Puerto Rico’s undefeated charge to the World Baseball Classic final on Wednesday has been powered by an unexpected source: blond hair dye. The Boricua players and coaches all dyed either their hair or, in the case of the bald ones like hitting coach Carlos Delgado, their goatees blond, and now their compatriots are doing the same. Reports out of the island nation are claiming that pharmacies and beauty stores are actually running out of blond hair dye, as men across Puerto Rico dye their own hair and facial hair in support of the undefeated peloteros.
“We have been able to unite our country with our blond hair,” said Astros shortstop Carlos Correa after Puerto Rico’s eleventh inning win over the Netherlands in the semi-finals. “That’s what we want as players to unite our country, our people, and give them the best.”
And unite the country they have. Across Puerto Rico, men of all professions have joined in as the team continued to march through the tournament without losing. That’s led to a run on every shade of blond dye, according to ESPN: “copper blond, platinum blond, golden blond” and other shades have all started to sell out.
The blond trend started with Cubs and Indians shortstops Javy Báez and Francisco Lindor, who showed up to the team’s training grounds in Arizona sporting dyed heads. That encouraged team captain and Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina to follow suit and, soon enough, the entire team was part of Team Rubio. After the team navigated through a tricky first-round group with Venezuela, Mexico, and Italy, the blond hair started to gain traction as a lucky charm, but it was really their undefeated romp through the second round group that elevated it to legendary baseball superstition.
On Wednesday, the Puerto Ricans will take on the United States once again in the final of the tournament, and, win or lose, one thing is clear: the blond look will go down in World Baseball Classic lore.