Anthony Rendon & Infamous Fan Make Amends, Angels Infielder Reflects after Suspension
One of the biggest stains on the Angels 2023 season thus far has been the Anthony Rendon altercation with a fan that took place after they lost their season opener to the Oakland Athletics.
A mix of anger and bad timing led to the third baseman threatening the fan multiple times, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt, and attempting to even strike him. It sparked an investigation from the MLB that lasted several days and resulted in a five-game suspension from his team.
However, Rendon was able to successfully appeal this and cut the punishment down to four games. He finally was able to address the media and gave some insight as to what happened along with revealing that he and the fan addressed the matters over the phone.
"Anthony Rendon said 'I let my emotions get the best of me' on Thursday night in his interaction with the fan."
"He said they apologized to each other on the phone."
"Rendon said he gets it. He goes to sporting events too, and likes to heckle."
(Via Sam Blum)
It's not always easy to be the bigger person and admit when you have done wrong but Rendon did the right thing by waiting for the MLB to finish their business before apologizing to everyone involved, especially to the fan.
He now looks to sit these next fours games out before re-joining the team and taking the lessons from this with him.
Angels team manager Phil Nevin shared his thoughts on the whole situation and he had nothing but good things to say about how Rendon has followed up after the incident.
"This doesn't at all change how I feel about him as a person, as a human being," said Nevin. "He's a great leader on our team and has accepted responsibility, as a good leader and person would."
(Via Sam Blum)