Devin Williams, ex-Yanks stars helped spur new facial-hair rule - ESPN

For nearly a half-century, the New York Yankees' facial-hair policy kept the visages of some of the world's most famous baseball players whisker-free. Over the past week, with a nudge from a new player and the advice of an All-Star cast, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner changed the face of the Yankees. Literally.

«Everyone was kind of stunned,» said Yankees closer Devin Williams, whose desire to sport his signature beard helped spur the rule change that will allow players to wear more than a mustache. «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.»

The announcement by the Yankees on Friday morning that players would be allowed to grow a «well-groomed beard» sent shockwaves through the sport. The draconian rule instituted in 1976 by then-owner George Steinbrenner had been maintained for more than a decade and a half since his death, and Hal Steinbrenner, his son, had shown no signs of relenting.

When Williams showed up to Yankees spring training in Tampa, Florida, last week for the first time after arriving in an offseason trade with the Milwaukee Brewers, he finally came face-to-face with his longtime nemesis: a razor. Never had Williams thrown a pitch in the major leagues without at least a healthy layer of stubble. After shearing his beard, he looked in the mirror, didn't recognize who was looking back and eventually took his concerns to Yankees manager Aaron Boone.

Williams later relayed the frustration to general manager Brian Cashman, who listened to his points — about how players who feel their best will play their best, about the hypocrisy of a policy implemented to promote clean-cut players applying only to