Former Teammates Brawl During Braves-Angels Game on Tuesday Night

 

 

 

Former Teammates Brawl During Braves-Angels Game on Tuesday Night

The benches cleared at Angel Stadium during the bottom of the fifth inning when Braves starting pitcher Reynaldo López narrowly missed Angels right fielder Jorge Soler’s head with a fastball that went to the backstop. Tension between the two players had begun from Soler’s first at bat, when he homered off of López and was hit on the hand the following plate appearance. After López’s fifth inning inside pitch, the two exchanged heated words before Soler charged the mound, leading to the benches-clearing brawl. This brawl included Braves manager Walt Weiss. Both Soler and López were ejected from the game. No players sustained any injuries of note.

Soler has had historically good numbers against López, his former Braves teammate, which led to speculation about intention behind the pitch. When asked, Soler claimed that López said something he did not like after the pitch, which ultimately led to his decision to charge the mound. López claims the high pitch was an accident. Both players were initially suspended for seven games but are appealing their suspensions.

References

Axisa, M. (2026). “Jorge Soler, Reynaldo López suspended after punches thrown in Braves-Angels brawl.” CBS Sports, https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/braves-angels-fight-jorge-soler-reynaldo-lopez-walt-weiss/

Bollinger, R. & Hollmon, C. (2026). “López, Soler both suspended 7 games after Braves-Angels fracas.” MLB.com, https://www.mlb.com/news/reynaldo-lopez-jorge-soler-suspended?partnerID=mlbapp-android_article-share

--“Punches thrown between Soler, López as tensions boil over.” MLB.com, https://www.mlb.com/news/jorge-soler-reynaldo-lopez-involved-in-benches-clearing-brawl