Fan jumps into McCovey Cove to grab AT&T Park’s 69th Splash Hit

The stadium of the San Francisco Giants, AT&T Park, is very special. Situated in McCovey Cove, it sits right on the water, providing a gorgeous view for both fans in the park and those hanging out in the cove on watercraft. So of course, every now and then a ball hit by a player will find its way into the water. It’s been almost two years since there’s been a Splash Hit at AT&T Park (i.e. a homer hit into the water by a Giants player), and on Wednesday night Brandon Belt finally ended the drought.

The Giants were playing the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, and Belt was facing David Price in the bottom of the fourth. Price would make just two mistakes in this game, and one of them was to Belt. On the 0-1 pitch, Belt took a mighty swing and sent the ball soaring out of the park and into the water.

[Join a Yahoo Daily Fantasy Baseball contest now]

The ball bobbed in the water all on its own, but not for long. A Giants fan wearing a Madison Bumgarner jersey jumped into McCovey Cove and swam out to get it. Once he climbed out of the water, he triumphantly held up the ball — he may have been sopping wet, but he got his souvenir.

That homer tied the game between the Red Sox and the Giants, but that wasn’t the only significance. It had been 623 days since the last Splash Hit at AT&T Park. The last one — which was also hit by Belt — was on September 25, 2014, and the Splash Hit counter had been stuck at 68 ever since. Until Brandon Belt hit the 69th Spash Hit on Wednesday night, of course.

According to the Giants’ website, 2015 was the first year without a Spash Hit since the park opened in 2000. There had been at least one a year until the drought of 2015. Maybe this one will open the floodgates, though hopefully fans don’t go swimming after every homer hit into the water. Or if they do, let’s hope they’ve packed a change of clothes.

More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports: