Beltre after Rangers home finale: I’m ready to accept the fact that maybe this is it

Adrian Beltre might’ve played his final home game for the Texas Rangers on Sunday afternoon. It certainly felt like it.

Beltre exited to a standing ovation, embracing his teammates as he made an emotional walk toward the dugout in what became a 6-1 victory over the Mariners at Globe Life Park. Beltre hasn’t made a decision whether to continue his playing days in 2019, or call it a career after this season.

But he’ll be at peace with whatever decision he makes. Told it felt like a farewell, Beltre responded: “It could be.”

“I think that mentally, I’m ready to accept the fact that maybe this is it,” Beltre said. “If it’s not, I want to be ready, mentally, to go through another year of figuring out how to be productive and stay healthy. So whatever the situation or decision might be, I’ve got to be mentally ready for whatever it’s going to be.”

Beltre, 39, said he’ll take a couple weeks after the season to discuss the decision with his immediate family. He said a moment like Sunday’s doesn’t impact him one way or the other.

Instead, he’s trying to soak it all in and appreciate these kinds of moments knowing it could be the end.

“It was emotional,” Beltre said. “I didn’t know how it was going to feel. Obviously, not knowing if I’m going to come back or not. Seeing the crowd, seeing my teammates, everybody cheering for me. It was special. It was emotional.”

Rangers interim manager Don Wakamatsu told Beltre of the organization’s intentions to honor him before the game, and Beltre OK’d it.

Beltre has been reluctant of having a “farewell tour” and didn’t think much of this until it actually happened. He joked that he thought about delaying it so he could get another at-bat with him due up in the bottom half of the inning.

Beltre wasn’t too pleased with himself, striking out twice in his first two at-bats. But the plans had already been set in place with a tribute video playing on the video board in the sixth.

“I wanted another at-bat to redeem myself a little bit,” Beltre said, smiling. “I was completely oblivious of that was the sixth inning that I was coming out. When I saw Elvis (Andrus) coming to me and then I saw the way he was reacting, I kind of turned around and I saw Rougie (Odor) coming in and was like, ‘Oh.’ Totally forgot about this.

“I kind of wanted to tell him, ‘Go back. I want another at-bat.’ But I did not want to be rude.”

Nobody would’ve blamed Beltre if he stayed in the game. That is what he’s known for after all – a gritty player who played through numerous injuries in a Hall of Fame-caliber career.

The Rangers understand his value and importance to the organization. If Beltre decides to play in 2019, both sides have made it clear it’ll be with the Rangers.

Asked about the moment in the dugout, Wakamatsu said: “It was goosebumps and some tears because Adrian teared up pretty good. Somebody who has put his heart and soul into it and has had the career he has had, yeah, we would like to see him back. He has played hurt his whole career here. If he was hurt, he played through it. He has been a leader for so many of the young guys here. It was a pretty special, emotional moment for him.”

Sunday is not expected to be the final game for Beltre if he hangs it up after this season. Wakamatsu will give Beltre a day off on Monday in Anaheim, but the plan remains for him to play at some point on the final road trip of the season.

Beltre, though, simply enjoyed the moment. He appreciated the love the home crowd showed him since he joined the organization in 2011. Beltre couldn’t have picked a better place to end his storied career.

“It was more than I expected,” Beltre said of his time with the Rangers. “The fans, the team, the organization, it was more than I expected. Obviously I appreciate the fact that they gave me a chance to win the World Series [in 2011]. I was in one and as close as you could be to winning one, and that’s all I wanted and they honored that. But everything about it has been good.

“I came to this state and I fell in love with it. The fans are great. The teammates, the clubhouse guys, everybody, the whole staff has been just unbelievable to me. I couldn’t picture eight years ago making a decision to make one better than this one.”

This story was originally published September 23, 2018 at 6:51 PM.