Mike Trout stood on third with no outs, hoping to score. Anthony Rendon came to the plate looking to extend the lead. The pitcher attacked with a nasty slider, getting Rendon to swing over it twice. Both pitches followed the same path and worked perfectly. Rendon eventually stared at a high fastball with a two-strike count. It hovered around the letters and was called strike three. Rendon didn’t argue, just gave a small gesture and said, “It’s high.” The umpire tossed him. Rendon walked away calmly, not even looking back.
The ejection felt like a shot of frustration for both player and team. Rendon’s reaction was low-key, true to his personality, but his dismissal added another sour note to a season already going nowhere. The Angels once again find themselves exiting quietly as October approaches. No playoff baseball for Trout, Rendon, or anyone else in Anaheim.