The career of Adrian Beltre — which spanned 21 seasons, parts of three decades, four teams and 3,166 hits — ended officially on Tuesday when he announced his retirement. His journey contained multitudes: He was a teenage call-up by the Dodgers in 1998, a budding superstar in 2004, a stadium-suppressed disappointment for half a decade in Seattle, a viral sensation and franchise pillar in Texas.
In six years, when Beltre will be eligible for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, his career will be concluded with a bust in Cooperstown.
Beltre spent the first seven years of his career with the Dodgers, but he finished with eight seasons in Texas.