The New York Yankees beat the Los Angeles Angels 3-2 on Wednesday to clinch the series victory. It is their seventh consecutive series victory, dating back to their May 7 win over the San Diego Padres. Devin Williams closed out the game, barely, allowing two runs in the ninth inning. Williams has been poor this season, but made his mark by forcing a change in the Yankees' facial hair policy. According to Brendan Kuty of The Athletic, catcher Austin Wells has a beard superstition that continues when the Yankees are winning.
“Before Opening Day, Wells and catching coach Tanner Swanson made a pact. They would only shave when the team lost a series,” Kuty wrote. “‘Hopefully,' Wells said recently, ‘we don’t lose another series the rest of the year.'”
Wells told Kuty that the beard rule has made his catching mask more comfortable, saying, “It sits a little nicer on the chin.” Another newly-bearded Yankee, Carlos Rodon, threw seven shutout innings to start Wednesday's game. Jonathan Loaisaga and his goatee took down the eighth. And Devin Williams' infamous beard held on in the ninth.
Article Continues BelowThe Yankees have taken series from some solid teams during this hot stretch. They took two of three from the Mets, Padres, and Mariners. Now, they have a chance to sweep the Angels before a World Series rematch across town with the Dodgers. As they continue to win series, the Red Sox continue to flounder. The Bombers have the biggest division lead in baseball at seven games.
The Yankees have been hot, which means Austin Wells is not shaving his beard. But Wells has not been a big reason why. He has a season-long on-base percentage of .272, which ranks 12th on the team. If he heats up, that beard could get really long as summer begins.
The Yankees and Angels finish their series on Wednesday at 9:38 p.m. Eastern.