DistantNews
Support us
Carlos Beltrán inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame as sixth Puerto Rican immortal
🇵🇦 Panama /Sports

Carlos Beltrán inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame as sixth Puerto Rican immortal

From TVN Panamá · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • Puerto Rican baseball player Carlos Beltrán was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday.
  • He became the sixth Puerto Rican player to achieve this honor.
  • Beltrán expressed gratitude for the recognition and acknowledged his journey from Puerto Rico.

In an emotional ceremony at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, New York, Puerto Rican baseball star Carlos Beltrán was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday. This momentous occasion marks Beltrán as the sixth player from Puerto Rico to be enshrined among baseball's immortals.

It means a lot to be part of this special group. Thank you to Puerto Rico for showing me that you can go far without forgetting where you come from.

— Carlos BeltránExpressing his feelings about being inducted into the Hall of Fame and thanking Puerto Rico.

Joining Beltrán in this year's induction class were Jeff Kent and Andruw Jones. Beltrán, 49, who retired from professional baseball in 2017, had a distinguished career in Major League Baseball since his debut in 1998. He played in 2,586 games, hitting 435 home runs.

"It means a lot to be part of this special group," Beltrán stated during the ceremony. "Thank you to Puerto Rico for showing me that you can go far without forgetting where you come from." He reflected on his aspirations, saying, "My dream was to be a Major League player, be a good player, I never dreamed of being here. Thank you God for allowing me to be part of the history of this sport."

My dream was to be a Major League player, be a good player, I never dreamed of being here. Thank you God for allowing me to be part of the history of this sport.

— Carlos BeltránReflecting on his career aspirations and gratitude for his Hall of Fame induction.

Beltrán, a World Series champion with the Houston Astros in 2017, left a significant mark on MLB history. He is notably the only switch-hitter with at least 400 home runs and 300 stolen bases. Hundreds of Puerto Ricans gathered in Cooperstown to witness the induction.

Carlos was a shy guy. I consider him my older brother, I love him very much and I wanted to be here for him.

— José ReyesDescribing Carlos Beltrán and his reason for attending the ceremony.

Former teammate José Reyes described Beltrán as "a special human being" who "does many things for the people of Puerto Rico." Beltrán's induction places him in esteemed company, joining fellow Puerto Rican Hall of Famers Roberto Clemente (1973), Orlando Cepeda (1999), Roberto Alomar (2011), Iván Rodríguez (2017), and Edgar Martínez (2019).

He is a special human being, he does many things for the people of Puerto Rico, his heart is incredible.

— José ReyesPraising Carlos Beltrán's character and generosity.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by TVN Panamá in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog