Jorge Soler, Reynaldo Lpez Spark Brawl Between Angels, Braves Over High Pitch
Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo Lopez and Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Jorge Soler were ejected after getting into a brawl on Tuesday night. Soler homered off Lpez in the first inning and was then hit by a 96 mph fastball from the right-hander his next time up. In the fifth, Soler charged the mound after Lpez threw a high-and-inside wild pitch that tipped off catcher Jonah Heim's mitt. At first, Lpez held up his hands as the two glared at each other before both started throwing punches. "I asked him if everything was OK and the answer he gave me, I didnt like it," Soler said through a translator, according to MLB.com. "Thats why I went out there." The benches and bullpens emptied as players from both teams tried to separate the two. Atlanta manager Walt Weiss was among those who tackled Soler, the 2021 World Series MVP with the Braves. "I love Soler. We were teammates here," Weiss said. "But thats a big man, and so I just felt I've got to get him off his feet because hes going to hurt somebody. And so, that was my instinct, just to get in there and get Jorge off his feet, yeah, because he was on a warpath." Lpez was still holding the baseball when he landed a punch on Soler's batting helmet. The two were teammates in Atlanta during the second half of the 2024 season. "Its just a shame, the situation and how things unfolded," Lpez said through a translator, according to MLB.com. "On my part, there was never any intent to hit him at any point. So, again, its just a shame." Atlanta led 4-2 when the fight occurred and went on to a 7-2 victory. Soler's two-run shot in the first made him 14 for 23 with five homers and three doubles against Lpez. "Obviously, I have good numbers against him," Soler said. "After the home run and getting hit by a pitch after that, and then he missed way too high and close to my head. At this level, you cant miss like that." Weiss understood why Soler was mad. "I know it didnt look good because of Solers numbers against Lpey [Lopez], and he hit a homer, he hit him. It didnt look good," Weiss said. "Lpeys not throwing at him. I dont allow our pitchers to throw at people just because they cant get them out. Our job is to get them out. But I understand why Soler got angry. And hes a really mild-mannered guy. So, I think the switch flipped for him. "There was no intent there. I just think that Lpeys just overthrowing, because hes had a hard time getting him out. But hes certainly not trying to hit him," Weiss added. Lpez pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowing three hits with seven strikeouts and two walks. "Obviously, the guys got good numbers off Lpez and hits a homer in his first at-bat. Gets drilled up high in the wrist in his second at-bat and then the third one, takes a good swing and then throws the next one head-high. It wasnt over his head, but it was head-high coming in," Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said. "I dont blame Jorge one bit. He went out there and words were exchanged and Jorge went out," Suzuki added. "You get thrown at your head, you have a family, your career, you know, its dangerous. I know its part of the game. I know it happens." The Angels won 6-2 on Monday in the opener of the three-game series. Tuesday night's game was more eventful, to say the least. "It gets your juices flowing a little bit, on both teams Im sure," Weiss said. "So, as long as nobody gets hurt, its kind of a good time. But as long as nobody gets hurt. But yeah, I was proud of our guys for the way we handled everything tonight." Reporting by The Associated Press.
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