A resurfaced clip of baseball legend Carlos Beltrán rocking what looks like marker drawn over his bald head is absolutely dominating TikTok right now. The comments are merciless, the announcer reactions are gold and millions of viewers are convinced they’re watching a man who lost a bet. But the real story behind the stunt is even better than anyone guessed.
The footage dates back to an August 2016 MLB game between the Texas Rangers and the Cleveland Indians. During the broadcast, the camera panned to Beltrán in the dugout, and the announcers completely lost it over his hair — or rather, what was clearly not hair.
Carlos Beltran’s Fake Dugout Hair Had MLB Announcers in Tears
“I think that’s like a chia pet, by the ninth inning he’s going to have like regular hair,” one of the announcers said in the TikTok clip, as the other laughed and called Beltrán an “artist.”
Then came the tell. Beltrán lifted his hand to his mouth, revealing what appeared to be black marker streaks on his hand. “We’ll keep you up to date on the growth of Carlos Beltrán’s [hair] down there in the dugout,” the announcer continued. “I’m gonna try that. That looks pretty good.”.
TikTok Can’t Stop Roasting Carlos Beltran’s Look
Now that the clip has resurfaced on TikTok, the comments section has turned into an all-time roast session. Fans are having an absolute field day with Beltrán’s look, and the jokes write themselves.
“That chia pet reference has to be the best announcer roast I’ve ever heard 🤣🤣🤣,” one person wrote.
Another said, “Looks like spray paint.”
Someone else commented, “Poor guy, imagine how he feels 😭. Imagine his anxiety checking the weather channel making sure it doesn’t rain 😩.”
Others chimed in with “looks like a marker was used. 🤣” and “How many Sharpies does it take?” The post’s caption called it “an instant blooper reel classic, forever etched in baseball’s funny moments archive.”
This isn’t the first time the clip broke the internet, either. Social media erupted during the original 2016 broadcast. “Carlos Beltran rocking a 1940s NFL helmet. that can’t be an attempt at hair,” one person wrote via Twitter, now known as X. Another compared the prank to a scene from Rugrats: “I think Carlos Beltran found Grandpa Lou’s hair dye.”
What Everyone Gets Wrong About Carlos Beltran’s Stunt
Here’s what most people sharing this clip don’t realize: Beltrán did this completely on purpose, and it wasn’t vanity — it was a teammate roast. Beltrán later told reporters the hairstyle was an attempt to make fun of teammate Rougned Odor, per nine.com.au. Odor was apparently a frequent target of clubhouse ribbing over his hair.
The New York Times later revealed, “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 smear under their eyes to reduce glare. Analyst Jim Duquette saw through it at the time: “It’s just not a good look. He’s doing it on purpose and to get laughs.”
Who Is Rougned Odor, the Teammate Carlos Beltran Was Trolling?
Odor, the target of Beltrán’s epic prank, was already famous in 2016 for a completely different reason — punching José Bautista in the jaw during a bench-clearing brawl between the Rangers and the Toronto Blue Jays.
Odor received an eight-game suspension for the punch, while Bautista was suspended for one game. The Venezuelan second baseman previously played for the Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres and now plays for the Navegantes del Magallanes of the Venezuelan Major League.
Carlos Beltran’s Legendary Career Behind the Viral Moment
Behind the laughs is a genuinely legendary career. Beltrán built a 20-year MLB career as one of the game’s most complete players — a nine-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner who finished with 435 home runs and over 300 stolen bases. He holds one of the highest playoff OPS marks in MLB history. After retiring in 2017 with the Houston Astros, Beltrán transitioned into broadcasting, including appearing as an analyst for YES Network. He now works in the front office for the Mets.
So the next time someone shares that clip and says, “This poor guy” — you’ll know the truth. It was never desperation. It was a teammate roast executed with eye black and zero shame.
