The Los Angeles Angels' game last night featured a fight-night undercard, and both participants were suspended.
The Los Angeles Angels lost DH Jorge Soler for seven games as MLB handed down suspensions for the fight that ensued after Soler charged the mound as part of a brushback incident last night involving Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo Lopez, who was also suspended for seven games.
The incident started when Soler homered off Lopez in the top of the first, which didn't go over well given that Soler has basically owned Lopez, having gone 14-for-23 against the Atlanta starter. Lopez then hit Soler with a pitch the next time around, and the confrontation continued in the fifth when Lopez whizzed a fastball inside and over Soler’s head.
That led to a staring match, and when neither player gave in Soler took a couple of tentative steps toward the mound. Lopez opened his arms in a “come get me” gesture, and Soler charged the mound and the fight ensued.
The suspensions wee announced by Michael Hill, MLB’s senior vice president for on-field operations, and according to an ESPN/AP report both players also received undisclosed fines. The suspensions were set to start today, but both players are appealing.
These suspensions were more than usual because this was a real baseball fight, not just a series of the usual pushing and shoving matches that quickly get broken up. This one could have done serious damage to both players, as Lopez was in full retreat toward the Angels dugout as Soler came after him, with both players throwing haymakers all the while. At one point it looked like Lopez was considering throwing at Soler with the ball still in hand as he stepped off the mound, which could have produced a bloodbath.
No announcement was made about the role of Atlanta manager Walt Weiss in the fracas, as Weiss tackled Soler to prevent him from doing damage. Weiss denied that his pitcher was throwing at Soler, but there may be additional fines to Weiss and the organization given the obvious sequence of events that led to the incident.
Soler got the worst of the two suspensions in terms of the respective timelines by a small amount, as Lopez’s seven-game suspension will only cause him to miss a single start.
For the Angels, this suspension represents the inevitable result of being pitched inside throughout this homestead. They lost Mike Trout for a couple of games when Seattle Mariners pitcher Brian Woo buzzed the Angels star outfielder in the first two pitches of the homestead on Friday night and hit Trout in the hand.
Trout was also buzzed in his at-bat last night before the Soler homer, which may have also contributed to the tension. Losing Soler hurts given his power output so far, but the Angels have plenty of other hitters to provide long balls.