Adrian Beltre, 21-year MLB veteran, announces retirement
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Adrian Beltre announced his retirement Tuesday after 21 seasons in the majors. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
Adrian Beltre of the Texas Rangers is retiring after 21 seasons and 3,166 hits.
The 39-year-old third baseman announced his decision Tuesday in a statement released by the Rangers.
The four-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove winner says his decision came after "careful consideration and many sleepless nights."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Beltre made his big league debut at 19 with the Dodgers in 1998. He played with Los Angeles until 2004, then was with the Seattle Mariners from 2005-09 and the Boston Red Sox in 2010. He joined the Rangers as a free agent in 2011 and appeared in his only World Series in his first season with Texas.
In 2,933 career games, Beltre hit .286 with 477 home runs and 1,707 RBIs.