SAN FRANCISCO — Only one player compared to Brandon Belt in Tony Vitello‘s eyes.
“The easiest way to put it is he and Kershaw were arguably the best two lefties in the state of Texas and, therefore, at the time, the country, too, really,” the Giants manager recalled from when he recruited the Giants’ beloved first baseman to the University of Missouri.
That’s right: First baseman. And in the conversation with Kershaw.
Belt, 38, put a ribbon on a 13-year big-league career — all but one in San Francisco — with a celebration in his honor before the Giants hosted the Marlins on Saturday. He never officially announced his retirement, but he hasn’t been on a big-league roster since 2023.
“I just want to start out saying this is a very surreal moment for me. I never thought this would happen,” Belt said to the crowd, before showcasing his signature wit. “But when I think about this day and the Giants organization doing this for me, the only thing that pops to mind is: It’s about time.”
Once such a hotly debated player among fans that the “Belt Wars” were coined, Belt became a core piece of two World Series clubs and a 107-win NL West champion squad, eventually logging more games at first base than anybody in the franchise’s long history besides Willie McCovey.
Despite his status in the franchise’s inner circle, Belt ended his career with the Blue Jays. He was not approached about a ceremonial one-day contract to retire with the club he spent most of his career, he said, but hopes to stay involved moving forward as a guest instructor at spring training.
“After Toronto, I kind of knew I was going to be done,” Belt said. “I think I would have played in certain situations, with the Giants or a team in Texas or something like that, but that was about all I was going to do. I was ready to be around my family. … Honestly, I was just looking to fade away.”
Before Belt became a standard-bearer at first base for the Giants in the modern era, Vitello was more interested in his talents on the mound. Vitello was still rising through the collegiate coaching ranks, as an assistant at Missouri, when Belt was coming out of Hudson High in deep east Texas.
At the same time, Kershaw was dominating high school hitters in the Dallas area. The Dodgers selected the future Hall of Famer sixth overall that spring, and the rest is history.
Belt was equally “incredible” on the mound, according to Vitello. However, shoulder issues eventually put him on his path as one of the most beloved players in modern Giants history.
It was only fitting that Kershaw’s name worked its way into the festivities.
Belt stepped into the box against the Dodgers’ legendary left-hander 20 more times than he did against any other pitcher. The first of Belt’s 1,232 career hits came in their first matchup. He would record only three more over 61 regular-season battles that followed, finishing his career batting .065 against him.
“Looking up on the scoreboard and seeing that first off of Kershaw,” Buster Posey turned and teased Belt from behind the podium. “Was that the only one of your career?”
On a more serious note, Posey said, “The World Series championships in 2012 and 2014 don’t happen without Brandon Belt.”
It took some time for Belt to get his due among the Giants’ fan base, but there was no mistaking their feelings during a ceremony that featured speeches from Posey, Belt and Bruce Bochy and was emceed by broadcasters Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow.
Belt’s wife, their two sons, his mom and his two high school coaches were seated on the infield grass. But there was one person missing: Belt’s dad, Darrell, who died last July.
“Growing up, all I cared about was making my dad proud. And I know if he could be here today, he would be extremely proud,” Belt said. “That’s all I can think about right now. He taught me about toughness, doing things right, and he made it his life’s purpose to make sure he got the best out of me and my brother.”
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Back on the recruiting trail, Vitello remembered Belt being “incredibly cordial” even though his Tigers “probably had no chance of actually landing him.” He eventually picked the University of Texas.
In one conversation, Vitello remembered Belt telling him of a home run he hit.
“I joked with him … I said maybe if you come to Missouri, we’ll let you hit, too,” Vitello chuckled. “Because we were recruiting him as a pitcher. That didn’t age very, very well. He can definitely hit.”
Belt appeared in 16 games on the mound for the Longhorns with a 4.19 ERA but earned his stripes at the plate, where he batted .321 with 37 doubles and 14 home runs in 124 games across two seasons.
“He just was a doubles machine, nonstop,” Vitello said. “His at-bats were always aggravating. … He was a guy you were always annoyed with. He was a threat but also you were annoyed with him.”
Maybe Belt didn’t pan out as a pitcher, but that scouting report held up fine. Belt’s 267 career doubles rank sixth in Giants history, and few at-bats in major league history will be remembered as more aggravating than his 21-pitch battle with Angels right-hander Jaime Barria in 2018.
“He was one of the ones who thought I could hit a little bit,” Belt said of Vitello, “even when I didn’t.”
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