Opening Day has come and gone and baseball fans are slowly getting into the groove of the 2023 season. Some teams won, some lost – after all, that is the nature of sports. Victory and loss go hand in hand and at a stage like Major League Baseball, players know to accept it. Yet, sometimes one’s emotions get the better of them. No one wants to lose. But the Los Angeles Angels had to accept defeat at the hands of the Oakland Athletics on Opening Day.
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Despite Shohei Ohtani‘s stellar performance, despite the Angels giving it their best, the LA team was bested. The A’s won 2-1 and their fans cheered in the stands. But one Angels player, Anthony Rendon, did not like it. In fact, he had an altercation with a fan in the stands that got him suspended for five games. The third baseman appealed to MLB, but his suspension was only reduced to four games.
Baseball fans react to the Los Angeles Angels player’s suspension
As the players were leaving the bullpen after their loss to the A’s, Rendon caught up with a fan and grabbed his shirt. At that moment, the Angels player accused the fan of calling him names and then let go of his shirt but tried to swipe his hat.
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A few of his teammates saw what was happening but didn’t try to get involved. The clip went viral online and now Rendon has to sit out four games.
That’s messed up IMO
— Karma_Police_NYC (@KarmaPolice1987) April 3, 2023
Some fans thought his suspension should have been worse.
Good, should’ve been more
— John Harris (@j_harris2) April 3, 2023
That's it? He grabbed the fan by the shirt and swung at him. 15-20 would've made more sense
— TK (@TKamung) April 3, 2023
Rendon has struggled ever since he joined the Angels and one fan mocked that fact.
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He’s use to not playing. 5 games is nothing to him
— E 🇺🇸 (@Chef2Banker) April 3, 2023
While some thought the suspension was just.
Yeah, that’s fair. Can’t put your hands on the fans.
— GardyPartyNeverEnds (@itsalwayssunn14) April 3, 2023
Good
— Loubron (@loubron_) April 3, 2023
On the other hand, some even came to Rendon’s defense.
Free the homie he ain’t do anytbing wrong
— One last ride (@arteleave) April 3, 2023
I cannot believe people think this suspension is reasonable. Why should he be suspended for that??
— Erik Leh (@Erik_L5) April 3, 2023
It was a mixture of reactions – some came to the fan’s defense, while some thought that person should be banned from future games at that ballpark.
What happened to the fan after the game?
Anthony Rendon later made a statement that he had apologized to the fan.?The 32-year-old has been plagued with injuries and has not been playing his best these last few years. In fact, in the last three years, Rendon has only played 158 games. So while it may be understandable why he’s having a hard time Rendon clearly regrets his actions.
?It s*cked,? Rendon said on Monday, as reported by MLB.com. ?My emotions got the best of me. I’m usually pretty good about interacting with fans ? have fun with it. But the gentleman [and I], we spoke on the phone, and we both apologized about what had happened. And so we’re both ready to move forward.?
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Hopefully, all is well with both the fan and the player now!