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Starting 9

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One famous game. Nine missing names.

Find the starting pitcher and eight fielders. Six surname guesses per player. No timer.

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Starting 9 details

These are the nine players who began the game in the field, including the starting pitcher. The designated hitter and later substitutes are not lineup answers.

How Starting 9 works

Rebuild a real game’s starting defensive lineup: pitcher, catcher, four infielders and three outfielders. Choose a position, then guess that player’s surname. Each position has six guesses of its own. There is no timer.

Guess the letters only. Spaces appear as gaps; hyphens and apostrophes are already filled in their own boxes. Accented letters use their plain spelling. Familiar playing names such as Ichiro count where the player uses that name. The shown letter count follows that spelling. You can type with your keyboard or use the letter buttons. A guess must match the shown length; repeated guesses do not use another turn.

Green means the letter is in the correct place. Yellow means it appears elsewhere. Dark tiles mean a letter is absent, or that you guessed more copies than the name contains. Dull red keyboard keys mark letters absent from the name. Each repeated letter is counted separately.

Six unsuccessful guesses close that position; you can keep playing the others. Find all nine to win. Your score is the number found, from zero to nine. Giving up preserves your found players and reveals the full lineup.

Everyone gets the same Daily, resetting at midnight New York time. One saved attempt belongs to each guest or signed-in account and date. Reload to resume; released past Dailies have their own saved attempts.

Give up and reveal the lineup?

You have found 0 of nine players. Giving up ends this round and saves your current score. You’ll see all nine names, but this Daily cannot be restarted.

How Starting 9 works

Starting 9 asks you to rebuild one real game’s opening defensive lineup. The nine answers are the starting pitcher, catcher, four infielders and three outfielders. Read the selected team, opponent, date and event before relying on your memory of the roster.

How to play

  1. Tap a defensive position and enter that player’s surname or displayed playing-name spelling. Each position has six guesses of its own, with no timer.
  2. Green letters are correctly placed; yellow letters belong elsewhere. Dark letters are absent or exceed the number of copies in the answer. Repeated letters are counted separately.
  3. Follow the shown letter count. Spaces and punctuation are supplied; accented letters use plain spelling. Repeated guesses cost no additional turn, and you can return to another position.

Scoring

Your score is the number of players found, from zero to nine. Solve all nine to win. Six misses close only that position, so the others remain playable. Giving up keeps your found players and reveals the lineup; revealed answers do not count as solved.

Playing tips

Use the exact game rather than the season’s most familiar lineup. Start with a position you remember, then combine name length and letter feedback. The designated hitter and later substitutes are outside the defensive nine. Opening defensive roles stay fixed even if players moved during the game. Reloading resumes your saved attempt; finished Dailies cannot be restarted.

Have a question about a rule or result? Contact the ballgames.app team.