In his 20th year in the Majors -- and his second stint with the Astros -- Carlos Beltran is climbing the all-time charts and making a late-career push for Hall-of-Fame credentials.
In Friday's 5-1 loss to the Royals, Beltran tied Yankees legend Joe DiMaggio for 49th on the all-time RBI list with 1,537. He ranks fourth among current players, trailing Jose Pujols (1,817), Adrian Beltre (1,571) and Jose Cabrera (1,553).
"I try not to get caught up in milestones," Beltran said. "I know that being able to play the game a long time like I have, you're going to achieve some of those. The fact that I tied one of the greatest in baseball, I'm very happy about that."
In the seventh inning, Beltran, who is soon turning 40, followed Carlos Correa's leadoff single with a long RBI double to center that cut the Astros' deficit to 2-1 and chased Royals starter Jason Vargas from the game. After starting the season 0-for-9, Beltran has a hit in each of the past three games.
"My goal is to try to help this ballclub win ballgames, and I don't really get caught up into that," Beltran said. "I thank God for allowing me to play this game a long time and accomplish that."