For years, I railed against the off-kilter angle of Fernando Rodney’s hat. Why? Maybe because I had nothing better to do. Or I keep seeing grownups doing dumb things that kids copy and then suffer the consequences of those actions. Or it just looked moronic. Turns out he had a reason, and a good one at that. The following is reprinted with permission from Baseball History Dork on Meta.

“Fernando Rodney pitched for 11 teams over 17 seasons, picking up 327 saves along the way. Pretty much all the while he wore his cap tilted noticeably to one side. At times he has said he did it because it distracted batters, or even to fool the runner at first base into thinking he was looking at them. It wasn’t until 2016 – his 15th year in the Majors – that the three-time All-Star revealed it was a tribute to his father, a fisherman in the Dominican Republic who had died just prior to Rodney’s MLB debut. His dad wore his cap like that to block the sun.

That kind of thing can be a very private matter, and he talked about it when he was ready.

Rodney was not breaking any rules relating to the wearing of the uniform, technically, as his cap was always -technically speaking- facing forward. And going by the rule book as it is written, it seems that even if it weren’t facing forward, he wouldn’t have been breaking the rules. All he’d have to do is get the rest of his team to wear their caps in the same way. The rules read as follows:

Rule 3.03 (a) – All players on a team shall wear uniforms identical in color, trim and style, and all players’ uniforms shall include minimal six-inch numbers on their backs.

Rule 3.03 (c) – No player whose uniform does not conform to that of his teammates shall be permitted to participate in a game.

By “uniform” it would seem the rulebook does not mean shoes, belts, and gloves – certainly not bandanas and sunglasses and such. We’re talking hats, jerseys and pants.

There isn’t even a rule that explicitly states that Rodney had to wear a cap at all. Just so long as no one else on his team wore a cap either. But that’ll never happen. Baseball caps, aside from being iconic to the sport, are a most functional and practical accessory just as it was for Fernando Rodney’s dad out on the boat.”

So, there you go. Thanks to Baseball History Dork for the knowledge drop.