Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon was involved in an argument with an A’s fan during the clubs’ Opening Day contest on Thursday (video provided by Jared Carrabis of DraftKings). Rendon first accused the fan of calling him a “b----” as part of a brief exchange. The All-Star then called the fan “a motherf-----” and quickly swiped toward the fan’s head with his left hand.
Rendon didn’t appear to make contact with the spectator, who pulled away. At that point, Rendon walked down the dugout. There’s no indication the situation continued beyond that, nor does the video cover any of the preceding chatter that led Rendon to confront the fan.
It’s unclear if anything will come of the situation. However, it seems there’s at least some chance Rendon could face discipline. A Major League Baseball spokesperson told Sam Blum of The Athletic the league is “aware of the video and … now looking into the matter.” MLB hasn’t provided any further word, nor have the Angels commented.
The Oakland Police Department is also monitoring the situation, a police spokesperson tells Blum. OPD “is investigating a battery that occurred on March 30, 2023, following an event in the 7000 block of Joe Morgan Way (the address of RingCentral Coliseum). At this time, no victim has contacted OPD; however, surveillance video of the incident has surfaced. As a result, OPD created an incident, made a report, and is actively investigating.”
The Halos are off Friday. Rendon is expected to address the situation tomorrow when the club meets with the media.
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