The Atlanta Braves' Tuesday night game against the Los Angeles Angels turned into a bench-clearing brawl after Angels slugger Jorge Soler charged the mound against Braves pitcher Reynaldo Lopez.
The incident erupted in the bottom of the fifth inning when a Lopez pitch went high and inside, tipping off catcher Jonah Heim's glove. Soler took exception and charged at Lopez with haymakers flying. Lopez threw punches to defend himself before the benches emptied.
Braves manager Walt Weiss, who has a background in martial arts and MMA training, tackled Soler to the ground. "That's a big man, so I felt I've gotta get him off his feet because he's gonna hurt somebody," Weiss said.
The two players were teammates on the 2024 Braves. Soler was the World Series MVP when Atlanta won it all in 2021.
"I asked him if everything was OK and the answer he gave me, I didn't like it," Soler said through a translator. Lopez maintained there was no intent to hit anyone. Both players were ejected. The Braves won the game 7-2.
