Rendina, playing for AA London in July 1993, adjusted to go 3 for 4 and knock in five runs, The Sun wrote.
"The first two times, [the pitcher] threw me fastballs, and then he started throwing curve balls," Rendina told The Sun afterward of a single that scored two. "I just waited for something off speed in that at-bat, and it just looped in there."
Rendina had played for London that year in his sixth season as a pro. He went on to play in six more, including time in independent ball. In his 12 seasons of waiting, though, he never made it higher than AA.
Rendina's career began in 1988, taken by the Tigers in the 13th round of the draft out of Grossmont High School in California.
Rendina started with the Tigers at rookie Bristol. He hit .200 over 39 games. He then played 1989 between Bristol and single-A Fayetteville. He hit .116 in 28 games at Fayetteville, then .272 the rest of the way at Bristol.
Rendina returned to Fayetteville for all of 1990, then played 1991 and 1992 at high-A Lakeland. He went 2 for 6, with a home run and 3 RBI in a July 1991 Lakeland win, then 2 for 3 in a June 1992 victory. He hit .214 his first year there, then .267 his second.
Rendina arrived at AA London for 1993, hitting .282. He then stayed at AA for the Tigers into 1995. He played the rest of 1995 in Mexico.
He played 1996 between independent Reno and AA Harrisburg with the Expos. Rendina then played his final three seasons in the independent Western League, between Grays Harbor and Sonoma County.
Rendina reached base in 41-consecutive games for Grays Harbor in 1997, leading the league in home runs by late July. He hit 24 home runs on the year, his 19th in an early August game. He last played for Sonoma County in 1999.
- Baltimore Sun, July 29, 1993: BaySox streak ends at 3 with 7-4 loss to London
Players/Coaches Featured: 2,310
Made the Majors: 955-41.3%
Never Made Majors:1,355-58.7%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 398
10+ Seasons in the Minors:242-X
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