Deduce #56: The sandlot — the solution

The Deduce puzzle from October 9, 2026, worked through clue by clue: 7 clues, 4 rounds of crossing off, and no guessing anywhere.

The puzzle

Four people — Earl, Abby, Jamal and Wyatt — and three things to work out about each: their position, cap and batting. The clues only ever rule things out.

1. The one playing pitcher is not the one batting 3rd.
2. The one playing pitcher is earlier in the order than Jamal.
3. Abby is the one playing first base.
4. Wyatt is the one playing center.
5. Wyatt is the one in the white cap.
6. The one in the green cap is the one batting 5th.
7. The one playing center is exactly 2 spots after the one in the black cap.

The walkthrough

A round is one pass over the clues. Each round applies what the last one settled; every step below is an elimination the clues force, in the order a solver would take them.

Round 1

Start with every possibility open, and take the clues in order.

Clue 2, “The one playing pitcher is earlier in the order than Jamal”: pitcher comes off Jamal; 3rd comes off Jamal.

Clue 3, “Abby is the one playing first base”: first base comes off Earl, Jamal and Wyatt. That settles it: Abby’s position is first base.

Clue 4, “Wyatt is the one playing center”: center comes off Earl and Jamal. That settles it: Jamal’s position is left field and Wyatt’s position is center.

Clue 5, “Wyatt is the one in the white cap”: white comes off Earl, Abby and Jamal. That settles it: Wyatt’s cap is white.

Clue 6, “The one in the green cap is the one batting 5th”: 5th comes off Wyatt.

Clue 7, “The one playing center is exactly 2 spots after the one in the black cap”: 3rd and 4th come off Wyatt. That settles it: Wyatt is batting 6th.

Round 2

Go back over the clues with the new facts in hand.

Left field is Jamal’s, so it comes off Earl. That settles it: Earl’s position is pitcher.

6th is Wyatt’s, so it comes off Earl, Abby and Jamal.

Clue 1, “The one playing pitcher is not the one batting 3rd”: 3rd comes off Earl.

Clue 2, “The one playing pitcher is earlier in the order than Jamal”: 5th comes off Earl; 4th comes off Jamal. That settles it: Earl is batting 4th and Jamal is batting 5th.

Clue 6, “The one in the green cap is the one batting 5th”: green comes off Earl.

Clue 7, “The one playing center is exactly 2 spots after the one in the black cap”: black comes off Jamal.

Round 3

Go back over the clues with the new facts in hand.

4th is Earl’s, so it comes off Abby.

5th is Jamal’s, so it comes off Abby. That settles it: Abby is batting 3rd.

Clue 6, “The one in the green cap is the one batting 5th”: green comes off Abby. That settles it: Jamal’s cap is green.

Clue 7, “The one playing center is exactly 2 spots after the one in the black cap”: black comes off Abby. That settles it: Abby’s cap is gold.

Round 4

Go back over the clues with the new facts in hand.

Gold is Abby’s, so it comes off Earl. That settles it: Earl’s cap is black.

The answer

Previous: Deduce #55 (Thu, Oct 8) · Next: Deduce #57 (Sat, Oct 10)

About Deduce

Deduce is Noggin’s daily logic grid: four people, three things to work out about each, and clues that never hand you an answer. Every puzzle has exactly one solution and can be finished by crossing off alone. How to play Deduce, or play today’s.