It¡¯s a perfectly wonderful coincidence that Adrián Beltré and Félix Hernández have birthdays just one day apart.

Tuesday is Beltr¨¦¡¯s 41st birthday. Wednesday is Hern¨¢ndez¡¯s 34th.

Doesn¡¯t that just seem right for a pair of players whose careers were tied together so closely? The two were teammates in Seattle from 2005-09, and their friendship persisted when Beltr¨¦ departed for Boston, then spent his last eight seasons as an American League West rival with Texas.

But over that time, the future Hall of Fame third baseman and six-time All-Star pitcher turned their relationship into something far more fun. They were pals. They were fierce but good-natured competitors, through 74 head-to-head plate appearances. And they never, ever stopped giving each other grief.

It was the game¡¯s most entertaining pitcher-hitter rivalry, right up until Beltr¨¦ retired after 21 successful seasons at the end of 2018.

Sure, these guys were plenty fun on their own, between Beltr¨¦¡¯s endless antics -- from his fear of head-touching to on-deck circle dragging -- and Hern¨¢ndez¡¯s breathtaking pitching in front of his King¡¯s Court. But they were at their most fun together, the best baseball comedy duo since Abbott and Costello.

So with Beltr¨¦ retired, F¨¦lix with the Braves and baseball on hold for the time being, let¡¯s take this opportunity to look back at 12 times these two stars¡¯ unique chemistry kept us entertained.

A big misunderstanding (Aug. 25, 2010)
After Beltr¨¦ left the Mariners to sign with the Red Sox in 2010, the two friends faced each other in a big league game for the first time late that summer at Fenway Park. Of course, it was a friendly competition.

"We had a little bet," Beltr¨¦ said afterward. "He told me he was going to strike me out three times and I told him I was going to take him deep."

Unfortunately for Beltr¨¦, the encounter lasted just one plate appearance, which ended in a called strike three. Later, Beltr¨¦ was chirping at Hern¨¢ndez, but umpire Dan Bellino -- not in on the joke -- apparently thought the comments were directed at him. Beltr¨¦ was ejected, and manager Terry Francona followed him. Whoops.

'The game within the game' (May 21, 2012)
By this point, Beltr¨¦ was on his third post-Mariners season, and his ¡°frenemy¡± act with Hern¨¢ndez was in full swing. Their first confrontation of 2012 was a good example, as the cameras captured them playfully jawing and gesturing back and forth throughout the night. As the broadcast put it: ¡°They are having a blast ¡­ the game within the game here.¡±

A little help here? (Sept. 5, 2014)
Playing third base, Beltr¨¦ pursued a foul popup near the Mariners¡¯ dugout, running out of room to make the play. Hern¨¢ndez, not pitching in the game, was in the area. And no, he did not exactly lend a hand.

Directions to the dugout (Sept. 10, 2015)
Beltr¨¦ gave a Hern¨¢ndez pitch a pretty good ride to the opposite field but didn¡¯t get quite enough to drive it out of Safeco Field. After the warning-track flyout, Beltr¨¦¡¯s route off the field took him past the mound, and King F¨¦lix was kind enough to make sure his friend didn¡¯t get lost.

Send back that comebacker (Sept. 20, 2015)
Beltr¨¦ reached out and poked a liner back at the mound. Hern¨¢ndez stuck out his glove and snagged it for the out. But he felt like Beltr¨¦ should at least get a souvenir out of it.

Stay back (Aug. 31, 2016)
Hern¨¢ndez¡¯s first pitch to Beltr¨¦ in this game was an offspeed pitch that appeared to get away, backing up inside and nearly hitting the batter. Words were exchanged, and tempers flared (Well, not really).

I love you, man (July 31, 2017)
On July 30, Beltr¨¦ reached a huge career milestone, notching his 3,000th hit. It just so happened that he was facing Hern¨¢ndez the next day, and when he came to the plate for the first time, his friend took a moment to congratulate him. How many times have a pitcher and batting embraced before an at-bat?

Let¡¯s go for a jog (Sept. 14, 2017)
It¡¯s always nice when buddies have time to do activities together, like go to a movie, go out to eat or jog to first base after a comebacker.

Slow down! (Sept. 20, 2017)
Friends look out for each other, too. And by this time, Beltr¨¦ was 38 -- elderly by baseball standards. So when he ran out a grounder against Hern¨¢ndez, the completely unbiased pitcher encouraged him to put his health first.

Charge? (April 20, 2018)
In the middle of a third plate appearance full of chirping, Beltr¨¦ took a Hern¨¢ndez pitch off the hip, the second time his friend had hit him in all those years. What would he do next?

Last laugh goes to Beltr¨¦ (Aug. 7, 2018)
This was the last time these two would face each other, and it appeared Hern¨¢ndez would be going out on a high note. Entering the game, Beltr¨¦ was only hitting .224 with two extra-base hits in their matchups, and in the second inning, when F¨¦lix fooled him with a curveball, Beltr¨¦ took what had to be one of the worst swings of his career for the K -- much to the pitcher¡¯s amusement.

But after Beltr¨¦ also made outs in his next two trips to the plate, he got some sweet revenge. No laughing, this time. Best of all, Hern¨¢ndez would get no retort. This was their final showdown.

Bring it in (Sept. 30, 2018)
Isn¡¯t it amazing how baseball just works out sometimes? Although Beltr¨¦ had not yet announced his retirement, this would be his final game, and wouldn¡¯t you know, it was back in his old home ballpark in Seattle, with King F¨¦lix watching from the dugout. In the second inning, Beltr¨¦ singled for his 3,166th and final hit, but was doubled off immediately when Joey Gallo ripped a line drive to first. Before he could make it back to his dugout, however, Hern¨¢ndez had to call him over one last time.