Beltre not sure why he was ejected

Adrian Beltre, just four hits shy of becoming the 31st person in major-league history to collect 3,000 in his career, was ejected by umpire Gerry Davis in the eighth inning of the Rangers’ 22-10 loss to the Marlins on Wednesday.

Beltre was on deck when Davis, the crew chief, told him to move closer to the on-deck circle. Beltre was standing to the left of the circle, closer to home plate.

No players stand directly on the circle because it’s slick and dangerous. Most of the time weighted bats and donuts are lying on it.

So when Beltre was asked to move closer to the circle, he grabbed it and pulled it to within 4 or 5 feet of where he was standing.

“I wasn’t being funny,” Beltre said. “He told me to stand on the mat, so I actually did what he told me. I was listening.”

Davis, evidently lacking any sense of humor, immediately ejected Beltre, who had gone 3-for-3 with two doubles, a home run and a walk. Rangers manager Jeff Banister made his objections known and was eventually tossed as well.

Beltre said he’s been standing in the same area for most of his 20 years in the league, including Monday night when Davis was working behind home plate.

The internet began to erupt with incredulous takes on the incident from across the nation. Former Rangers great Michael Young couldn’t believe what he saw and posted his dismay on Twitter.

Banister was after the game.

“Very unfortunate,” he said. “(I) don’t know why it needed to be engaged. This is a man chasing history. Our fans stuck around to see that last at-bat (but) didn’t get to see it.” still incensed