Beltre 31st player to get 3,000 career hits
Third baseman is first Dominican to reach mark
ARLINGTON — Adrian Beltre had a feeling like none other he’s experienced on a baseball field when he saw his three children charging toward him.
Then they kept running to the wall in right-center field.
Only after helping unveil a logo commemorating Beltre’s 3,000th career hit did the kids return to hug their father, the 38-year-old Texas Rangers third baseman who had just become the 31st overall player, and first from the Dominican Republic, in the major leagues to reach the mark.
“What happened today after the hit, it was the best moment in my life,” Beltre said Sunday. “When I saw that, I felt like I was in the clouds, because I really saw the joy in their faces. It was a nice moment to enjoy with them, my family, my wife.”
Beltre reached the milestone with a double in the fourth inning of a 10-6 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.
“It’s an honor to be here for it. Especially, we couldn’t have drawn it up better, where we win and we get a chance to see that,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “Everybody in the game has a lot of respect for him, not only statistically but the way he’s handled success over the years.”
The Rangers were down 4-0 when Beltre, who finished his 2,771st career game 1-for-5, had a hard hit down the line — fittingly past third base.
A banner was unfurled high above straightaway center field congratulating him. His teammates, who had crowded on the rail of the first-base dugout to be as close as possible to the historic moment, flooded onto the field to celebrate with him.
Beltre’s two daughters and 10-year-old son Adrian Jr. left their front-row seats near the dugout they had shared with family members, including Beltre’s parents.
“We have a lot of great baseball players in the Dominican Republic, and I’m proud to be one of them,” Beltre said, calling the moment even more special being able to share it with his father on what was Father’s Day in the Dominican Republic.
Now in his 20th big league season, he is only the third player who is primarily a third baseman in the 3,000-hit club, joining Hall of Famers George Brett and Wade Boggs.
Rangers manager Jeff Banister, who referred to Beltre as the “next Hall of Famer” said July 30 will forever be one that Texas fans will remember as “Ranger Day.”
“Like we told him earlier, he means so much to this organization, to this team,” Banister said. “We thanked him for allowing us to tag along this journey with him, and be part of it.”