Yankees look strict, dress code in MLB : The DONG-A ILBO

To become a member of the New York Yankees in Major League Baseball, you must pass two rites of passage. First, you must cleanly shave your hair and beard and then snap a photo under a sign saying, Thank God for making me a member of the Yankees, before attending a press conference to join the team.

The last player to undergo this rite of passage is left-hander Carlos Rodon (30). During the eight years he played for the Chicago White Sox and San Francisco Giants, his iconic beard would cover a third of his face. After signing a six-year contract with the Yankees for a total of $162 million, he told a news conference on Friday, “My three-year-old daughter and one-year-old son have seen me with my beard shaved for the first time,” he said. I am glad that my children can recognize their father.

Of the 30 Major League Baseball teams, the Yankees are the strictest when it comes to appearance and dress code. A Yankees player cannot grow a beard unless it is neatly groomed and keeps his hair longer than the collar.

The team that most influenced the Yankees in establishing this rule was the Oakland Athletics, who had won the World Series for three years in a row since 1972. At that time, Auckland’s many bearded players were called The Mustache Gang. It was a time when there were so few bearded players in the entire league that you could count them on one hand.

Yankees players must also appear in the game with all buttons on their uniforms buttoned. David Wells (59), who usually leaves the top button unbuttoned, was rebuked even after hitting a perfect 15th game in Major League history in 1998.

Kyu-In Hwang [email protected]