SAN DIEGO — Just as the Petco Park crowd reached a crescendo, showering Padres pitcher Drew Pomeranz with hometown cheers, it’s cadence quickly changed when the camera slid over to Brandon Belt.
The boos rained down for every second his image was plastered on the video board. They grew even louder when Madison Bumgarner stared blankly into the camera after Belt, perhaps to see if that might inch the Padres closer than 18.5 games behind the Giants.
“That was sweet,” Belt said. “I’ve been waiting to have some boos like that. That was awesome.
“I feel like I’ve actually done something since I got booed.”
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The Giants first baseman is the midst of a career year, pacing the National League in doubles and leading the Giants in most offensive categories. His All-Star bid was a product of that, and about 10.2 million votes to stake him as the NL’s Final Vote winner. He joined Madison Bumgarner, Buster Posey and Johnny Cueto as the fourth Giants All-Star.
MORE: Cueto lit up for three runs in All-Star Game loss
Belt debuted in the eighth inning against Yankees closer Andrew Miller, flying out to left on a full-count slider. Despite the unproductive plate appearance and an eventual 4-2 NL loss, Belt said he was happy with his at-bat. He was happy to play, or even just be at the ballpark.
He woke up Tuesday morning with a stomach virus after going to bed unusually early. The bug got him bad bad enough where he didn’t think there was “any way” he’d make it to the game. He missed the All-Star parade and NL team picture, but finally emerged from the NL dugout right as batting practice began.
Cueto also arrived to Petco Park feeling under the weather, but Belt said the two weren’t together on Monday night. He jokingly guessed that maybe they got too close to each other earlier in the day.
“I don’t know what happened, but I didn’t feel great this morning,” Belt said. “I felt a lot better once I got on the field and started moving around.”
There was ample time for him to rest during the game. Manager Terry Collins told Belt he’d replace Wil Meyers at some point, and that didn’t happen until the eighth inning rolled around and the AL was leading by two. At that point, Belt was tasked with starting a rally off a 6-foot-7 left-hander. Miller’s allowed only six hits to left-handed hitters all season, and tried to lure Belt into diving out on a slider.
Miller snapped one in a 2-2 count and just missed the outside corner, giving Belt a chance to see another. He did, but Belt planted a lazy fly ball into Mark Trumbo’s glove. Still a better out than the alternative.
“Wish I could have come up with a double or a home run or something,” Belt said. “That would’ve been sweet. But I didn’t strike out. I did my best up there.”
With the Giants vying for relief help, there’s even a slim chance that Belt got a glimpse at a future teammate, or at least spent the last few days with a potential teammate. Miller’s name has been floated around in trade rumors, just as the Giants’ interest in relief help has too.
Belt agreed that the towering lefty would fit just fine with the Giants’ relief corps., as would any pitcher in San Diego this week.
“I think you could pick anybody off this team and say, ‘Hey, you’d fit right in on our team,’ Belt said. “It’s just one of those things where if they decide that’s where we need help, we’ve got a lot to choose from.”
It wouldn’t be an All-Star Game interview unless home-field advantage in the World Series was brought up, and Belt was perhaps more qualified than any National League All-Star to talk about losing it. As reporters baited him to get a quippy response about it, Belt didn’t have much to offer.
The Giants have won all three of their recent World Series titles on the road. Home-field advantage has meant little to the team’s success, and Belt would prefer not to look three months ahead anyway. His mind was set only a few minutes ahead. He wanted to eat dinner because he hadn’t eaten all day. He’d also made headlines earlier, as word got out that he fed the Giants front office.
As a thank-you to the team for helping him win the Final Vote, Belt bought the front office pizza. The Giants benefitted from playing home games during the voting window, but the team delivered with savvy in-game and social media campaigns for their first baseman. It helps playing in one of the country’s biggest tech hubs, too.
“I might do more for them,” Belt said of the Giants front office. “(The All-Star experience) is something that nobody can ever take away from me, and they were a huge part of that. If they don’t get out and campaign like they did, I’m probably not here right now. It’s a small thank you for them, and hopefully we can figure out something else for them later.”
Video courtesy of MLB.com
