The spotlight and Anthony Rendon have a method for keeping away from one another.

Monday, on the eve of his first World Series game, in the town that groomed him for this stage, Rendon had little choice.

Thus the Washington Nationals’ All-Star third baseman basked in the glow, giving his personality shine for the whole of a 45-minute news media session before the team worked out at Minute Maid Park.

About every response was punctuated by a giggle, often fueled by Rendon himself, for example, when he noted slugger Juan Soto’s propensity for grabbing his crotch between pitches. He called himself a “Redskin for life,” before taking note of that his institute of matriculation, Lamar High School, in the long run, changed its mascot to the Texans (in contrast to the pro team close to his present place of employment).

Or more all, Rendon oozed grace, for this opportunity as well as his rival – a Houston Astros franchise he followed as a young, with future Hall of Famers Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell his guys.

The present group? Oh, he’ll work out this winter with Astros center fielder and perennial postseason hero George Springer, and they’ll clearly have plenty to talk about.

Rendon is additionally grateful that Springer and Co. took the 2017 World Series title back to Houston under two months after Hurricane Harvey devastated the region.

“They’ve all been tremendous,” he said of an Astros team back for its second Fall Classic in three years. “What they’ve done for this city – they’ve elevated the morale of this city, especially when natural disasters come hit this way and bring a lot of devastation.

“The fact they’ve brought so many spirits into a positive light – I love all those guys for what they’ve done for the city.”

He named this scenario “definitely a case of mixed emotions,” in that he’s seeking the game’s ultimate prize against the town that made him what he was, from the classmates at Lamar who greeted him wholeheartedly when he moved before his junior year, to his years at Rice University, where he polished off the skills that made him a Golden Spikes semifinalist and the 6th overall pick of the Nationals in 2011.

Presently, he has a lot of love for the two sides – yet for at least another 10 days, there’s little uncertainty where the pending free agent’s loyalties eventually lie.

“You think about playing for the hometown team growing up – that’s kind of a best-case scenario,” he says, “but in the end, I’m just trying to beat who’s on the other side. I don’t care who you are.”