![]() Of players with at least 500 combined plate appearances over the last two seasons, Belt’s 158 weighted runs created plus (wRC+), a stat that measures runs created and adjusts for external factors such as ballpark, is tied for third in the majors with Padres’ shortstop Fernando Tatís Jr. Since the Giants hired Kapler and brought three new hitting coaches –Donnie Ecker, Justin Viele and Dustin Lind– into the fold, Belt has been one of the most productive hitters in the majors. Saturday’s game marked the 16th time in the last 19 games the Giants have scored at least six runs. The Giants added three more runs in the eighth inning as Duggar blooped a RBI single into left field before Mike Yastrzemski emerged from the bench as a pinch-hitter and capped a nine-pitch at-bat with a two-run single into right field. The 29 homers are the highest single-season total for a Giants player since Bonds hit 45 in 2004 and have come in a season when Belt has missed nearly two full months of games due to injuries. The Giants didn’t score in any of their next three innings against Gray, but after Steven Duggar singled in the fifth and pinch-hitter Donovan Solano reached on a hit by pitch, Belt left no doubt when he launched the Giants’ record-setting homer 421 feet for his 29th of the year. “I’d say he’s given the entire offense a boost of confidence and the way he’s carrying himself right now, he knows he’s a dangerous hitter at the plate,” Kapler said. A bullpen that did excellent work behind Alex Wood in Friday’s series opener picked up the slack yet again, but the spotlight from Saturday’s game once again shined on the team’s leading hitter.īelt’s first-inning homer off Gray tied the team’s single-season franchise record and gave him 28 for the season, breaking a tie with Hunter Pence (2013) for the most home runs hit by a Giant since Bonds last played for the club in 2007. Right-hander Anthony DeSclafani gave up two runs in the first inning and became the fifth consecutive Giants starter to fail to complete five innings as he was pulled after four innings and 77 pitches. ![]() “It’s pretty cool obviously, but it says a lot about our approach and making sure we get our pitch and that’s what leads to those homers for us. “It means a lot,” Belt said of the record. Belt, who has taken to referring to himself as “The Captain,” crushed a pair of homers off Rockies starter Jon Gray including a go-ahead three-run shot in the fifth inning that marked the Giants’ 236th home run of the season, surpassing the previous single-season franchise record set in 2001 when Bonds carved out another place in the history books with 73 homers. ![]()
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