ARLINGTON — The way Tony Beasley moved Tuesday afternoon — with a smile, hug, handshake and chat for anyone who happened to be in or around Globe Life Field’s infield grass —was hardly different than how he operated daily when this stadium was his active place of employment.
That’s why, when he paused his de facto reunion tour and stood next to the visitor’s dugout in Pittsburgh Pirates gear, he needed a moment to reflect.
“It’s a good feeling to come back to the ballpark, see all the guys, the staff, the front office people, the fans, everybody, man,” Beasley told The Dallas Morning News before Tuesday’s series opener vs. the Pirates. “I’m very grateful for every moment I had here. A lot of good memories here.”
Beasley spent a decade as the club’s third base coach — and 48 games as interim manager four years ago — before he returned to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the same role for a second go-around this winter. He spent the bulk of his playing career in the Pirates system and nearly a decade as a coach for the organization’s major and minor league teams. It’s significantly closer to his Virginia home and his family, who still reside there.
“I didn’t know for a minute if I was going to be back here or not,” Beasley said. “Things worked out as they should. If I was going to do anything outside of [Texas], I wanted to be close to home, and Pittsburgh was perfect for that. It’s a good situation here for me to have an impact. Everything just kind of fell into place.”
The 59-year-old worked under four different managers, two different presidents of baseball operations, oversaw infield defense at times, outfield defense at others, pitched to outfielder Adolis García in the Home Run Derby and was on staff for the club’s first World Series championship.
“I just felt love,” Beasley said. “I just felt appreciated. I felt like I was thought of deeper than just a coach. I felt like actually a part of Ranger nation and I’ve never forgotten that. That’s the most important time in my tenure here.”