Chris Hagen hadn’t received a real haircut since the pandemic shut down barbershops for a long stretch in 2020. There have been slight trims to his dark mane that had grown past shoulder length and some sort of personal attempt at fashioning a mullet out of the top of his mop. But otherwise, it’s been growing for four years.
Well, that is until Thursday afternoon, when four years worth of hair was gone in a matter of minutes. Why? Buhner Buzz Night. When Hagen heard that the Mariners were bringing back former right fielder Jay Buhner to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the popular promotion, he knew it was time to part ways with his locks.
“As soon as it came out, I said, ‘You know what, I’m going to do it,” Hagen said. “All my buddies said I was going to chicken out. But I didn’t.
” Hagen was one of the first more than 100 fans to have their heads shaved by one of 45 local barbers from the area and received a Buhner Buzz Night T-shirt along with a free ticket to Thursday night’s game vs. the White Sox. “This is totally cool,” Hagen said, rubbing his shorn head.
“I’m super excited because Cal Raleigh is going to be here pretty soon to get his done. I saw Mitch Haniger on TV last night and looked like he got his done already.” Indeed, Raleigh was the only player to volunteer to be a part of the promotion and mingle with the fans.
And Haniger? Well that wasn’t part of the promotion. That was necessity. “I told Cal not to do it because it might .