Carlos Beltran’s Fake Sharpie Hairline Is Going Viral Again on TikTok — Here’s What Really Happened
A resurfaced 2016 clip of Carlos Beltrán sitting in a dugout with what appeared to be a marker-drawn hairline is blowing up on TikTok — and the announcer reactions are what make it unforgettable.
The clip, shared by Bleacher Report, comes from an August 2016 game between the Texas Rangers and the formerly known Cleveland Indians. The camera panned to Beltrán in the dugout, revealing what looked like a full head of hair drawn directly onto his bald head.
The announcers did not hold back. “I think that’s like a chia pet, by the ninth inning he’s going to have like regular hair,” one said, as the other laughed and called Beltrán an “artist.”
The clip delivered an even better detail. Beltrán lifted his hand to his mouth, and he appeared to have black marker streaks on his hand. The announcers kept rolling. “We’ll keep you up to date on the growth of Carlos Beltrán’s [hair] down there in the dugout,” one said, before the other added, “I’m gonna try that. That looks pretty good.”
Analyst Jim Duquette offered his own take: “It’s just not a good look. He’s doing it on purpose and to get laughs.”
Tiktok and the Original 2016 Reactions Are Equally Ruthless
The comment section on the resurfaced clip is piling on. “That chia pet reference has to be the best announcer roast I’ve ever heard 🤣🤣🤣,” one person wrote. Another said, “Looks like spray paint.” One commenter went deep: “Poor guy, imagine how he feels 😭. Imagine his anxiety checking the weather channel making sure it doesn’t rain 😩.”
Others zeroed in on the method. “Looks like a marker was used. 🤣,” one commenter said. Another asked, “How many Sharpies does it take?”
The original 2016 social media reaction was equally unhinged. “Carlos Beltran rocking a 1940s NFL helmet. that can’t be an attempt at hair,” one person wrote on Twitter, now known as X. Another compared the stunt to Rugrats: “I think Carlos Beltran found Grandpa Lou’s hair dye.” And one person raised a valid concern about the Texas heat: “Carlos Beltran’s hair should be smearing in this heat.”
It Was Actually a Teammate Prank
The real story makes it even better. This wasn’t some desperate hairline attempt. Beltran later told reporters the hairstyle was an attempt to make fun of teammate Rougned Odor, per nine.com.au.
The New York Times set the record straight: “Beltrán, though, is not above a joke to keep things loose. Players love to kid Odor — the second baseman with 31 home runs and a memorable punch to Jose Bautista’s jaw — about his prematurely thinning hair. Beltrán offered a solution one day, covering his own bald head with eye black.”
It wasn’t Sharpie at all. It was eye black — the stuff players normally put under their eyes to reduce glare. Beltrán trolled his own teammate on national television by drawing fake hair on his head with it.
A Hall of Fame-Caliber Career, One Legendary Dugout Moment
Beltrán built a 20-year Major League Baseball career as a nine-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner. He finished with 435 home runs and over 300 stolen bases, starring for teams including the Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros, New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals.
But none of that is why this clip has millions of eyeballs on it right now. Sometimes the most memorable sports moments have nothing to do with athleticism — sometimes it’s just a guy in a dugout with eye black on his head and two announcers wheezing.
The Rangers won that game 2-1, by the way. But nobody remembers the score.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
