Jorge Soler Throws Punches at Angel Stadium, Gets Seven Games and a Tackle From His Own Manager

Things got heated at Angel Stadium on Tuesday night when Jorge Soler decided he'd had enough of Reynaldo López's pitching. The Atlanta Braves outfielder took a fastball up and in during the fifth inning, and after already getting plunked in the hand earlier in the at-bat, Soler had seen enough. He walked straight at López and the benches cleared. Punches flew, though nobody's saying for sure if any actually landed. Then Braves manager Walt Weiss did what you don't see every day: he tackled his own player to break things up.

The Spark That Lit the Fuse

Soler came out swinging in his first at-bat, launching a homer off López. But in the second at-bat, things took a turn. López hit him in the hand on the first pitch. Then, several innings later in the fifth, López threw one way up and in, nearly at Soler's head. That's when Soler snapped.

"I asked him if everything was OK and the answer he gave me, I didn't like it. That's why I went out there," Soler told reporters after the game. "Obviously, I have good numbers against him. After the home run and getting hit by a pitch after that, and then he missed way too high and close to my head. At this level, you can't miss like that."

López pushed back hard on any intent to escalate. "On my part, there was never any intent to hit him at any point," López said. "It's just a shame, the situation and how things unfolded."

Weiss Steps In, Soler Gets Suspended

The collision happened fast. Weiss, who had been Soler's teammate during his time with the Braves, charged in and tackled him to get him off his feet. Weiss later explained his thinking: "I love Soler. We were teammates here. But that's a big man. I just felt I gotta get him off his feet because he's gonna hurt somebody."

Soler understood. "We have a good relationship. I don't think he tried to do anything against me. We're friends. I think he was just trying to protect me," he said.

MLB handed down the discipline Wednesday: both Soler and López got seven-game suspensions and undisclosed fines. But López already negotiated his down to five games, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Both are appealing. No other players were disciplined.

The Braves won the game 7-2, with the rubber match scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. Soler is hitting .220 with two homers so far this season, and López has a 1.15 ERA through three starts.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.