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New York Yankees have been very active this offseason with a number of different deals taking place. The most important deal is their new 9-year contract with Aaron Judge. The Pinstripes recently announced their latest signing and expected fanfare. But the reaction they got was a little different.

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Notably, The Yankees have signed Carlos Rodon to a 6-year $162 million deal. But when Rodon was announced on Twitter, his appearance was different from usual. The pitcher looked a lot different from his usual self and fans took notice.

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Rodon shaved his facial hair upon signing with the New York Yankees

The New York Yankees recently announced that they had signed Carlos Rodon. While doing so, they also released the first look of their ace in a Yankees jersey. But Rodon looked very different without his trademark stubbly beard. In the Tweet, the Yankees said, “Rodón is ready.”

The left-handed ace had to shave his facial hair in accordance with the Yankee’s long-standing appearance policy. This has made the pitcher look very different from his usual appearance.

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Fans have reacted to the image of Rodon wondering where his beard has gone. Many have even trolled the Yankees for their old-fashioned rule and are asking for it to be changed.

But it seems unlikely that the rules that have been in place for such a long time will change anytime soon. For those unversed, these appearance rules were introduced by George Steinbrenner in the later 1970s.

Why did Steinbrenner introduce the appearance rules?

When George Steinbrenner first bought the team, he was shocked by how unkempt some of the players looked. He immediately wrote down their jersey numbers since he didn’t know their names at the time and asked for them to get haircuts. This was followed by the origin of the appearance policy otherwise known as the appearance rules.

Watch this story: Is Aaron Judge’s $360 million deal the biggest New York Yankees contract of all-time?

The policy expressly forbids players, coaches, and male executives from having facial hair other than mustaches. There have been exceptions for religious reasons, though. Rodon had to get rid of his signature facial hair because of this rule. What do you think of the Yankee’s appearance policy and Carlos Rodon’s new clean-shaven look? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Pranay Mukherjee

1,202 Articles

Pranay Mukherjee is an MLB writer at EssentiallySports, with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. His expertise lies in cheat sheets, post-game analysis, and trade rumors, providing readers with comprehensive coverage of the sport. Pranay is an avid follower of baseball and is a staunch supporter of the Yankees, firmly believing that it is time for the New York team to break their World Series jinx. His story on the World Baseball Classic was chosen as an Editors' Pick for the month, connecting him even closer to the dedicated fanbase of the sport. When not covering sports, Pranay can be found watching it, indulging in his love for manga and anime. His fascination with the anime 'Ace of Diamond' fueled his love for baseball, and that passion continues to this day. His story on World Baseball Classic was one of the Editor’s Picks for the month and connected him even closer to the dedicated fanbase of the sport. When not covering sports, Pranay is busy watching them. Pranay is a manga and anime fanatic. The Anime 'Ace of Diamonds’ drove him to love the game of baseball. And that love continues big time.

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Abhishek Kumar

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