Two local residents gave up home runs to Barry Bonds. Here’s what they remember.

Spokane Police K-9 handler Todd Belitz and Coeur d’Alene real estate agent Kevin Pickford grew up in California before settling down in the Inland Northwest, commonplace among area residents.

Firing fastballs against the major league’s best is more rare.

Belitz and Pickford were both hard-throwing southpaws, appearing in 13 and 16 MLB games, respectively, before fizzling out of the league.

Belitz, a Washington State University product, made his MLB debut in 2000 on an Oakland A’s team that won the American League West and appeared in the first game after 9-11, an emotional appearance as a member of the Colorado Rockies.

Pickford was a second-round draft pick out of Clovis West High School in Fresno, California, in 1993, signing a $250,000 contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates at 18 years old.

The two men’s friends and families often reference Barry Bonds when talking about their short time in the league.

Belitz and Pickford both gave up home runs to Bonds during the San Francisco Giants slugger’s home-run surge of the early 2000s.

Bonds, the all-time leader in home runs (762), set the single-season record (73) in 2001 and Belitz gave up No. 63.

“It’s one of those dubious achievements,” Belitz said. “A friend made a shirt for me that says, ‘I gave up Bonds’ 63rd home run. What you have you done for baseball lately?’ ”

A year later, Pickford, in his single MLB season with the San Diego Padres, yielded a blast to Bonds.

“One of the best players ever,” Pickford said. “You had to be perfect, and even if you were perfect, he’d still hit a homer. He was so dialed in.”

One good inning, one bad inning

Belitz’s name appears on whiteboard behind actor Brad Pitt’s head in the Oakland A’s and sabermetrics-inspired movie “Moneyball.”

Pitt, playing the role of general manager Billy Beane, was in the organization’s “war room” working trades, the first involving a three-way deal with the Kansas City Royals and Colorado Rockies to acquire slugger Jermaine Dye.

Belitz, then a member of the A’s, was among the youngsters sent to Colorado in the trade. He’d soon face Bonds in the 2001 season in which the San Francisco slugger beat Mark McGuire’s single-season home run record (70).

On Sept. 9, 2001, at Coors Field, Belitz was summoned from he bullpen in the 10th inning of a 4-4 game in which Bonds had already hit homers 61 and 62.

Belitz took a look at the Giants’ lineup card, which turned out to be a murderer’s row of hitters: five-time All-Star Jeff Kent, 2001 All-Star Rich Aurilia and Bonds.

He struck out Kent, walked Aurilia, popped out Bonds on a shallow fly to third and got another out to get out of the extra inning quickly and unscathed.

“Facing Bonds that year was an opportunity for every pitcher to be in the limelight,” Belitz said. “When I got him out he had this ‘No way this guy can stop me’ look on his face. I was an obscure pitcher.”

Belitz, who threw fastballs throughout his successful inning, figured his night was done. It wasn’t.

He got shelled in 11th, giving up a two-run homer to J.T. Snow before Bonds knocked home run No, 63 out of the park, his third home run of the day.

“For some reason I gave him my fourth-best pitch, a curve,” Belitz said. “And he showed me why it was my fourth-best pitch. ”

A native of Huntington Beach, California, Belitz had one of the stronger arms in the then-Pac-10 Conference during his time in Washington State. He was a fourth-round draft pick in 1996 by Tampa Bay.

Belitz’s final MLB stats include a 1-1 record, 12 innings pitched, eight strikeouts and 6.39 ERA.

He worked for the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office for nearly six years before making the move to the Spokane Police Department, where he’s been for 11 years.

Belitz said he rarely talks about his time in the MLB, but once he does, he jokingly reminds people that he got Bonds out first before surrendering the home run.

“You’ll see his home run on Sports Center, but not when I got him out, obviously,” Belitz said.

A strange day with Bonds

Bonds hit 46 home runs in 2002 and struck out 47 times.

Pickford had his hand in one of each.

Bonds went 2 for 4 with two walks against the 6-foot-4 pitcher in three games, but the June 25, 2002, game at Oracle Park was Pickford’s memorable Bonds meeting.

Pickford was warming up for the Padres when he noticed Bonds and Kent were in a physical altercation in the Giants’ dugout.

“I look over and Bonds has Jeff Kent by the throat,” Pickford said.

Later, Bonds delivered a blow to Pickford – career home run No. 592.

“He was bigger than life,” Pickford said. “The game was so slow to him. ”

Pickford struck out Bonds later in the game but yielding the home run is what people remember most.

“I threw him the type of fastball I would have wanted as a hitter,” said Pickford, who was recruited by colleges as a two-way player before signing an MLB contract. “I knew it was gone before it left my hand.”

Pickford, who had four Tommy John surgeries in his career, was out of MLB-affiliated baseball by 2005, when he moved to Coeur d’Alene.

He had a 0-2 record, totaled 18 strikeouts in 30 innings and had a 6.00 career ERA.

“I’ve been asked, ‘Did you give up a homer to Bonds?’ ” Pickford said. “Yes, but I also struck him out.”