An Ode to Anthony Rendon’s Lefty Homer and Rooting for the Underdog

Anthony Rendon and the Los Angeles Angels have come to an agreement regarding the restructuring of his seven year, 245-million-dollar contract. While I am not quite in the same camp of most Angels fans who hate Rendon (read my more in-depth thoughts on Rendon here), it is probably for the best that Rendon’s relationship with the organization is finished. Not only has his contract been taking up a good chunk of needed roster money, it also has become a never-ending, extremely repetitive bit of news.

Though Rendon’s contract is going down in history as likely the all-time worst MLB contract ever, let’s recall one great moment from his time with the Angels, a moment that occurred when things felt like they were about to change, when it was easy to believe that the Angels might finally turn things around.

The day was May 10, 2022. Shohei Ohtani was on the team, Mike Trout was uninjured, and rookie pitcher Reid Detmers was an inning away from finishing a no-hitter against the Tampa Bay Rays. While Detmers was throwing the game of his life, the Rays were in blowout-mode with position player Brett Phillips pitching against the Angels, who were leading 10-0.

It was time for Rendon to take the plate, and he did so, with a lot more humor in his eyes than we’re used to seeing now – he was also wearing a lefty’s batting helmet (notably his shin guard was still on his left leg, protecting him, possibly from a bizarre ricochet possibility). Rendon took his stance on the opposite side of the plate and attempted a few experimental swings with the bat. With the excitement of a no-hitter on the way, there was a spark of excitement in the air. Mickey Moniak (now of the Rockies) was on second base as Phillips lobbed over the plate. Rendon let it pass. He was waiting for the next pitch.

With that next pitch, Rendon made contact – serious contact. The ball shot lightly past the right outfield wall into the seats to the cheers of an already hyped-up crowd. Laughing, Rendon made his way home and then to the dugout, where his teammates gave him high fives and crowned him with the cowboy hat that was the home run celebration of the season.

Reid Detmers would finish his no-hitter that game, but the tides soon turned for the Angels who went straight into a losing streak that killed the momentum the team had going. The Angels haven’t recaptured it since.

A lot of the magic of that night is gone. In 2024, Detmers was sent down to AAA after a poor appearance against the Mariners. He was called back up in 2025, but as a part of the bullpen, instead of as a starter. He ended his season on the IL with elbow inflammation. Rendon has famously been plagued by injuries throughout his tenure with the Angels, sitting out the entire 2025 season before ending his once-lauded career in a startlingly unclimactic way, especially for a player who was meant to be key for the franchise’s future.

Shohei Ohtani left the team in 2023, and Mike Trout has consistently struggled with injuries, leading to his much-needed but still sad move to the designated hitter position.

Winning in baseball is such an ephemeral thing, with so many elements needing to go exactly right at exactly the right time, player health, player skill, team chemistry, even the blowing of the wind (or a ball being lodged between the outfield wall and the grass in a very specific way). At times, it can feel impossible for any team to manage a winning season. But that’s the magic of it, at least the magic of rooting for an underdog. In the midst of all of the grueling long seasons of bad games and bad news, we remember the moments we thought it all might change. And we relive them, with the hope that more might come.