Colorado Rockies Video: Jon Gray Gets a Haircut for a Good Cause

Colorado Rockies pitcher Jon Gray is well known for his flowing, long hair. In fact, he may be as well known for it as he is his blazing fastball and wicked slider.

However, after Tuesday afternoon, Gray will have to re-introduce himself to National League batters with his pitches alone.

Calling it his most awkward but most fulfilling haircut ever, Gray, surrounded by cameras and media members, donated eight inches of his hair to Locks of Love on Tuesday. Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children, age 21 and under, suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnoses.

This was the first time Gray has donated to Locks of Love. His actions got the thumbs up from Colorado manager Bud Black and pitching coach Steve Foster.

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“He’ll probably have a jump in velocity with less resistance,” Foster joked as Gray was getting clipped.

Gray said he last had a haircut two years ago so he’s been working on his locks for a while. He thought this was the perfect time to use his prominence in the Denver area to make an impact for good.

“I think it’s important to help people,” Gray said as he sat in a barber’s chair positioned in the Coors Field interview room. “I’ve always been told to use your platform. The more people you can reach, the better. I see it as an opportunity to do good things and help as many people as I can.

“I didn’t have an end goal with it,” Gray said about his hair. “I thought this would be the best route to go when I was done,” Gray said. “There are a lot of people who aren’t as fortunate as me. There are burn victims and people going through chemo who could use a hairpiece. If I had the ability to do, why not? It’s not that big of a deal to me and it will help someone else.”

Colorado catcher Tony Wolters often tells Gray that he looks like a lion on the mound. The catcher will have to find another spirit animal for the 25-year-old former University of Oklahoma pitcher.

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“Tony talks to me and he thinks I look like a lion,” Gray joked. “He always told me I better not cut out, but it’ll be back before I know it. I’ll find another way to be intimidating.”