WATCH: Adrián Beltré Reflects On Ejection Over Moving On-Deck Circle

Ahead of his induction into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame on Saturday, Adrián Beltré took some time to reflect on many moments from his 21-year career.

Author:
Chris Halicke
Aug 12, 2021 9:32 PM EDT

Adrián Beltre is one of the most loved Texas Rangers of all time. Not only did he turn himself from a good player to a surefire first ballot Hall-of-Famer in his eight years with the Rangers, he gave fans from all around the game countless moments of laughter and joy.

If fans were forced to choose just one fun moment from Adrián Beltré's career, it would have to be from July 26, 2017.

In the eighth inning of a game where Texas was trailing by 12 runs, Beltré was told by second base umpire and crew chief Gerry Davis to stand on the on-deck circle instead of beside it. Instead, Beltré picked up the plastic mat and drug it to where he was standing.

Davis ejected Beltré, then ejected Rangers manager Jeff Banister, who took huge exception to Davis' judgement. Rangers Hall of Fame broadcaster Eric Nadel perfectly said, "He must not have any sense of humor."

The only reason fans even stuck around during a blowout was because Beltré was chasing his 3,000th hit, which he got four days later.

This Saturday, Adrián Beltré will be enshrined in the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame along with public address announcer Chuck Morgan. Beltré met with the media on Thursday to reflect on many of the moments in his 21-year career. We asked Beltré about his perspective on the incident four years later.

Here is Beltré's full response:

Beltré will go down as one of the greatest third baseman to ever play the game. He is currently 17th on the all-time list with 3,166 career hits, has a career slash line of .286/.339/.480/.819 with 477 home runs and 1,707 RBI. He was a four-time All-Star, won five Gold Gloves, two Platinum Gloves, and four Silver Sluggers.