Corey Kluber surprised shaving beard became 'polarizing'

The Cleveland Indians ace took to social media this week to showcase himself mid-shave and sporting a half-shorn face.

The response was surprising to Kubler.

“It was a little more polarizing than I imagined it being,” Kluber said, via Cleveland.com.

The reason behind why Kluber allowed his beard to get into such an unkempt state stems from a wager between him and his wife. During the offseason around December, Kluber’s wife wagered he could not go the entire season without shaving. And from there, the beard blossomed … and then some. Both Kluber and his wife recently agreed to call off the entire bet.

“I’m not sure why we ever made the bet because neither of us like my beard that way,” Kluber said. “It was more like she didn’t think I had the willpower to stick with it. She thought it was going to be an easy win, I guess.”

Perhaps the stir among Indians fans is over the concern that shaving his beard would have some sort of Samson-like effect on Kluber’s pitching prowess. While that remains to be seen — however unlikely, even the most superstitious of fans would reluctantly admit — one thing is certain: Kluber himself appears to be quite relieved to be finally free of the scraggy facial hair.