Brandon Belt ended the 2021 season on the injured list. He fractured his thumb squaring up for, in retrospect, an incredibly ill-advised bunt in Colorado on September 26th. The Giants had clinched a playoff spot 12 days earlier with the NL West still to be determined.
He was the hottest hitter on the team at the time of his injury, His September may have been the best offensive month of his career, authoring this batting line .349/.451/.721 with an OPS of 1.172 over 22 games.
There were questions in September whether the Giants would be able to find a replacement for Belt’s bat in the postseason.