Anthony Rendon returned to Nationals Park for the first time since leaving the Washington Nationals franchise in December 2019. The Los Angeles Angels third baseman began his career with the Nationals, who selected him with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2011 MLB Draft.
Rendon made his debut for the Nationals in 2013 and emerged as one of the team’s most promising players. An All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger, RBI leader, and part of the Nationals’ 2019 World Series championship team during his career in Washington, Rendon had his best season with the Nationals in 2019.
That year, he posted a batting average of .319/.412/.598 with 174 hits, 117 runs, 34 home runs and 126 RBIs, which was MLB-leading. That season was also the last in which Rendon played in more than 60 games in a season.
Rendon left the Nationals after the 2019 season and signed a seven-year, $245 million contract with the Angels.
It took Rendon nearly five seasons, but he finally got a chance to play in the stadium where his career began. The Nationals and Angels don’t play each other often, as the two teams play in different leagues. That was one of the reasons Rendon’s return took so long.
“I finally made it back,” Rendon said of his return, according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register.
The Angels are 1-2 during their three-game series against the Nationals, which ended Sunday. The Angels lost the first two games by one point, 3-2 on Friday and 5-4 on Saturday. They rebounded with a 6-4 win on Sunday.
Against his former team, Rendon had five hits in 10 at-bats with no runs or RBIs. Rendon recently returned to the Angels after two stints on the injured list. Rendon missed several months with a hamstring injury and then briefly landed on the injured list with lower back inflammation.
Since joining the Angels, Rendon’s career has been marred by injuries, with him missing games due to suspension and/or injury in his last four seasons with the team.
The positive for the Angels is that Rendon has been in good form since returning from the injured list, getting at least two hits in three of his four games since returning. Overall this season, Rendon is hitting .250/.317/.299 with 36 hits, 14 runs and six RBIs.
