Houston Astros hold mock funeral in the outfield for teammate's glove

Carlos Beltran hasn't used his glove in a game in more than two
months.

So on Monday, the Houston Astros gathered around their teammate
in center field and laid his mitt to rest, holding a mock funeral
to send it off.

The silly ceremony was held at Minue Maid Park before batting
practice, prior to the AL West leaders hosting Seattle. The
Astros all wore black shirts to mark the occasion except for
Brian McCann, who donned a black robe to officiate the service.

Bob
Levey/Getty Images

As McCann spoke, the players formed a semi-circle around him and
knelt as the glove was placed in a shoe box and three faux
tombstones that read "R.I.P." were placed around it. Beltran
captured the whole thing on cellphone video.

The 40-year-old Beltran has played 77 times this season, all but
nine as a designated hitter. He hasn't been in the field since
May 16 in Miami.

Manager A.J. Hinch says the strong play of Marwin Gonzalez is the
main reason Beltran hasn't played the outfield for so long. But
Hinch isn't ruling out another appearance.

"I'm not quite giving up on the glove, even though they're
burying it in the outfield," Hinch said.