CC Sabathia hired as special assistant to Major League Baseball

Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports
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NEW YORK — Former All-Star CC Sabathia was hired as a special assistant to baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred.

The 41-year-old, who retired after the 2019 season, is tasked with addressing player relations, diversity, equity and inclusion, social responsibility, youth participation and broadcasting.

Sabathia will work with The Players Alliance. He is a vice president of that group’s board and is working to increase Blacks in the major leagues.

He was a six-time All-Star who went 251-161 with 3,093 strikeouts for Cleveland (2001-08), Milwaukee (2008) and the New York Yankees (2009-19).

Anthony Rendon fan interaction video looked into by MLB

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
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OAKLAND, Calif. – Major League Baseball is looking into a video circulating on social media that appears to show Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon grab a fan by the shirt through the bleacher guardrails after Thursday night’s game in Oakland, a league spokesperson said Friday.

Rendon looks to have grabbed the fan’s shirt near his chest through the bars of the railing and exchanged words with him before appearing to take a swipe at the bill of the man’s ballcap and walking into the tunnel.

Angels spokesman Adam Chodzko says the team has no comment. The Angels do not play Friday, but the club expects Rendon to address the video Saturday in the clubhouse before the game against the Oakland Athletics in Oakland.

The video shows the fan, dressed in A’s colors, approach the railing as Rendon turns toward him from the tunnel walkway below. Rendon then appears to grab the man’s shirt and ask him what he just said, accusing the fan of calling him a derogatory term before swiping at his ballcap.

The A’s won the game 2-1.