A Tuesday evening game between the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Angels temporarily descended into chaos as a batter charged a pitcher, sparking a bench-clearing fracas.
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The incident began as Braves pitcher Reynaldo Lopez and Angeles designated hitter Jorge Soler stared at each other for an extended period of time. They exchanged words before Soler charged the mound.
The two players began throwing punches at each other — with Lopez landing a punch while holding a baseball — as both benches cleared. Players ran in and got involved in the fight as the crowd roared.
Jorge Soler and Reynaldo López are throwing PUNCHES in Anaheim as a brawl breaks out pic.twitter.com/Uj4kOk07Ow
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 8, 2026
The fight did not last for an extended period of time. A member of the Braves and a member of the Angels pushed Lopez away from the crowd. Meanwhile multiple people held Soler on the ground as they worked to keep the incident from escalating further.
Both Soler and Lopez had to leave the game after being ejected. Jeimer Candelario took over for Soler while Tyler Kinley took over for Lopez.
Here’s an angle of the brawl where you can see Reynaldo Lopez land a blow on Jorge Soler with the baseball in his hand pic.twitter.com/dSucXM4T9c
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) April 8, 2026
One of the most surprising moments of the brawl featured Braves manager Walt Weiss, who took over ahead of this season. He rushed into the fight and tackled Soler to the ground. His form made it appear that he was an NFL linebacker instead of a baseball manager.
"That's a big man," Weiss said after the 7-2 Braves win. "And so, I just felt I got to get him off his feet, because he's gonna hurt somebody.
"And that was just, yeah, that was my instinct, just to get in there and get Jorge off his feet. Yeah, because he was on a warpath."
The announcers said that Soler grew upset about a couple of Lopez's pitches, which were high and to the inside. The one right before the fight came fairly close to the designated hitter's chin.
"Well, the first pitch to Soler in this at-bat was upstairs," one announcer said. "Remember, he got hit by a pitch earlier in the game as well after the home run."
Lopez addressed the situation after the game. He provided a statement via Braves director of baseball player relations Franco Garcí, who translated.
"We spent time together as teammates, and so I just think that it was a misunderstanding, because I never would have to do anything or, you know, I wasn't trying to hit him, and there's never any intent on my part," Lopez said.
