Major League Baseball is investigating a postgame incident involving Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon and a fan at Oakland’s Coliseum after the Athletics and Angels’ opening night game on Thursday.
A video circulating online Friday shows Rendon, 32, engaged with a fan as the Angels made their way to the visiting clubhouse following a 2-1 loss at the Coliseum. Rendon can be seen reaching up into an elevated seating area with his hand around the man’s shirt.
Rendon accuses the fan of insulting him as the Angels left the field, and feigned towards the man before disengaging. A handful of Angels paused to witness the interaction but continued on towards the entrance to the clubhouse area (video here with NSFW language).
“We are aware of the video and are looking into the matter,” an MLB spokesperson told USA TODAY Sports on Friday.
The Angels said they would not comment on the matter Friday but anticipate Rendon will address it before Saturday afternoon’s game at the Coliseum; both teams are off Friday.
In Oakland, visiting players cut through a swath of fans as they proceed to and from the clubhouse to the dugout, with fans in premium seats in front of them and an elevated field level section behind them.
Fan-athlete confrontations are more common place in the NBA, due to the close proximity of players and spectators, some of which are seated on the floor, feet from the action. A 2019 incident in Salt Lake City, in which guard Russell Westbrook accused a fan of directing racial epithets at him, resulted in the club banning the fan for life.
In 2017, A’s outfielder Matt Joyce was suspended for two games for directing a homophobic slur at a fan in Anaheim. More notably, Texas Rangers pitcher Frank Francisco was suspended the remainder of the 2004 season after a September incident between Rangers relievers and fans in Oakland, where the bullpen is located down the third base line. Francisco was also charged with felony battery and settled a lawsuit with the fan.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Anthony Rendon confrontation with fan being investigated by MLB