NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon says he is dropping his appeal after his suspension was reduced to four games by Major League Baseball for his interactions with a fan last week.
Rendon spoke before the Angels opened a series in Seattle on Monday night and said the league had agreed to reduce his suspension from five games to four. The initial five-game suspension was handed down by MLB senior vice president Michael Hill earlier Monday and the appeal by Rendon was immediate.
Rendon's suspension will begin with Monday's game and he will sit the entire series against Seattle.
“It sucks. My emotions got the best of me. I’m usually pretty good about interacting with fans. Always like to chirp back at them, kind of have fun with it,” Rendon said in his first comments about the incident.
Rendon grabbed a fan by the shirt through the bleacher guardrails after Thursday night’s 2-1 loss at Oakland. Rendon looks to have grabbed the fan’s shirt near his chest through the bars of the railing and exchanged words with him before appearing to take a swipe at the bill of the man’s ballcap and walking into the tunnel.
A video showed the fan, dressed in A’s colors, approach the railing as Rendon turns toward him from the tunnel walkway below. Rendon grabs the man’s shirt and asks him what he just said, accusing the fan of calling him a derogatory term before swiping at his ballcap.
Rendon said he spoke with the fan on the phone earlier Monday.
“We both apologized about what had happened. We're both ready to move forward,” Rendon said.
Rendon was initially listed in the lineup for the Angels on Monday night before deciding to begin his suspension once it was reduced. He'll also miss the Angels home opener against Toronto.
Luis Rengifo moved into the starting lineup and Gio Urshela moved to third base with Rendon out.
“He’s a great leader on our team. He’s accepted responsibility as a good leader and person would and we move on from it,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said.