Once again, another hitter has broken the glass of the 3000 hit mark, and it's Adrian Beltre, of the Texas Rangers.
Adrian Beltre has had a Hall of Fame caliber career, though has done so seemingly under the radar to many baseball fans. On Sunday, Hall of Fame induction day in Cooperstown, the 38-year-old third baseman reached another milestone and etched his name into baseball history.
With his family in attendance and in front of the home crowd at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Beltre accomplished his massive feat just the way that he had wanted to. In his second at bat, he got ahead of Wade Miley 3-0 then lined a sharp double down the third base line. In doing so, he became just the 31st player in Major League history to accumulate 3,000 hits. Beltre is also the first Dominican-born player to join the illustrious club.
The game was paused after Beltre checked into second base to allow for celebration. With fireworks booming overhead, the third baseman’s children ran out onto the field and unveiled a special façade on the on the wall in right center field that was dedicated to his monumental achievement.
He then had time to embrace his children and his wife in a special moment that touched him. "What happened today after the hit has been the best moment in my life… I saw the joy in their faces, and a lot of things you do in your career you do for your kids and your family. My kids and my wife have been so supportive over the years, that this moment was for them. When I saw that, I felt like I was on a cloud, because I really saw the joy in their faces. It was a nice moment to enjoy with them -- my family, my wife."
While he was already destined for Cooperstown, this milestone will certainly swing many of the Hall of Fame voters who weren’t already enamored with all of the accomplishments over his terrific career. Achieving this momentous milestone on the day that Rangers’ legend Ivan Rodriguez was one of three players inducted into the Hall of Fame could have been a bit foretelling as well.
Beltre is a four-time All-Star. He has won five Gold Glove awards at third base, including last season as a 37-year-old. He has also won four Silver Slugger awards. Beltre clubbed a league-leading 48 home runs for the Dodgers in 2004 and finished second in the voting for National League MVP. He led the American League in hits with 199 as a member of the Rangers in 2013.
Beltre has 605 doubles in his career which ties him with Paul Molitor and Paul Waner for the 12th most in Major League history.
He has 454 home runs in his big league career, which ranks 38th all-time.
His 1607 RBI rank 35th all-time, trailing only Albert Pujols among active players.
He’s also showing no signs at all of slowing down. While the start to his season was delayed by injuries, he’s hitting a robust .307/.382/.534 with nine homers and 36 RBI in his first 217 plate appearances this season. He’s doing that as a 38-year-old and while playing a Gold Glove-caliber third baseman.
He’s signed through the 2018 season and could look to continue playing after that. Who knows what heights he hit will achieve.
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