Brandon Belt Day brimming with beloved Giant's trademark humor
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SAN FRANCISCO – As he stood at the podium to address his family, former teammates, high school coaches and the fans wearing Baby Giraffe hats who came to honor him, Brandon Belt needed just eight seconds to flash his endearing, self-aggrandizing brand of humor.
“This is a very surreal moment for me,” Belt said. “I never thought this would happen. But when I think about this day and the Giants organization for doing this for me, the only thing that pops into my mind is, it’s about time. I thought this would happen the day after I left.”
Brandon Belt Appreciation Day happened Saturday before the Giants' 6-2 win over the Marlins, nearly four years after his 12-season tenure with San Francisco ended, and it moved him.
“Honestly,” he said, “I truly never imagined this happening for me. I’m very thankful being here.”
Belt was the clubhouse cut-up. In the midst of a solid 2021 season, he declared himself team captain. When any sport came on the clubhouse TV, Belt declared he could be the best in the world at it, including Olympic bobsledding.
In a moment captured on video in 2011 by Showtime for its program “The Franchise,” then-manager Bruce Bochy told Belt he had made the team. Belt started crying and Bochy told Belt he could stay in the office and compose himself. Bochy even offered him a beer.
On Saturday, Belt said he doesn’t remember if he drank it or not, although Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow told the crowd, “To this day, Brandon still cries when someone offers him a free beer.”
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When Bochy approached Belt about learning to play the outfield, Belt told him, “I don’t know why you wouldn’t put me out there. I’m the best athlete on this team.”
“He took the game seriously,” Bochy said. “He didn’t take himself too seriously.”
Belt was also a critical part of two World Series championships as a young player and a steady presence in the lineup as he matured.
When Belt left the Giants after the 2022 season to play a final year in Toronto, he had 267 doubles and 175 home runs. Those numbers now rank 10th all-time in both categories for a franchise that dates back to 1883. He also ranks seventh in club history in walks with 617, a testament to his batting eye and ability to get on base even when he was not hitting all that well.
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At first base, he was agile with excellent range for a tall player with size 15 shoes. Krukow called Belt a “security blanket for the entire infield.”
As former teammate and now Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey summed up Belt’s contributions, he said, “The two World Series championships in 2012 and 2014 don’t happen without Brandon Belt.”
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Among those from the Giants who honored Belt were former players George Kontos, Sergio Romo, Charlie Culberson, Nate Schierholtz and Hunter Pence; chairman Greg Johnson, president and chief executive officer Larry Baer, general manager Zack Minasian, former general manager Bobby Evans, former manager Gabe Kapler and special assistant Ron Wotus, the former infield coach whom Belt credited for making him the defensive player he became.
After all the laughter during the ceremony, Belt choked up talking about his mother, Janice, and wife Haylee for all they did to nurture him as a person and player. He then spoke about his father, Darrell, who died in July.
“This has been a really tough year for me and our family,” Belt said. “When I was growing up, all I really cared about was making my dad proud, and I know if he could be here today he would surely be proud of me, and that’s all I can think of now.”