CLEVELAND -- As they flew to Cleveland on Wednesday afternoon, the Brandons had combined for nearly 2,700 big league games, but neither had taken an at-bat at Progressive Field. They've looked right at home while helping the Giants to two wins in two games.
A night after Brandon Crawford's homer got the offense going, Brandon Belt drove in the first two runs and scored the go-ahead run, leading the Giants to a 4-2 win that was their sixth in eight games to start the year.
The wins come first and foremost, but for the Brandons, this trip meant something else pretty special. They have both been in the league since 2011, but the Giants have somehow managed to avoid visiting Cleveland during interleague play over the last decade. In 2020 they were supposed to do a Cleveland-Minnesota trip in May, which would have crossed the final MLB cities off for each player.
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"Those are the last two to check off the list," Crawford said. "I was excited when I saw it on the schedule this year."
Belt said it was "pretty cool" to finally walk into Progressive Field on Friday afternoon.
"I've played at pretty much every one you can," he said. "So now, all I've got is Minnesota."
The Brandons will check that one off in August, when the team visits Target Field for the first time since it opened in 2010. If this trip is any indication, Twins pitchers should be careful during that series.
San Francisco Giants
Belt had the big night Saturday, continuing what has been a scorching hot start to the season. After getting just nine spring at-bats, he is 9-for-24 to start the year, with two homers and five RBI.
"I hadn't really had a spring training or summer camp the past three years, so it's just experience a little bit," Belt said of flipping the switch. "It's remembering where I was last year when my season ended. I'm trying to just pick up on that, not try to do too much. This is my 12th season, so I'm just using my experience and knowledge that I've gained the last few years."
Belt has played in 31 parks in those 12 seasons, even doubling up in a couple of cities where new ones have been built since he's been in the Majors -- Atlanta and Arlington. He has a hit in all of them, and has homered in 23 different ballparks. Crawford holds the slight edge there, having homered in 24 of the 31 parks he has played in. He also has a hit in every park.
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Belt will get one more chance to find the blue seats in Cleveland on Sunday when he's expected to be the DH, but he won't be taking aim. He said that gets in your head, and besides, all he needed on this trip was find the grass. He had been 0-for-17 against the Guardians in their five meetings at Oracle Park during his career.
It turns out all he had to do was face them on their own field.