Rangers' Beltre passes Carew for most hits by Latin-born player

Adrian Beltre entered Thursday tied with Rod Carew as the all-time hits leader among Latin American-born players. He's now leaving atop the list by himself.

In his first at-bat, the Texas Rangers third baseman stroked a double off Oakland Athletics starter Daniel Mengden for the 3,054th hit of his storied career.

The double also moved Beltre within one hit of Rickey Henderson for 24th on the all-time list, with Houston Astros great Craig Biggio's 3,060 hits within striking distance.

Presuming he stays healthy, Beltre has the potential to climb even further up the list by season's end. Only 100 hits separate him from George Brett, who sits 16th among major-league batters. Another 30 after that, and he'll catch Cal Ripken.

Beltre is off to a relatively slow start at the plate this season, batting .222/.250/.333 with three doubles among his six hits. He's yet to hit a home run, but he's never been held down for very long.