The Seattle Mariners will hold “J.J. Putz Soul Patch Night” at their April 12 game. The first 20,000 fans through the gates will receive a “stick-on” version of the tuft of facial hair, called a “soul patch,” sported by Putz, the Mariners closing pitcher. (Team PR)

Like Joe Mauer Sideburn Night, the Mariners have a quality giveaway that builds the identity of a player.

I have one slight nitpick with this, and that is that I am not really sure that Putz’ facial hair is really a “soul patch”.

The soul patch is a small patch of facial hair just below the lower lip and above the chin. It came to prominence in the 1950s and 1960s, when it was a style of beard common among Black men, most notably black jazzmen. It became popular with beatniks, artists, and those who frequented the jazz scene and moved in literary and artistic circles. Jazz trumpeters in particular preferred the soul patch for the comfort it provided when using a trumpet mouthpiece. (wikipedia)

This hairy turf was covered before on ESPN’s Page 2, discussing the growth on skater Anton Ohno:

As for Ohno, the tuft of hair below his lip is technically a little more than a soul patch — reaching down to cover his chin, it’s a soul patch with delusions of goatee grandeur. (Minds, bodies and soul patches)

Ohno is from the Seattle area….so maybe this is just a facial hair nuiance in the Pacific Northwest….so I will let it slide.
–Cudo