Bobby Valentine

“The only man ever to wear a fake mustache in a big-league dugout, and he had a real one first.”

84STACH SCORE

✂ Chevron Athlete Era: 1990s Born 1950

Is this a Legendary Stach?

Stach Stats

Stash Power72

Ruggedness70

Curl Factor30

Legend Status88

Stats are for entertainment purposes. The mustache committee's decisions are final and occasionally arbitrary.

Style: Chevron
Peak Era: 1990s
Born: 1950
Fan Votes: 0 legendary · 0 meh

The Story

About Bobby Valentine

Robert John Valentine was born in 1950 in Stamford, Connecticut, and was a multi-sport star who turned down football scholarships to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers as the fifth overall pick in 1968. A gruesome broken leg in 1973 derailed a promising career, and he played out the string as a utility man with the Angels, Padres, Mets and Mariners through 1979.

As a manager he was everywhere: the Texas Rangers (1985–1992), the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan (1995, 2004–2009, winning the 2005 Japan Series), the New York Mets (1996–2002, including the 2000 National League pennant and the Subway Series), and one stormy season with the Boston Red Sox in 2012.

He has since worked as a broadcaster, athletic director at Sacred Heart University, and restaurateur in his hometown.

The Verdict

Why the Stach Became Iconic

Valentine wore a real mustache as a 1970s player, but he made mustache history on June 9, 1999. Ejected from a Mets game, he snuck back into the dugout wearing sunglasses and a fake mustache made of eye-black, and was promptly spotted on camera. The league fined and suspended him; the photo is immortal.

It is the only mustache in baseball history to earn a two-game suspension, which surely counts for something.

On the Record

Career Highlights

Los Angeles Dodgers (1969, 1971–1972), California Angels (1973–1975), San Diego Padres, New York Mets, Seattle Mariners (1979)
Texas Rangers manager (1985–1992)
New York Mets manager (1996–2002) — NL pennant 2000
Chiba Lotte Marines manager — Japan Series champion 2005
Boston Red Sox manager (2012)

Fun Facts

He was fined and suspended for returning to the dugout in a fake mustache and glasses after an ejection in 1999.
He has claimed to have invented the wrap sandwich at his Stamford restaurant.
He was a high school ballroom-dancing champion.
He is one of the few managers to win a championship in Japan and a pennant in the majors.