Today, we know rookie phenom pitcher Paul Skenes by his great pitching and clear visual cues: Huge frame, great mustache.
When he got his start as a pitcher, transitioning from behind the plate to on the bump at Air Force Academy, he had no such facial hair. Of course, most facial hair is prohibited at the academy without a waiver. While neatly-trimmed mustaches are permitted, most opt for a clean-shaven look, including Skenes during his time in Colorado.
Upon transferring to LSU later in his collegiate career, the mustache popped up. The reason is humorous.
It happened because he ran out of razors during a road trip and decided to keep it rather than figuring out toiletries on the road.
"I decided, screw it, I'm keeping the mustache," he said in an ESPN profile by Ryan Hockensmith. His Air Force head coach Mike Kazlausky tried to convince his girlfriend, LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne, to get him to shave it off at the All-Star Game this year.
"Your mustache is a stupid-a-- mustache," Kazlausky told Skenes when he saw him in Arlington.
Many baseball fans would disagree.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Paul Skenes Had Comical Reason for Why He Started Rocking a Mustache.
