New closer Devin Williams and several former Yankees stars helped nudge owner Hal Steinbrenner into changing the franchise's decades-old policy on facial hair.

The All-Star closer, acquired in a trade with the Brewers over the offseason without any say in the matter, said that the Bombers’ past ban on facial hair below the upper lip would have been a factor in free agency. The Yankees amended the policy on Friday to permit “well-groomed beards,” an announcement that shocked the baseball world.

Devin Williams reacted to the New York Yankees' surprising decision to abandon their strict facial hair policy.

The New York Yankees finally changed their archaic facial hair policy and fans are immediately thinking about one player: Devin Williams.

Prior to the New York Yankees announcing a change to their longstanding no-facial-hair policy, newly acquired closer Devin Williams posed for a photo with some hair growth on his chin. The Yankees dropped their ban on beards Friday,

Devin Williams had to say goodbye to his glorious beard after he was traded to the Yankees. But it turns out it's only a temporary absence.

The New York Yankees made headlines on Friday morning after chairman and managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner announced the team was doing away with its longstanding rule that banned facial hair below the upper lip or hair past the collar of a player’s uniform.