NEW YORK — On Brandon Belt's first birthday in the majors, he was shipped back to the minor leagues. And in the 10 seasons that followed, he failed to gift himself one measly hit.
So when the 34-year-old Giants slugger launched a second-inning homer Wednesday night, he felt he'd earned a rendition of "Happy Birthday" from teammates in the dugout.
"Just the cherry on top," Belt said.
Belt ended nearly a dozen years of birthday misery with his homer, newcomer Carlos Rodón overpowered once again and San Francisco beat the Mets 5-2 with New York manager Buck Showalter out for a medical procedure.