injury putting Belliard back into the starting line-up. By July 23 Belliard had appeared in 85 of the Nationals 98 games, batting .305, and signed a two-year $3.5 million extension with the Nationals. He was viewed as a valuable veteran, capable of starting or as a utility infielder. Belliard hit a game-ending 2-run home run shot off of closer George Sherrill with 2 outs and 2 strikes in 12th inning, erasing a 2-1 deficit on June 29, 2008, against the Baltimore Orioles. On August 22, 2008, Belliard was a triple away from the cycle as he singled, doubled twice, and homered in a Nationals 13–5 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. During the season Belliard set career highs with .473 slugging and .372 on-base percentages despite missing nearly 2 months with injuries. He hit 11 home runs in 96 games (296 at bats) making his ratio of 26.9 at bats-per-home run. This ranked second among Nationals behind Elijah Dukes. Los Angeles Dodgers On August 30, 2009, Belliard was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for minor leaguer Luis Garcia. Belliard said this about the trade: In his first at-bat as a Dodger, Belliard hit a home run against Doug Davis of the Arizona Diamondbacks. In 24 games with the Dodgers, he hit .351 with 5 home runs and took over the starting second baseman job from Orlando Hudson for the post-season. On January 26, 2010, the Dodgers re-signed Belliard to a 1-year $850,000 contract. He played in 82 games as a part-time player for the Dodgers in 2010, hitting .216. He was designated for assignment on September 7, 2010, and then released on September 9. New York Yankees On February 4, 2011, Belliard agreed to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training with the New York Yankees worth $825,000. He was released on March 28. Philadelphia Phillies On March 30, 2011, Belliard agreed to a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. He played in 53 games for the AAA Lehigh Valley IronPigs, hitting .251. On June 14, 2011, Belliard announced his retirement Offseason During the offseason, he used to play with the Tigres del Licey in the Dominican Winter League, where he was the captain of the team. Extortion case Federal authorities in St. Louis said a man, George Edwards, tried to get an athlete (not releasing his name, though Belliard's agent later confirmed