Texas Rangers' Adrian Beltre ejected for moving on-deck circle

July 27 (UPI) -- Adrian Beltre moved the on-deck circle Thursday in the Texas Rangers' 22-10 loss to the Miami Marlins and was promptly ejected.

The Rangers veteran slugger was waiting to bat when umpire Gerry Davis asked him to take his practice swings in the on-deck circle. Beltre walked up to the circle and picked it up with his right hand. He pulled it toward home plate, closer to where he was standing before. Davis did not find the stunt comical. He immediately turned his head around and walked toward Beltre, before giving him the universal "you're-outta-here" hand gesture.

"He told me to stand on the circle, so I said OK," Beltre told reporters after the game.

Rangers manager Jeff Banister then came out of the dugout to give Davis and earful, before he was also kicked out. Beltre was 3-for-3 with two RBI and a walk at the time of his dismissal. He hit his ninth home run of the season in the fourth inning. The four-time All-Star is hitting .307 this season.

The Rangers (49-52) are in third place in the American League West. Texas lost the series 2-1 to Miami. The Rangers start a three-game series Friday against the Orioles at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Beltre is hitting .600 in his last four games. He has nine multi-hit performances in July.

"He's a great guy and a great player," Miami pitcher Drew Steckenrider told MLB.com. "It's one of the funniest things I've ever seen. I didn't, honestly, know how to react out there. I went over and stood next to [Derek] Dietrich, and we just laughed with our gloves over our faces. That was the first time [I've noticed] a player, because it was the most extreme. I saw him back there. It wasn't bothering me at all."

Beltre is just four hits away from 3,000 hits for his career.