ARLINGTON, Texas -- A congratulatory letter from Willie Mays and a video tribute including a request from George Brett were part of a pregame ceremony in which the Texas Rangers recognized Adrian Beltre for joining the 3,000-hit club.
The ceremony Friday night before the series opener against the New York Yankees included the reading of a letter from Mays that started, "This is Willie here. Welcome to the club." Mays wrote that he knows it's not an easy accomplishment and told Beltre to "keep at it" because everybody loves to watch him hit.