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Jacob deGrom's flowing locks are a distraction to opposing hitters, according to Bob Klapisch, who quotes an anonymous hitter who faced him in the postseason. That hitter said:
"First of all, I see this guy on the mound who looks like a stick figure. I mean, you don’t see major league pitchers who look like that. And he’s got that hair – you can’t not look at it, it’s everywhere. It bothers me when I’m trying to pick up the ball out of his hand. All I see is hair."
deGrom's signature look has generated posters, t-shirts, a #hairwego Twitter hashtag, and now, fear in the hearts of opposing batters. deGrom himself seems to think the whole situation is "pretty cool."
In the postseason, something was clearly befuddling hitters. The lanky right-hander finished his first postseason appearance with a record of 3-1, a 2.88 ERA, and 29 strikeouts. So was it the hair or a devastating four-seam fastball that got him ahead? The world may never know.