Napoli finally shaves off epic beard

As MLB enters the final weekend of its regular season, it marks the end of a historic era. One that saw multiple World Series, a championship parade in a major metropolitan area in the Northeast.

Yeah, yeah . . . Derek Jeter is retiring. We get it.

But while The Captain was busy perhaps playing his last game in the Bronx on Wednesday (you listening, Mother Nature?), this happened in Tampa Bay:

Stunned? You're not alone.

Even the Boston Red Sox announcers, the trained professionals that they are, struggled to process what they were witnessing.

For the record, the beard has been with Napoli for both World Series runs. In 2011, Napoli looked like this while playing for the Rangers against the Cardinals:

The result? Not enough hair — the Rangers lost in seven games in one of the most thrilling World Series in history. Of course, Napoli hit .350 with two home runs and 10 RBI against the Cardinals in that series.

Flash forward two years, to Napoli's first season in Boston, and he looked like this in October:

Napoli holds up Commissioner's Trophy.

His hitting was not nearly as impressive as his beard (he hit .154 with no home runs and four RBI in the five-game series against those Cardinals again). But The Beard finally brought The Bling to Napoli.

But with no playoffs in struggling Boston's future this season, apparently Napoli went NHL on us and got rid of the now-unlucky whiskers.