During a recent Q&A session, Bobby Valentine reminisced about his days as manager of the New York Mets, particularly the time he wore a fake mustache and sunglasses in the dugout 25 years ago and got caught. Surprisingly, it was a 9-year-old fan who brought up this memory.
Valentine joked about the incident, saying, “I’ve been amazed at the legs of that minute and a half of my life.” Despite the passage of time, many baseball fans, both young and old, still laugh about his attempt to hide his identity during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays in 1999.
Valentine recalled how he fashioned a mustache using eye black stickers upside down under his nose and how pitcher Orel Hershiser supported his scheme. The moment became a fan favorite and a topic of laughter for years to come.
June 9, 1999: @Mets manager Bobby Valentine is ejected in the 12th inning. He sneaks back into the dugout Shea Stadium wearing dark sunglasses and a fake mustache. #LGM pic.twitter.com/fMgSiyJ5yu
— MetsRewind (@metsrewind) June 9, 2024
After being ejected from the game on that fateful night in 1999, Valentine sought ways to communicate with the team from the dugout. Hershiser suggested that he return to the dugout in disguise, which led to the infamous mustache incident.
Hershiser and Valentine laugh about the incident now, recalling how they tried to deceive the umpires. Despite the humor in hindsight, Valentine was fined and suspended for two games as a consequence.
Looking back 25 years later, Valentine appreciates how the lighthearted moment brought joy to fans of all ages. It remains a cherished memory in his baseball career.
(Photo: John Conrad Williams, Jr. / Newsday RM via Getty Images)