Adrian Beltre reaches 2,500 games at third base, second all-time to Brooks Robinson

Adrian Beltre’s legacy is only going to improve with time as he continues to pass major milestones. He played his 2,500th game at third base Friday night in Chicago, seventh most for an infielder and second-most at third base behind Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson (2,870).

Beltre, of course, “doesn’t really care” about his all-time numbers and where he ranks. But there is one aspect of his stature in the game that he tolerates. His nine-year-old son A.J. has come to enjoy watching his dad climb up various leaderboards. He’ll ask his father, for instance, where he currently ranks all-time after he hits a homer.

“H asks me really specific questions,” Beltre said. “I don’t even look it up because he knows it more than me. He cares a little too much. He really likes the game and he’s a huge fan of mine. So even though sometimes I don’t want to hear, it’s cute that your son asks about stuff like that.”

Beltre entered Friday’s game, for instance, 49th all-time with 416 homers. After 19 productive seasons, Beltre said, you’re bound to compile impressive numbers.

“It’s just a sign you’ve been playing a while,” he said. “I enjoy playing every day and the fact that I have a chance to be in the lineup every day. I enjoy the competition and want to be there every day for my teammates. I never know when I’m going to play my last game.”

Beltre’s benchmarks

Here’s where Adrian Beltre ranks all-time among infielders in most games played:

Player, Pos. Games

Brooks Robinson, 3B, 2,870

Omar Vizquel, SS, 2,709

Derek Jeter, SS, 2,674

Eddie Collins, 2B, 2,650

Luis Aparicio, SS, 2,581

Joe Morgan, 2B, 2,527

Ozzie Smith, SS, 2,511

Adrian Beltre, 3B, 2,500

This story was originally published April 22, 2016 at 8:24 PM with the headline "Adrian Beltre reaches 2,500 games at third base, second all-time to Brooks Robinson."