Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo López and Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Jorge Soler were ejected after a heated on-field fight that sparked a bench-clearing brawl during Tuesday night’s game.
Tensions erupted after Soler, who had already homered earlier in the game, charged the mound following a high and inside pitch from López in the fifth inning.
Soler blasted a home run off López in the first inning. During his next at-bat, the Braves right-hander hit him with a 96 mph fastball. When López later delivered a wild pitch that sailed high and inside — tipping off catcher Jonah Heim’s glove — Soler immediately rushed toward the mound.
Initially, López raised his hands as the two exchanged words, but the confrontation quickly escalated as both players began throwing punches.
“I asked him if everything was OK and the answer he gave me, I didn’t like it,” Soler said through a translator, according to MLB.com. “That’s why I went out there.”
Players from both teams rushed onto the field as benches and bullpens emptied in an attempt to separate the pair.
Atlanta manager Walt Weiss was among those who intervened, tackling Soler in an effort to stop the fight. Weiss, who previously shared a clubhouse with Soler when the slugger played for Atlanta in 2024, said he acted quickly to prevent anyone from getting hurt.
“I love Soler. We were teammates here,” Weiss said. “But that’s a big man, and so I just felt I’ve gotta get him off his feet because he’s gonna hurt somebody. And so that was my instinct.”
During the scuffle, López was still holding the baseball when he landed a punch that struck Soler’s batting helmet.
López later said the situation escalated unintentionally and insisted he never meant to hit Soler.
“It’s just a shame, the situation and how things unfolded,” López said through a translator. “On my part, there was never any intent to hit him at any point.”
Soler entered the game with strong numbers against López and continued that trend with his early home run. The blast improved his career line against the pitcher to 14 hits in 23 at-bats, including five home runs and three doubles.
“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 can’t miss like that.”
Despite the confrontation, Atlanta maintained control of the game. The Braves were leading 4-2 when the fight broke out and eventually secured a 7-2 victory.
Angels manager Kurt Suzuki defended Soler’s reaction, saying the sequence of pitches created a dangerous situation.
“Guy’s got good numbers off López, and hits a homer his first at-bat. Gets drilled up high in the wrist his second at-bat and then throws the next one head-high,” Suzuki said.
“You get thrown at your head, you have a family, your career, you know, it’s dangerous.”
Weiss acknowledged Soler’s frustration but reiterated that López was not intentionally targeting the hitter.
“I understand why Soler got angry,” Weiss said. “But Lópey’s not throwing at him. Our job is to get hitters out, not throw at them.”
The incident added drama to the second game of the three-game series. The Angels had won the opener 6-2 on Monday, but Tuesday’s matchup quickly turned into the most intense moment of the series.