ST. PETERSBURG -- Matt Carpenter had to hustle for his first game with the Yankees, boarding a flight that landed at Tampa International Airport about four hours before the scheduled first pitch on Thursday. But first, he knew that there would be a date with a razor.

Indeed, as Gerrit Cole once said, ¡°If you¡¯re a Yankee, you shave.¡± So Carpenter trimmed off the bushy beard that had been a staple over his decade wearing Cardinals red, leaving a mustache that bears more than a passing resemblance to the gentleman in the W.B. Mason logo.

¡°It¡¯s different,¡± Carpenter said. ¡°My kids didn¡¯t recognize me when I walked out of the bathroom. I¡¯ve got a 6- and 5-year-old at home. They¡¯ve never seen me without a beard, so it¡¯s a little different. But I¡¯m here to rock it.¡±

The Yankees¡¯ famed facial grooming policy began in 1973, when principal owner George M. Steinbrenner looked with disapproval upon his shaggy-haired starting lineup for an Opening Day game against Cleveland. Since then, the Yankees have largely adhered, blessing the past five decades of Bombers baseball with some impressive soup-strainers. Here are some of our favorites:

Wade Boggs (Yankees years: 1993-97)
Boggs¡¯ mustache was an integral part of his identity, as much as his ritual of consuming chicken before every game and his claim of drinking more than 100 beers on a cross-country flight. The image of the mustachioed Boggs riding a police horse after the 1996 World Series is an all-time classic.

Nestor Cortes (Yankees years: 2019, 2021-present)
Cortes is a throwback in many ways, his variety of arm angles and offerings helping to deceive hitters. His distinctive mustache only helps add to what manager Aaron Boone has described as ¡°the legend of Nestor,¡± which appears to have the left-hander on track for an All-Star nod.

Sal Fasano (Yankees years: 2006)
A well-traveled backup catcher, Fasano wasn¡¯t with the Yankees for long -- just 28 games in ¡¯06 -- but he sure made an impression with a bushy lip sweater that stood out in Derek Jeter¡¯s well-groomed clubhouse, making him a fan favorite.

Jason Giambi (Yankees years: 2001-08)
Who can forget the Yankees¡¯ ¡°Support the ¡®Stache¡± campaign of 2008, which aimed to help push Giambi to the All-Star Game in his final season with New York? Giambi grew the mustache as a 1980s homage to Don Mattingly (more on the "Hit Man" later), helping power a 32-homer campaign.

Goose Gossage (Yankees years: 1978-83, ¡¯89)
Gossage grew the distinctive horseshoe that has become his trademark in part to upset Steinbrenner, protesting the Bombers¡¯ facial hair policy. In a 2014 interview, Gossage said that he showed up to Spring Training with a full beard, prompting coach Yogi Berra to tell the reliever that ¡°George is going to kick your [butt].¡± Gossage trimmed it halfway, and the rest is history.

Ron Guidry (Yankees years: 1975-88)
Can you picture ¡°Louisiana Lightning¡± without his mustache? Probably not, and we wouldn¡¯t want to. Guidry¡¯s 1978 season still stands as one of the most remarkable by any Major League pitcher -- the lefty went 25-3 with a 1.74 ERA to claim the American League Cy Young Award.

Sparky Lyle (Yankees years: 1972-78)
Lyle didn¡¯t wear a mustache throughout his entire Yankees career, but when he did, it was magnificent. The 1977 AL Cy Young Award winner, Lyle famously ¡°went from Cy Young to sayonara¡± when he was dealt to the Rangers after the ¡¯78 season, a quote attributed to third baseman Graig Nettles.

Don Mattingly (Yankees years: 1982-95)
With copious amounts of eye black, Franklin batting gloves and a thick mustache, Mattingly embodied what every kid in the tri-state area imagined during Wiffle Ball games of the 1980s. Arguably the best player in baseball during the first half of the decade, Mattingly is still one of the franchise¡¯s most beloved players.

Thurman Munson (Yankees years: 1969-79)
Munson¡¯s gruff, hard-nosed demeanor behind the plate was accentuated by his distinctive dark blond handlebar, which earned him a terrific nickname: ¡°The Walrus.¡± Despite his role as Yankees captain, Munson would occasionally grow into a full beard to defiantly tweak management -- see his 1976 Topps card, a photo taken shortly upon arrival at spring camp.

David Wells (Yankees years: 1997-98, 2002-03)
No man may have enjoyed being a Yankee more than the boisterous, hard-partying Wells, who trimmed his goatee into a mustache upon arrival in the Bronx. A man who once wore a game-used Babe Ruth cap on the mound, Wells achieved baseball immortality with a 1998 perfect game against the Twins, later claiming that he¡¯d done so hungover from attending a Saturday Night Live after-party.