San Francisco Giants: Brandon Belt Hits His First Home Run of the Season

It had been a long time since San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt hit a home run. 

He hit nine of them during his on-and-off stints in the majors last year but hadn't hit one since Sept. 27, according to MLB.com. 

But that homer-less streak ended Tuesday, as Belt took a hanging 82-mile-per-hour breaking ball over the right field wall at AT&T Park and into McCovey Cove. 

"You try not to think about it too much, but you know, there's certain teammates that like to remind you every couple of at-bats," Belt said sarcastically to Comcast Sports Net's Amy Gutierrez after she asked about how it felt to hit his first home run of the season.  

"I'm just trying to get back to where I know my swing needs to be, where I've had it in the past," Belt said. "To where I feel comfortable up there. Where I can do it consistently. I've been doing the work with the coaches in the cage quite a bit. I've been feeling great here lately."

Hopefully that work will lead to an increase in his offensive production. Belt is batting .224 in 116 at-bats this season to go along with 36 strikeouts, according to MLB.com. 

Belt provides a steady glove at first base, which is an asset for the Giants, who have committed the second most errors in all of baseball, according to MLB.com.   

But as my grandfather always told me during my little league and high school baseball years, the most important thing in baseball—if you're not a pitcher—is being able to hit.

The Giants need Belt to produce offensively if he is going to remain a viable starting option at first base.

Hopefully his first home run of the season is just the kind of spark that could give his confidence—and his batting average—a boost.