Sports

Soler, Lopez trade haymakers, ejected in brawl

Angels DH Jorge Soler charged the mound after Braves starter Reynaldo Lopez threw a high inside pitch, as both players threw punches amid a bench-clearing brawl in the fifth inning of Tuesday's game.

Published April 8, 2026, 5:41 AM
2.7K
Share𝕏f
Soler, Lopez trade haymakers, ejected in brawl
  • Associated Press

Apr 8, 2026, 12:21 AM ET

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Atlanta pitcher Reynaldo Lopez and Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Jorge Soler were ejected after a brawl between the two players on Tuesday night.

Soler charged the mound after Lopez threw a high inside pitch 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 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 had homered off Lopez in his first at-bat, then was hit by a pitch in his second. The Braves led 4-2 when the dustup occurred.

Lopez pitched 4⅔ innings, allowing two runs on three hits with seven strikeouts. Soler finished with a home run and two RBIs.

The Angels won 6-2 on Monday in the first of the three-game series.

Share𝕏f
News17 is committed to delivering accurate, fair, and thoroughly researched reporting. If you believe this article contains an error, please contact our editorial team at corrections@news17.net. We take all reports seriously and will issue corrections promptly when warranted.