Back in April 2018, Anthony Rendon had a rough day at the plate against Steven Matz. In his first at-bat, Rendon got called out on a strike that was clearly inside. He didn’t argue much, but his body language said everything. By his second trip in the third inning, the tension was still there. Matz threw a nice first-pitch curveball for a strike, then missed high and spiked one to fall behind in the count. With the count at 2-1, Matz threw another curveball that clipped the top of the zone. Rendon didn’t like it, stepped out of the box, and looked frustrated.
The next pitch was strike three. Rendon didn’t say anything, just tossed his bat in frustration and walked off. Home plate umpire Marty Foster wasn’t having it and ejected him. Rendon, stunned, laughed and looked around like, “What did I even do?” Nats manager Davey Martinez came out to back up his guy and argued the call, saying the pitch was inside. He eventually got tossed too, throwing his hat between his legs and kicking some dirt for effect. The whole sequence gave the crowd something to talk about, including one random fan who oddly shouted “Thatta boy David,” even though no one calls Davey that.