The Atlanta Braves vs. Los Angeles Angels game had a brawl on Tuesday night.
The Los Angeles Angels are hosting the Atlanta Braves for a three-game series in Anaheim. The Angels took the series opener 6-2, getting home runs from Zach Neto and Jo Adell. Los Angeles jumped out to an early lead again on Tuesday, scoring twice in the first before Atlanta responded with one in the second and three in the fourth. It was the next inning when things got crazy.
After homering in his first at-bat and getting hit in his next, designated hitter Jorge Soler took exception to an up-and-in fastball from Braves starting pitcher Reynaldo López. He charged the mound and both players threw punches. They were both ejected.
MLB now faces a suspension decision. Soler is almost certainly looking at a multi-game absence for charging the mound and throwing punches. It willl be interesting to see if López also gets suspended, as MLB will have to determine whether he intentionally threw at Soler and if his punches are also worthy of a suspension. These types of brawls often result in punishment for other players involved if the league deems anyone escalated things.
For the Braves, losing López for even one start would hurt. He entered Tuesday’s start with a 1.64 ERA across 11 innings, surrendering just two earned runs while striking out six batters and walking three.
As for Soler, he came into the day scuffling a bit to start the season but did have a big swing in his first at-bat to put the Angels ahead with a home run. He spent last season in Anaheim, appearing in 82 games and posting a .680 OPS. That was the second-worst mark of his career, as he is looking to regain the form he had in Atlanta.
Soler won a World Series MVP award with the Braves in 2021. He spent two seasons in Atlanta, appearing in 104 games and posting an elite .868 OPS. That is the best mark of any team he has played with in his 13-year career.
There are several players on both teams who have played for the other side. López spent time with the Angels in 2023, appearing in 13 games before being put on waivers and joining the Cleveland Guardians. He then signed with the Braves, where he moved from the bullpen to a starting pitching role, breaking out and making his first All-Star appearance in 2024 with a 1.99 ERA.
Angels catcher Travis d’Arnaud was among the players trying to de-escalate things. He spent five seasons with the Braves in the prime of his career, making the All-Star team in 2022. While it is not incredibly uncommon to see benches clear in a baseball game, a brawl like this is quite rare. Usually, no real punches are thrown, but there were haymakers in this brawl, and that will lead to the league office having to make a decision on punishment.