Atlanta Braves right-hander Reynaldo Lopez and Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jorge Soler have each been suspended seven games for their roles in a benches-clearing brawl during Tuesday night’s game at Angel Stadium.
Both were also given an undisclosed fine for their actions.
Soler charged the mound after Lopez threw a pitch high and inside that tipped off Jonah Heim’s glove in the bottom of the fifth inning.
At first, Lopez held his hands up as the two glared at each other before both started throwing punches.
The benches and bullpens emptied as players from both teams tried to separate the two. Atlanta manager Walt Weiss was among those who tackled Soler.
Lopez was holding the baseball when he landed a punch on Soler’s batting helmet.
Soler homered off Lopez in his first at-bat and was hit by a 96 mph fastball in his second. The Braves led 4-2 when the dustup occurred and went on to win 7-2.
Soler, who is 14-for-23 with five homers and three doubles against Lopez, said he thought Lopez’s pitch was “intentional.”
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