New York Yankees outfielder Carlos Beltran recorded his 2,500th career hit during the fourth inning of Saturday's eventual 9-5 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, thereby joining Barry Bonds, Willie Mays, Andre Dawson and current teammate Alex Rodriguez as the only players in major league history with 2,500 hits, 400 home runs and 300 stolen bases, per Sportsnet Stats on Twitter.
Beltran's milestone hit was a solo home run to left field off of Rays pitcher Matt Moore, cutting Tampa Bay's early lead from 5-0 to 5-1. The Rays quickly put the game out of reach over the following two innings, extending the lead to 9-1 by the bottom of the fifth, which allowed Moore to pick up his second win of the year.
Beltran made outs in his other two plate appearances, and he was removed from the contest early due to tightness near his right scapula, per MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.
The 39-year-old Puerto Rican outfielder—who has 404 homers and 311 steals to go along with his 2,500 hits—was subsequently held out of the lineup for Sunday's series finale, allowing 26-year-old Aaron Hicks to get the start in right field.
While his .263 batting average and .290 on-base percentage don't impress, Beltran clearly still has plenty of pop left in his bat, boasting 12 home runs, 31 RBI and a .537 slugging percentage through 48 games, putting him on pace for 41 homers and 105 RBI.
Of course, given his age and injury history, Beltran probably won't play enough games to have a real shot at reaching 40 homers for just the second time (2006) in his career.
Regardless, his longevity and five-tool skill set should help to make a strong case for the Hall of Fame whenever Beltran does decide to retire.
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