Aug 5, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Devin Williams (38) reacts after leaving the game during the eighth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Time for Yankees to Shave Again?

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Erin Shapland | Last updated Aug 6, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The New York Yankees did away with their long-standing ban on beards this year, but the change is being called into question now, due to the performance of one bearded pitcher.

Yankees reliever Devin Williams , a driving force behind the change, has now cost the team two games against the Texas Rangers, and some fans are suggesting that it wasn't worth reversing 50 years of precedent to have him on the roster.

The Yankees changed their facial hair policy for a reliever with an ERA over 5. This cannot be stated enough.
— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) August 6, 2025

Williams was acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers in December, and when he arrived in the Bronx he shaved his beard for the first time in his MLB career. The major change threw him off, he broached the subject with Yankees manager Aaron Boone, and the policy was subsequently changed by Yankees chairman Hal Steinbrenner to include "well-groomed beards".

At the time, even Williams was surprised by the decision.

"Everyone was kind of stunned," Williams said back in February. "There were a few guys who had heard it was being discussed and a possibility, but that it actually happened -- I'm just looking forward to it growing back."

A two-time All-Star and the 2020 NL Rookie of the Year, Williams has a 5.44 ERA this season in 47 games with 17 saves. In his last seven games, he has a 9.45 ERA.

Fans on social media who are nostalgic for the leadership style of late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner are pointing to the policy change as partly responsible for the Yankees' downturn this season. Taken with Yankees manager Aaron Boone's "laissez-faire" approach to the team's recent failures, the revised beard policy is seen as further evidence of a decline in discipline from the winningest franchise in the league.

The Yankees' famous appearance policy was instituted in 1976 by the elder Steinbrenner. The policy had not been considered necessary until that point, but as cultural norms shifted and beard and longer hair became more popular for men, ball clubs went one of two ways. The Cincinnati Reds implemented a similar policy in 1969, and lifted it in 1999.

There was certainly more to the Yankees' policy change than Williams' influence; the policy had been controversial since its inception and for decades had warded off talented players who simply preferred beards. Shaving his beard likely wouldn't turn Williams into the reliever we need right now, but the discipline that policy once implied might do the floundering team some good.

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