COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Going to Cooperstown is every baseball fan’s Field of Dreams.
It is to me since I journeyed to Upstate New York to witness the induction of Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre into the Baseball Hall of Fame, perhaps the best-known sports shrine in the world.
Only 1% of all the players who have donned a Major League uniform have this honor bestowed on them.
On Sunday, Beltre was joined by players Todd Helton (Colorado Rockies) and Joe Mauer (Minnesota Twins) plus manager Jim Leyland as they all became part of the exclusive fraternity.
The festivities began Saturday as dozens of Hall of Famers took part in the annual Parade of Legends. Thousands of spectators lined the town’s Main Street to greet and cheer the legends.
An estimated 25,000 baseball-loving fans converged on the small village whose population numbers fewer than 2,000. The town has only one traffic light. Its residents boast that it’s “a drinking town with a baseball problem.”
Prior to the parade, the four Hall of Fame inductees were made available to the media. Beltre addressed the Spanish-speaking media first, many from his native Dominican Republic. He expressed his gratitude for the support he received from his fellow countrymen early in his career. The slugger became the fifth Hall of Famer from the Dominican Republic, joining Juan Marichal, Pedro Martinez, Vladimir Guerrero Sr., and David Ortiz. He believes a sixth person will join them soon when Albert Pujols becomes eligible in 2028.
Later, speaking to the English-speaking media, he thanked everyone: his agent, managers, coaches, trainers, clubhouse staff, and even media members who helped him during his 21-year Major League career also playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, and Boston Red Sox.
Beltre had high words of praise for the Rangers organization, where he spent his last eight years and quickly became a fan favorite.
“The support I got from the Texas fans was unbelievable,” he said. “They accepted me from Day 1. They never once booed me, and for that, I will always be grateful. Like they say, everything is bigger in Texas, and you showed me big love.”
It was like a Rangers reunion as several of Beltre’s Texas teammates joined him in Cooperstown, including Elvis Andrus, Robinson Chirinos, Nelson Cruz, Ian Kinsler, Colby Lewis, Mitch Moreland, and David Murphy. Also in attendance were fellow Hall of Famer Pudge Rodriguez and former Rangers general manager Jon Daniels, who brought Beltre to Texas.
During Beltre’s illustrious career, he was a four-time All-Star, five-time Gold Glove winner, and five-time Silver Slugger and is the only third baseman in MLB history with more than 3,000 hits and 450 home runs.
Despite all his accomplishments, he had one more challenge, and he admitted it to the media in Cooperstown. “I don’t like to speak in public.”
Beltre had practiced his speech in front of his wife and kids and said he was nervous. It didn’t show on Sunday as he spoke in front of thousands of fans and did a marvelous job speaking in both English and Spanish.
The talented, baseball-loving Beltre, who was signed at age 15 by the Dodgers and made his Major League debut at age 19, expressed his great appreciation to the late Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda for believing in him.
“Baseball was my passion, and it blessed me with countless opportunities,” he said. “And the best part is I loved it. I love baseball, and I had so much fun playing the game.”
Ozzie Garza has been writing about baseball and the Rangers for more than 25 years. He is a frequent contributor to the Fort Worth Weekly.
