00:00When you retire a number, you give every new fan who walks into the ballpark a reason to ask about
00:05the player who wore it.
00:06And when number 15 goes up at Citi Field, there's going to be a lot to talk about.
00:10The home runs, the gold gloves, the October heartbreak, and the connection between a player from Puerto Rico and the
00:16fans who watched him in Queens.
00:25On September 19th, the Mets, they will retire Carlos Beltran's number 15 and induct him into their Team Hall of
00:32Fame.
00:33To explore what this honor means for Carlos Beltran and Mets fans everywhere, I'm joined by WFN host and proud
00:39Puerto Rican Al Cintron.
00:41Al, let's start with the player.
00:43When you think about watching Carlos Beltran with the Mets, what's the first thing that comes back to you?
00:48And what does that memory say about how good that he actually was?
00:53He was smooth. He made it look easy.
00:56The true definition of a 5'2 player.
00:59Steal bases, go get in the outfield, hit for power, hit for average.
01:05He was just all around great baseball player and he's taking his rightful place in the Hall of Fame.
01:12So I'm happy for him.
01:14Beltran's Mets resume, it's a strong one.
01:16It includes five All-Star selections, three gold gloves, and two silver sluggers.
01:20In 2006, he had a legendary year in Flushing as he smacked 41 home runs to go along with 116
01:27ribbies.
01:28Beltran, he had what you wanted in a star player.
01:30Power from both sides of the plate.
01:32Speed on the bases, range in center field.
01:34Simply put, the man had quite a few ways to make the other team's night miserable.
01:38But there's also one night we've got to talk about when we talk about the Hall of Famer.
01:43Let's go back to Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS.
01:46Adam Wainwright's strikeout of Beltran, where the bat did not leave his shoulder, ended the Mets season.
01:51Now, some Mets fans criticized Beltran for not swinging.
01:54And often lost in the story of that series was how well Beltran actually played.
01:59The center fielder had also hit three home runs in that NLCS.
02:03So, Al, how much do you think that final at-bat of the Mets' 2006 season shaped the way the
02:09Mets fans remembered Beltran?
02:11And what should they give him more credit for now?
02:15Um, I was there for that game, so I know what it felt like.
02:20I had my Beltran jersey on.
02:22Everybody started rubbing the back of the jersey when he came up to the plate, and I just knew it
02:26wasn't going to happen.
02:27But that final at-bat has summed up, that's the one thing Mets fans can never let go of.
02:32It can't.
02:34Um, until they win a World Series, I think they're never, ever going to be able to forget that memory
02:40of Carlos Beltran not swinging.
02:42It's not like he didn't want to swing.
02:44It was just a nasty curveball.
02:46I mean, Babe Ruth was not hitting that curveball.
02:48For me, no matter how you feel about the way 2006 ended, it's exactly why a ceremony like this matters.
02:55It gives us an opportunity to look at the whole career, not just one pitch.
02:59This July, Beltran entered the National Baseball Hall of Fame with the Mets cap on his plaque, and now he
03:06becomes the first Puerto Rican player to have his number retired by the Mets.
03:10So, Al, as a Puerto Rican man who is a Mets fan, when you think about number 15 taking that
03:15permanent place at Citi Field, what does that mean to you personally?
03:21What does that mean to you personally?
03:21Representation.
03:22Representation.
03:23Representation included in the Mets Hall of Fame.
03:25Uh, the numbers hanging from there.
03:28Um, you know, I'm proud to call myself Puerto Rican, uh, born here.
03:33Um, I'm proud of all the Latino players, the passion they play with.
03:36You know, sometimes it gets mistaken when, uh, you know, play here and there that they're lazy.
03:41That's a word that gets thrown out way too much when it comes to a Latino baseball player.
03:44He's lazy.
03:45But trust me, go to a baseball game and watch everybody run to first.
03:49Not many run hard anyway.
03:51Uh, Carlos Beltran is a, as a, as a family man, a good man.
03:55He cares about the game.
03:56He's loyal.
03:56He's passionate.
03:57Uh, it didn't always translate cause he's not an outspoken leader.
04:01Uh, but he was well respected in the clubhouse and he deserves to be in our ring of honor.
04:05And I'm happy going up, getting his number retired.
04:08And, uh, he's also Hall of Famer this year.
04:09So it's a double bonus.
04:11Beltran's connection to Puerto Rico also includes his baseball academy, which opened in 2011,
04:17combining education with baseball development.
04:19That's another part of his legacy worth passing along.
04:22The opportunities that he helped create for others, which brings us back to that new feeling
04:26fan in the stands, looking up at number 15.
04:29So let's say the next time you're at city field, Al, a young Mets fan asked you, why
04:35is Beltran's number up there?
04:37What would you want that person to know about him beyond the numbers on the back of his baseball
04:43card?
04:44He was just the best on the field in the game.
04:46Uh, you know, you had Andrew Jones.
04:48It's, uh, kind of ironic.
04:50They're both winning together, but Carlos Beltran, uh, he was the greatest in my opinion.
04:56And I love Darryl.
04:58Uh, I love Lindor now.
05:00His career is not done, but in my opinion, the most talented, greatest Met all around
05:04player of all time.
05:06That's the way I would say when it comes to why is the number up there in a short period
05:10of time, uh, his skills, uh, his, his passion for the game, you know, besides that strikeout,
05:16everybody remembers that one, but he had a lot of big moments, walk off of the Met, exciting
05:20moments at city field.
05:22Uh, but if the kid's like, Hey, why is he up there?
05:25Describe him, you know, his about him.
05:27And to me, it would be, he is the most talented, greatest all around Met player offensive and
05:32defensively of all time.
05:34And that's the opportunity the Mets will have this weekend as they will retire number 15.
05:39It's the opportunity to tell that story again and to tell it fully a chance to talk about
05:44a player who could change a game with his bat, his glove, or his legs.
05:48The Met whose career included both brilliance and disappointment.
05:52The Puerto Rican Hall of Famer whose number becomes part of city field history forever.
05:5815.
05:58It's a small number.
06:00The story gets to tell for the Mets.
06:02Well, that's much bigger.
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