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The Los Angeles Angels and Atlanta Braves fought frantically on Tuesday night.
The incident occurred in the bottom of the fifth inning with one out and a runner on first base. Angels slugger Jorge Soler was at the plate facing Braves pitcher Reynaldo López.
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Jorge Soler of the Los Angeles Angels and Reynaldo López of the Atlanta Braves fight during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, California, on April 7, 2026. (Ethan Swope/AP)
Lopez threw a pitch high and inside. The ball went over Jonah Heim’s glove, bounced off the backstop, and Heim was able to retrieve the ball and throw it to second base to try to get the runner to steal second base. The launch came too late, but the fireworks began shortly after launch.
Soler seemed to take offense at the pitch and charged at López. Soler was throwing punches, while López was throwing punches to defend himself. Soler was tackled to the ground by Braves manager Walt Weiss before significant damage was done and Lopez was forced out of the scrum.
The Angels player received a standing ovation as he walked back to the dugout following his immediate ejection.
“I love Soler. We were teammates here,” Weiss said. “But that’s a big man, so I felt like I had to get him off his feet because he was going to hurt someone. And that was my instinct, to just go in there and get Jorge off his feet, yeah, because he was on the warpath.”
Weiss was an assistant coach for the Braves in 2021 when the Braves won the World Series. Soler was the World Series MVP that year. He and López were teammates in 2024.
Jorge Soler of the Los Angeles Angels is tackled to the ground by Atlanta Braves players when a fight breaks out during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, California, on April 7, 2026. (Ethan Swope/AP)
“It’s a shame about the situation and how things turned out,” Lopez said through a translator, according to MLB.com. “On my part, there was never any intention to hit him at any time. So, again, it’s a shame.”
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Soler hit a home run off López in the first inning. He is 14 for 23 with five home runs and three doubles against Lopez all-time.
“Obviously I have good numbers against him,” Soler said. “After the home run and after being hit by a pitch, he missed too high and close to my head. At this level, you can’t miss like that.”
Weiss said she understood the frustration.
“I know it didn’t look good because of Soler’s numbers against Lópey, and he hit a home run, he hit it. It didn’t look good,” Weiss said. “Lópey isn’t pitching to him. I don’t let our pitchers pitch to people just because they can’t get them out. Our job is to get them out. But I understand why Soler got angry. And he’s a really mellow guy. So, I think the switch flipped for him.
A fight breaks out during the fifth inning of a baseball game between the Los Angeles Angels and the Atlanta Braves in Anaheim, California, on April 7, 2026. (Ethan Swope/AP)
“There was no intent there. I just think Lópey is just tackling him, because he had a hard time getting him out. But he’s certainly not trying to hit him.”
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Atlanta won the game on Tuesday 7-2.
