Brothers Make History: Same Team, Same Hit, 12 Years Apart

When Daniel Susac stepped to the plate for his first major league at-bat Thursday, the Giants broadcasters couldn't help but feel like they'd seen this movie before.

Twelve years earlier, on July 30, 2014, they called the exact same moment for Daniel's older brother Andrew. Same team, same ballpark, same position, same family cheering from the stands at Oracle Park.

Daniel delivered on the first pitch, lining a single to right-center field off the Mets' David Peterson. The cameras panned to the crowd and captured the traveling Susac family erupting in celebration, a mirror image of their reaction in 2014.

The younger Susac went 3-for-3 with a walk in the Giants' 7-2 victory. Andrew, now 36, went 1-for-4 in his debut, which also resulted in a Giants win.

"I just remember me and my brother Matt beating up on him, older brother stuff, and playing whiffle ball in the backyard," Andrew told reporters after joining his family on the field to congratulate Daniel. "He's definitely hardened. He's ready for this life."

Both brothers attended Jesuit High School in Carmichael, just outside Sacramento. Both became catchers. Both dreamed of wearing Giants orange and black.

For Daniel, 24, the dream felt predetermined. "I always envisioned it as a little kid," he said. "Actually living it out, it's awesome. I went through this exact same scenario in my backyard with the brothers."

Andrew, who won a 2014 World Series ring with the Giants during his six-year MLB career, sent his little brother a text before the game: "Attack and attack early, and be confident in yourself." Daniel's response was simple: "Yessir."

Sunny's Take

The baseball gods rewarded Daniel's confidence with more than just hits. He successfully challenged a ball call using the new automatic balls-strikes system, turning what would have been ball four into strike three—a technological twist his brother never had access to.

After the final out, Daniel initially pocketed the game ball but handed it to pitcher Blade Tidwell, who earned his first major league save. Both rookies got the traditional laundry cart beer shower treatment in the clubhouse.

Andrew now gives batting lessons in Roseville, where his young son Luke watched Thursday's game wearing a mini Giants jersey with SUSAC on the back. "That's the next one," Andrew said, smiling at the possibility of a third generation continuing the family tradition.

The brothers text frequently about baseball, sharing the unique bond of men who've lived the same dream in the same place, just years apart.