SAN FRANCISCO — Brandon Belt has spent most of this decade publicly lobbying for his shot on the mound. Two days after Belt was passed over for Pablo Sandoval, he once again came just short of his MLB pitching debut.
He didn’t mind one bit.
The Giants were so short on relief pitching for the opener against the Padres that Belt was the likely choice to pitch the 11th inning if the game got that far. Nick Hundley made sure it didn’t, lining a two-run single into the gap to cap a three-run rally off Brad Hand in the ninth and give the Giants a 6-5 win.