Ryan Cook's former Seattle Mariners teammates will have be forgiven if they don't immediately recognize him when they arrive in Japan later this month.
It won't just be because Cook will have on Yomiuri Giants uniform. It'll be because the Giants, much like the New York Yankees, don't allow facial hair, meaning the reliever signed up for a new look as well as a new team this offseason.
"I haven't not had a beard since 2011," a clean-shaven Cook told the The Japan Times at Tokyo Dome last week, noting with a laugh he and his wife are still getting used to the look.