April 8 (UPI) — Jorge Soler charged the mound, fought with Reynaldo Lopez and was tackled by manager Walt Weiss during a Los Angeles Angels-Atlanta Braves brawl.
The melee occurred in the bottom of the fifth inning of the Braves’ 7-2 triumph Tuesday in Anaheim, Calif. Soler and Lopez were each ejected for their roles in the scuffle. Soler spent time with the Braves in 2021 and 2024, when Weiss served as a bench coach in Atlanta. Lopez and Soler also were teammates in 2024.
“I love Soler,” Weiss told reporters. “We were teammates here. That’s a big man. I just felt, I gotta get him off his feet because he’s gonna hurt somebody.
“That was my instinct, just to get in there and get Jorge off his feet, because he was on a warpath.”
The Braves led 4-2 to start the bottom of the fifth. Lopez struck out shortstop Zach Neto and center fielder Mike Trout to start the half inning. He walked first baseman Nolan Schanuel in the next exchange, which brought Soler to the plate.
Lopez, who hit Soler with a pitch in the third inning, started his third exchange with the designated hitter by throwing a 97-mph fastball high-and-inside. Braves catcher Jonah Heim fielded the wild pitch and tossed to second base in an attempt to catch Schanuel, who slid in safely.
Soler stared at Lopez after he nearly hit him with the fastball. The players also exchanged words before Soler ran toward the mound and exchanged punches with the pitcher. Both teams cleared the benches to join the scuffle, including Braves manager Walt Weiss.
Weiss, catching coach Dustin Garneau and infielder Jorge Mateo tackled Soler from behind during the sequence, bringing him to the ground. The brawl eventually fizzled and play resumed.
“I asked him if everything was OK, and the answer he gave me, I didn’t like it,” Soler said told reporters, according to MLB.com. “That’s why I went out there.”
Tyler Kinley replaced Lopez. Jeimer Candelario replaced Soler. Kinley struck out Candelario to end the inning.
Second baseman Ozzie Albies hit a 379-foot solo home run in the top of the eighth inning, giving the Braves a three-run advantage. The Braves added two more runs in the ninth.
Soler plated the Angels’ lone runs with a 366-foot, two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning. Designated hitter Drake Baldwin, third baseman Austin Riley and utility man Mauricio Dubon recorded two hits apiece for the Braves.
Lopez allowed three hits and two (unearned) runs over 4 2/3 innings, but was not on record for a decision. Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi allowed six hits and four runs over five innings to drop to 0-2 this season.
Soler went 9 for 41 (.220) with two home runs, a double and 10 RBIs through his first 12 appearances this season.
The 2023 All-Star, who owns a career .240 average with 205 home runs, won a World Series with Weiss and the Braves in 2021. Soler won World Series MVP honors that postseason.
Angels manager Kurt Suzukis told reporters he thought the 6-foot-1, 225-pound Lopez threw at Soler on purpose. Weiss said Lopez was not intentionally throwing the pitch at the Angels’ 6-foot-3, 235-pound designated hitter.
“I know it didn’t look good because of Soler’s numbers against López and he hit a homer and he hit him,” Weiss said. “López is not throwing at him. I don’t allow our pitchers to throw at people just because they can’t get them out.
“Our job is to get them out. But I understand why Soler got angry.”
The Angels (6-6) will host the Braves (7-5) in the finale of the three-game series at 4:07 p.m. EDT Wednesday in Anaheim.
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