I gotta feel for Phil Bickford, he lost his flow – No, like literally, he did.
Bickford signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees on April 2nd, 2024, after being released by cross-town rival Mets on March 26th.
Bickford brought a 4.43 career ERA with 11 wins and 8 losses to the Bronx. He also brought several years of hair growth along for the subway ride.
The Yankees have had a very strict appearance policy since 1976, that prohibits players from growing facial hair other than mustaches. It also prohibits hair growth to not touch the collars.
With that said, Bickford’s hair had to go.
He made his major league debut with the Yankees, but just 4 games later he would be DFA’d on July 30th. The loss of flow for just 5 games and 5 innings on the mound in a pinstripe uniform.
A 14.40 ERA is amongst some of the worst that a pitcher has numbered in franchise history, but 5 innings kind of diminishes that notion as he did not even pitch to a combined full 9-inning game.
So, why am I typing this article? Great question.
I honestly just feel bad for Bickford. A man’s hair carries a lot of pride and obviously that took several years to achieve. Bickford’s Thor-like flow brought Noah Syndergaard vibes back to the Mets, but he played nothing like the powerful Met that Syndergaard was, hence his release.
Sadly he also wasn’t able to bring any success to the Bronx.
We could see Bickford back at Yankee stadium, as following his DFA and electing free agency, Bickford then re-signed with the Yanks’ on a minor league deal.
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