Immaculate Grid baseball: Answers, connections, hints for Grid 96 (July 8)

July 8th’s Immaculate Grid features the Oakland A’s, Pittsburgh Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, and stat rows/columns of 20+ win seasons pitching and an MVP.

A grid featuring the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants has most people knee-jerking for Barry Bonds, who played his first seven years in Pittsburgh and then established his all-time reputation in the Bay.

The grid makers for Saturday, July 8th’s version of Immaculate Grid didn’t give us a Giants/Pirates crossover today, but there are still multiple opportunities to use Bonds as a “free” square and get ahead in the count.

Here are some of the most popular answers from the day’s grid so far, as well as possible other answers and connections.

As always, my daily disclaimer and encouragement totry the grid out for yourself before checking out the other possible answers. Be noble on this fine Saturday!

Immaculate Grid 92: Top answers and connections for each square (July 4)

• Player that played for Pirates, A’s: Sterling Marte (28%)
• Player that played for Pirates, Blue Jays: Jose Bautista (29%)
• Player that played for Pirates and won MVP: Andrew McCutchen (46%)
• Player that played for Giants, A’s: Barry Zito (38%)
• Player that played for Giants, Blue Jays: Brandon Belt (38%)
• Player that played for Giants and won MVP: Barry Bonds (46%)
• Player that pitched a 20+ win season and played for A’s: Barry Zito (26%)
• Player that pitched a 20+ win season and played for Blue Jays: Roy Halladay (65%)
• Player that pitched a 20+ win season and won MVP: Justin Verlander (37%)

Players that have played for A’s, Pirates, Blue Jays, Giants

Two players will fit in any of the team squares today:

• Joe Coleman
• Rajai Davis

Coleman played 15 years from 1965 and 1979 and also had stops with the Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, and Chicago Cubs. His lone All-Star appearance was in 1972.

Davis played 14 years from 2006 to 2019, largely as a role player. He suited up for the Tigers, Guardians, Red Sox, and Mets franchises in addition to the four teams on the list today.

If we trim the above criteria to exclude the Blue Jays, a team with a shorter history than the others, there’s a list of 23 players. These will fit on any squares that crossover the three franchises today:

• Bert Maxwell
• Bill Haeffner
• Bullet Joe Bush
• Corban Joseph
• Ernie Camacho
• Gary Alexander
• Harry Davis
• Joe Bowman
• Joe Coleman
• Johnnie LeMaster
• Jose Guillen
• Ka’ai Tom
• Matty Alou
• Mike Kiongery
• Mule Watson
• Ozzie Virgil
• Paul Giel
• Phil Garner
• Rajai Davis
• Rich Gossage
• Trevor Cahill
• Vin Mazzaro
• Waite Hoyt

Players that have played for Pirates, A’s

Here is a sampling of five players that suited up for the Pirates and Athletics:

• Dave Parker
• Jason Dendall
• Bullet Joe Bush
• Andy LaRoche
• Bones Ely

Players that have played for Pirates, Blue Jays

Looking at the common players between the Pirates and Jays, here are five that stand out:

• Lyle Overbay
• Russell Martin
• Rod Barajas
• Melky Cabrera
• Travis Snider

Players that have played for Pirates and won MVP

The Pirates have six MVP winners.

• Dick Groat
• Roberto Clemente
• Dave Parker
• Willie Stargell
• Barry Bonds
• Andrew McCutchen

Players that have played for Giants, A’s

Among the players that suited up for the Giants and A’s is Rich Gossage, better known as “Goose”. Gossage is in the Hall of Fame, made nine All-Star teams, and won a World Series in 1978. Gossage pitched the final ball of the game, which was a foul tip that Thurman Munson caught for an out. It was Munson’s final postseason play ever, as he died during the 1979 season in a tragic plane crash.

• Barry Zito
• Bill North
• Rich Gossage
• Dusty Baker
• Ka’ai Tom

Players that have played for Giants, Blue Jays

• Kevin Gausman
• Brandon Belt
• Bengie Molina
• Candy Maldonado
• Melky Cabrera

Players that have played for Giants and won MVP

Here is every Giant who has ever won the MVP award:

• Buster Posey
• Barry Bonds
• Jeff Kent
• Kevin Mitchell
• Willie McCovey
• Willie Mays
• Carl Hubbell
• Bill Terry
• Larry Doyle

Players that have a 20+ win pitching season for A’s

Four players make this historic list for the A’s:

• Mark Mulder
• Dave Stewart
• Barry Zito
• Tim Hudson

Players that have a 20+ win pitching season for Blue Jays

Halladay is the one that comes to mind, but J.A. Happ accomplished this feat more recently in 2016.

• J.A. Happ
• Roy Halladay
• Pat Hentgen
• Jack Morris
• Roger Clemens
• David Wells

Players that have a 20+ win pitching season and won MVP

Here is everyone in the modern era who has accomplished this feat:

• Clayton Kershaw
• Roger Clemens
• Vida Blue
• Denny McLain
• Bob Gibson
• Sandy Koufax
• Don Newcombe
• Bobby Shantz