Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre retires after 21 seasons.
ARLINGTON — Adrian
Beltre of the Texas Rangers retired Tuesday after 21 seasons in a career in which he hit 477 home runs and became the first player from the Dominican Republic to have 3,000 hits.
The 39-year-old third baseman announced his decision in a statement released by the Rangers, saying it is time for the “next chapter of my life.”
“After careful consideration and many sleepless nights, I have made the decision to retire from what I’ve been doing my whole life, which is playing baseball, the game I love,” Beltre said. “I have thought about it a lot and although I appreciate all the opportunities and everything that baseball has given me, it’s time to call it a career.”
Beltre was a .286 hitter with 1,707 RBIs in 2,933 career games. His 3,166 hits rank 16th on baseball’s career list, with his homers total 30th and RBIs 24th. He played 2,759 games at third base — only Hall of Famer Brooks
Robinson had more. The four-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove winner was 19 when he made his big league debut with the Dodgers in 1998.
In his statement, Beltre thanked former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, then the team’s interim general manager, for “believing in this young kid from the Dominican Republic when others thought I was too young to be called up” to the majors. Beltre was only 15 when he first signed with the Dodgers as an amateur free agent in July 1994.
Beltre played with Los Angeles until 2004, then was with the Seattle Mariners from 2005-09 and the Boston Red Sox in 2010.
He joined the Rangers on a $96 million, six-year free agent deal in 2011, and appeared in his only World Series in his first season with Texas.
SOCCER Italy tops U.S. in exhibition
Matteo Politano scored his first international goal in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time, and Italy beat the United States 1-0 in an exhibition as at Genk, Belgium.
It was a day that saw 20-year-old Christian
Pulisic became the youngest captain in the modern history of the American team. In likely the final game for the Americans under interim coach Dave Sarachan, Pulisic bettered Landon Donovan, who was 22 when he first was captain in 2004.
PRO FOOTBALL Hall announces semifinalists
The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced 25 semifinalists up for induction.
Already finalists for the hall are contributors Gil
Brandt and Pat Bowlen, and senior committee nominee Johnny Robinson. The list will be reduced to 15 on Jan. 3. The selection meeting will be Feb. 2. Inductions will be on Aug. 3.
The semifinalists include: Steve Atwater, safety; Champ Bailey, cornerback; Ronde Barber, cornerback/safety; Tony Boselli, tackle; Isaac Bruce, wide receiver; LeRoy Butler, safety; Don Coryell, coach; Alan Faneca, guard; Tom Flores, coach; Tony Gonzalez, tight end; Torry Holt, wide receiver; Steve Hutchinson, guard; Edgerrin James, running back; Jimmy Johnson, coach; Ty Law, cornerback; John Lynch, safety; Clay Matthews, linebacker; Kevin Mawae, center/ guard; Karl Mecklenburg, linebacker; Sam Mills, linebacker; Ed Reed, safety; Richard Seymour, defensive lineman; Zach Thomas, linebacker; Hines Ward, wide receiver, and Darren Woodson, safety.
HOCKEY Oilers hire Hitchcock
Edmonton fired coach Todd McLellan and replaced him with Ken
Hitchcock with hopes of reviving a team languishing in sixth place in the Pacific Division.
McLellan was in his fourth season behind the Oilers’ bench.
The 66-year-old Hitchcock announced his retirement in April after a 22year coaching career, which included a Stanley Cup with Dallas in 1999.
Blues fire Yeo, name interim
The St. Louis Blues fired coach Mike Yeo and named Craig Berube as his interim replacement.
GM Doug Armstrong announced the change. The Blues are in last place in the Central Divisionn. Wire reports