What memories came to Anthony Rendon’s mind as he entered Nationals Park for the first time in five years today?
“I mean, there’s a big sign right when you get off the bus,” he said, laughing. “You can’t miss it.”
This sign, located just outside the home team’s clubhouse, is the logo of the 2019 World Series champions. It probably wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for Rendon, whose countless game-winning hits in October made him perhaps the Nats’ most valuable player of their entire postseason.
The fact that Rendon has not returned to see this sign or anything in this area is due to a rather strange chain of events over the past five years.
Of course, he signed a seven-year, $245 million deal with the Angels just over a month after the World Series. And when COVID forced Major League Baseball to keep all interleague games regional in 2020 and 2021, the Nationals and Angels couldn’t play each other. The Nats headed to Anaheim in 2022 and 2023 (when MLB unveiled its new schedule, which included a series against each team in the opposing league).
So this weekend is not only the Angels’ first trip to DC since Rendon joined them, but also their first trip here since 2017, when the prospect of a showdown between Bryce Harper and Mike Trout took center stage.
It may have taken a while, and all the other eliminated members of the World Series roster had long since returned, but that did not diminish the importance of this series for Rendon.
“I think it was just one of those deals where the timing was bad,” he said. “Or good, however you want to look at it. But I eventually made it back.”
The 34-year-old was overjoyed today as he reunited with former players, coaches, staff, security guards and even the same reporters he used to complain to when he played here. But he has reason to be in good spirits now that he is indeed healthy and able to contribute on the field.
Rendon’s tenure in Anaheim was a disaster because he spent more time on the injured list than on the roster. Due to a never-ending list of physical ailments, he’s played in just 235 games over the past five seasons, never more than 58 in a single season. And when he was able to play, he was a shadow of his former self, with an OPS of .732, 127 points below his 2013-19 mark with the Nationals.
Rendon just returned from his most recent injury list (lower back inflammation) earlier this week and is still trying to get back into the swing of things after the extended layoff.
“I feel good one shot, different the next,” he said. “I’m just trying to get back into the rhythm after a week and a half off.”
It’s hard for anyone in DC to look at Rendon in a negative light, because aside from a few notable injuries during his time here, he’s been a model of consistency at the plate and in the field. The Nats have spent the last five years trying to find a suitable replacement for him at third base, using 19 different players at the hot corner. Ildemaro Vargas will play his 114th game tonight, putting him at the top of a notable list, tied with Carter Kieboom.
The crazier statistic, however, is that the Angels have used 28 different players at third base since signing Rendon, which is the ultimate proof of his permanent inability to play.
“As we all know, he’s very laid back,” Davey Martinez said. “But he played every day. I knew what to expect from him every day. He didn’t say much. He just went out and played. That’s what I liked about him. He was very special.”
Rendon received a warm welcome from the DC crowd when his name was called in the Angels’ lineup tonight, and the Nationals played a video tribute to him before the first pitch. He came out of the dugout (along with former Nats batting practice pitcher Ali Modami) and tipped his hat to the crowd.
Rendon wasn’t sure what to expect when asked beforehand what the fan reaction would be, but he clearly hoped it would be positive.
“Of course it would be legitimate. It would be great,” he said. “Of course that’s in the past now. But it would be good.”
