. The challenge is to name a player who matches the criteria of each square on the grid. For example, a player who played for both the Astros and Dodgers, or a Dodgers player who picked up 200 hits in a season (with the Dodgers). Here’s what it looks like.
Immaculate Grid
Players looking for an additional challenge can also try to get the lowest ”rarity score” by filling each square with the most obscure choice. (For example, if you put Xavier Nady in the Yankees–Mets square and only 0.2% of other users did, that’s a scant .2 points on your rarity score. But since 62% of users put Derek Jeter in the Yankees–200 hits square, that adds 62 points to your rarity score.)
The game is a ton of fun, but it can also be terribly frustrating. I spent forever the other day trying to remember a Twins player other than Johan Santana who won the Cy Young award. After finally submitting Santana as my pick (as more than 80% of other users did) I went to look up who else fit the criteria (Jim Perry and Frank Viola).
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A new feature that the game just added makes it even easier to look for other possible answers. Immaculate Grid was acquired by Sports Reference, it announced Tuesday, and now includes integration with Baseball Reference that allows users to click through to a full list of possible answers on the Baseball Reference site after completing the grid.
A new feature of the game will include a list of possible answers in the summary section.
— Immaculate Grid (@immaculategrid) July 11, 2023
Users will now be able to see all potential players, visit their @Baseball_Ref page, or see @Stathead query results. pic.twitter.com/aD9Ha4EYf4
Knowing all possible answers makes the game so much more enjoyable. The central appeal of Immaculate Grid is the enduring joy of Remembering Some Guys, and now Immaculate Grid gives you the full list of guys you could have remembered. Without that helpful link, how else would I have known that Travis D’Arnaud played one game for the Dodgers after being released by the Mets in 2019, or that longtime Astros third baseman Morgan Ensberg closed out his career with 28 unremarkable games with the Yankees in ’08? It’s also a nice confidence boost to know that you were able to successfully name one of just 90 players who played for both the Dodgers and Astros, or one of only 14 Yankees who picked up 200 hits in a season. It’s a sports nerd’s dream.
