ARLINGTON, Texas — Adrian Beltre just wanted to work hard, be consistent and earn respect in the game. As a young player, he never even thought about historical numbers like 3,000 hits.
"Never in my mind did I think that I was going to be in the position where I'm at right now," Beltre said. "If I tell you that, that I was, I'm lying. For me, I just wanted to be a good player. ... When you play for a long time, you accumulate stuff."
Now 38 and in his 20th major league season, the Texas Rangers third baseman goes into a weekend series at home against Baltimore just four hits shy of 3,000 in his career.