It just so happened the opportunity presented itself in the bottom of the first inning Monday night before Mariners ace Hernandez was about to pitch to the Rangers’ Adrian Beltre, who reached 3K the day before.
MORE: Hall of Famers Pudge, Rock salute Beltre
Beltre was the Mariners’ third baseman for five seasons (2005-09) before he moved to the Red Sox and then the Rangers. Hernandez made his debut as a 19-year-old with the M’s in ‘05.
And, just to prove he wasn’t thrown off by the, ahem, unusual show of affection, Beltre singled off King Felix for hit No. 3,001.
UPDATE: Hernandez said after the game the hug was very much planned:
Hey, if Nelson Cruz can hug umpire Joe West in the middle of the All-Star Game . . .
