SAN FRANCISCO – The waiting is over for Joey Bart.
Hype has followed Bart since the Giants selected him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft. But his 2020 call-up is mostly remembered as a disappointment, as he struggled through 33 games and didn’t hit a dinger. Last year, Bart only appeared in two big-league games, but still no homers.
Bart didn’t wait around in 2022.
After earning his first career Opening Day start opposite homegrown ace Logan Webb, Bart delivered his first career home run in Friday's wild 6-5 victory over the Miami Marlins. In the fifth inning, he absolutely blasted an 0-1 sinker halfway up the left-field bleachers, as the exit velocity clocked in at 108.9 miles per hour.
"It was good to finally get it," Bart said. "I feel like it's been a long time coming. It was a good one. Good to knock it out of the way and get the ball rolling."
His teammates noticed, too.
"He looked like a real big leaguer out there today," Brandon Belt quipped. "It only took him two years to get a homer."
Bart said he'll also get some relief from the Brandons, as Belt and Crawford were ribbing him for playing 35 games over two seasons without a homer before Friday.
"It was big-time. They've been chirping me for a while," Bart said. "As they should. They're great. They're good people. We cut up, we have fun. Gotta keep it going."
Bart put together a stellar spring, but hitting a dinger in a real game must have been a huge weight off his shoulders. Trying to follow up Buster Posey’s act at catcher is a tough assignment for anyone, but Bart is off to a good start.
"He looked great out there," Belt said. "He looked like a veteran out there. He did a great job calling the game behind the plate."
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Webb spun six-plus solid innings before Camilo Doval couldn't hold on to a two-run lead in the ninth. A game-tying homer from Thairo Estrada in the ninth inning sent the game to extras before Austin Slater's game-winning RBI double to score Darin Ruf.
For Webb, it marked his franchise-record 23rd straight start without a defeat, dating back to last season. In all, he gave up one run on five hits and a walk while striking out three.
Hopefully for the Giants, this is just the start of something special between the 25-year-old batterymates Bart and Webb.
"With both of them being young and really good players, they can be special for a long time for this organization," Brandon Crawford said.
