Dallas Keuchel Told He Doesn't Have to Trim Beard If White Sox Keep Winning

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel said team chairman Jerry Reinsdorf told him the organization is willing to show leniency when it comes to their policy on facial hair as long as the club is successful.

Keuchel told Bob Nightengale of USA Today in an interview published Wednesday that he was forced to clean up the beard by the team a couple of times since arriving to spring training before meeting with Reinsdorf last week.

"I thought, 'Oh, crap, I've got to trim this even more,'" Keuchel said. "He was like, 'Hey, man, you're officially violating team policy. But I hear you're a great guy. So let's just keep winning, and we'll be all right.' I said, 'All right, my guy.' Now, we've just to keep winning to keep this beard going."

The 32-year-old Oklahoma native signed a three-year, $55.5 million contract with Chicago in December after spending the 2019 season with the Atlanta Braves. He played the first seven seasons of his career with the Houston Astros, with whom the beard started.

"I started my beard the last week of spring training in 2014," Keuchel said. "It's going on seven years, and I love it. It's taken on various shapes and sizes."

The two-time All-Star and 2015 AL Cy Young Award winner will be joined by Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, Dylan Cease and Gio Gonzalez to form one of MLB's deepest rotations in 2020. It's a group that'll be expected to play a key role in ending the club's 11-year playoff drought.

If they do find that level of success, Keuchel's beard should be back to all its glory by the postseason.