Puerto Rico makes statement with bats and newly bleached hair
In one of the most impressive performances so far during the World Baseball Classic, Puerto Rico slugged its way to an 11-0 victory over the seemingly equally talented team from Venezuela on Friday.
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The impressive all-around performance created quite a buzz after the game. The buzz before it? The bleached blonde hair that surprisingly showed up on many of Puerto Rico’s players, including veterans Carlos Beltran and Yadier Molina.
Here’s Beltran’s look:
carlos beltran and a lot of team puerto rico have dyed their facial hair blonde pic.twitter.com/QWebcHWuuI
— Joon Lee (@iamjoonlee) March 10, 2017
If the phone in the Puerto Rico clubhouse is ringing, it’s probably Hulk Hogan’s lawyer making a gimmick infringement claim. Dying the hair on top of your head is one thing. When it’s the facial hair too, we’re in territory only a select few dare to travel.
The new look appears to be a team-building experiment that worked wonders. Just about everyone bought in, though there were a couple notable exceptions, such as closer Edwin Diaz.
.@javy23baez and @JAJimenez27 disappointed in @EdiDiaz44 not following suit with the "rubio" look for Team Puerto Rico ???????? #WBC @beisbolpr pic.twitter.com/eUCJXRzUUM
— Marly Rivera (@MarlyRiveraESPN) March 7, 2017
Someone has to keep it real. When you fire 100 mph fastballs and break off some filthy sliders, it might as well be you.
Superstar shortstop Carlos Correa also appeared to forego the new look, which didn’t hurt him any. He launched a 420-foot home run that may have been the dagger for Venezuela.
Then there was Angel Pagan and his jet-black hair, which really needs no explanation.
With all of that in mind, we can’t really call the new look a good luck charm. But it’s certainly a creative way to get players on the same page. Maybe more will even jump on board if Puerto Rico enjoys continued success in the WBC. This squad is definitely among the favorites and will continue trying to establish its presence on Saturday night against Pool D host Mexico (9:30 p.m. ET, MLB Network and MLB.TV).
We know we’ll be watching.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
