OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – When it comes to the baseball’s new speed-up rules, Adrian Beltre is ready to hop to it. He’s really doing it.
Beltre already had to be reminded twice in the season’s initial days to stay in the batter’s box, including on the Texas third baseman’s 36th birthday Tuesday. And when given a prompt by the home plate umpire, he bounded back in.
“I’m old. I can’t think, I can’t process all that stuff sometimes,” Beltre joked before his Texas Rangers played Oakland on Wednesday night. “You go to home plate with your mindset of your approach, what you’re doing, you’re not thinking about staying in the box. I’m not a guy who goes far away but I like to get out and look at my coach. It’s going to take some time to get used to. I don’t mind it, but I just forget.”
Umpire Bill Miller mentioned it in Monday’s opener when Beltre stepped out and quickly jumped back into the box upon realizing it. After the second pitch of his first at-bat was in the dirt against Sonny Gray, he took four steps out and tapped his bat on each foot feet before coming back.
On Tuesday night, plate umpire Doug Eddings warned him again. Beltre made an immediate, athletic hop right back into the box during the first inning of a 3-1 win.