Los Angeles Angels star third baseman Anthony Rendon is in some hot water after video of him grabbing a fan by the shirt and then throwing a punch at the fan surfaced. The altercation came on the tail end of the Angels’ season-opening loss to the Oakland A’s.
In the game Rendon went 0-3 with a walk from the cleanup spot behind reigning World Baseball Classic MVP Shohei Ohtani. For Rendon it wasn’t a great start to the season on the field, and it seemed to get worst as he left the field.
Video shows Rendon grabbing the fan and taking a swipe at him, this after he accused the fan of swearing at him.
“You called me a b-tch, huh? Rendon can be heard saying to the individual, who denied it. “Yeah, you did. Yeah, you did. Yeah motherf—ker.”
An angry and agitated Rendon even told the fan to “get your b-tch-ass out of here,” after taking the swipe at him.
For Rendon who’s known as one of the coolest and most levelheaded players in the league, this was a shock.
MLB Is Investigating The Incident
The Athletic reports that as a result of the video Major League Baseball is looking into the incident.
The Oakland Police are also looking into the situation and on Friday that released a statement about the incident
“Although we are still unaware who the victim is,” an OPD spokesperson said in a statement. “Surveillance video of the incident has surfaced. As a result, OPD created an incident, made a report, and is actively investigating.”
From the looks of the video the investigation isn’t gonna end favorably for Rendon, the 2019 World Series champion as a member of the 2019 Washington Nationals.
But why did Rendon one of the nicer and more laid back guys in the league, feel the need to grab a heckler and then proceed to hit him, although he missed. Prior to Saturday’s game, Rendon was pretty mute about the situation with the ongoing investigation underway.
Rendon Has Struggled Mightily Since Coming To L.A.
Following the Nationals’ 2019 World Series victory, the team opted not to re-sign Rendon to the big-money contract he was looking for and had earned. The two-time Silver Slugger was coming off a season where he batted .319 with 34 homers and 126 RBI, and signed a seven-year, $245M deal with the Angels.
The deal was thought to be a good one teaming Rendon with superstar Mike Trout and the aforementioned Ohtani. But since the trio was brought together, Rendon has only played in 158 games, and hasn’t seen action in more than 58 games in any season. His .250 batting average is down 40 points down from his .290 average as a member of the Nationals, the team who drafted him and developed him into an All-Star.
On top is his on the field struggles, it’s very plausible Rendon will be suspended and fined by MLB. And then he’ll have to deal with the fan he assaulted in the stands, and when you make $35 million per season, you know how that is likely to end.
Maybe he should put that much effort into his play and see if he can reach the heights of his 2019 season, his best in the majors.
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