There is a Hair Dye Shortage in Puerto Rico Because of Bleached Blond WBC Squad

In Puerto Rico, one thing is for certain, Los caballeros prefieren a las rubias. And it ain't got nuthin' to do with Marilyn Monroe.

What started out as a World Baseball Classic joke has become a full-on blonde bombshell for the island nation. Prior to the World Baseball Classic, Javier Baez and Francisco Lindor dyed their wigs flaxen, which caught the fancy of Yadier Molina, who encouraged his teammates to follow suit. They did, which led to a new nickname for the squad's Lion's Mane in Winter. From ESPN's Jim Caple:

"Some players dyed all their hair blond along with their beards, while others just did certain areas. The dyed hair looks good on some players, but it makes Carlos Beltran look so much older than his 39 years that he has been called Santa Claus. 'As long as Santa Claus continues to hit, I'm OK with that,' Beltran said.'"

The team is undefeated in the WBC and the home country has gone hog wild with the hair dye. More and more Puerto Rican men have been going blond, especially after Monday night's 4-3 11-inning victory over the Netherlands, which puts them in the championship against the United States tonight.

Danica Coto of the Associated Press has a hella fun story about how blond hair dye, in all shades (copper, platinum, golden…even burnt orange) is scarce because so many natives have turned to the light side. It's filled with a number of entertaining anecdotes, but our favorite is the one about civil engineer Christian Rodriguez, who only took the painful hair plunge after seeing a number of men in church sporting the (other) Madonna look. It includes this glorious post-bleach job detail:

"Rodriguez then sent a picture of his dyed hair to his mechanic, who responded with a selfie taken underneath a car of him smiling with a bleached beard."

That, béisbol fans, is camaraderie. Game tonight from Dodger Stadium starts at 9pm EST, Marcus Stroman and Seth Lugo are the starters. As they say, Go blonde or Go home.