Jorge Soler, Reynaldo Lopez receive punishments for Angels-Braves brawl

Regardless, Soler clearly felt Lopez was targeting him. He took umbrage with a high pitch in the fifth inning and exchanged words with the pitcher before charging the mound. Both threw punches, but neither appeared to land any. Lopez was still trying to hit Soler with the baseball in his hand, which knocked his helmet off.

Both benches then cleared. Braves manager Walt Weiss tackled Soler, preventing the fight from escalating further. When the situation settled, both players were ejected. Without two-time World Series champion Soler, the Angels collapsed, losing 7-2. 

Soler didn't call out Weiss, who he believed was trying to protect him. But he remained upset with Lopez, who he believed was throwing too high. 

"I asked him if everything was OK, and the answer he gave me, I didn't like it," the Cuban outfielder said postgame through interpreter Jobel Jimenez, per MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger and Courtney Hollmon. "That's why I went out there."

Lopez insisted he wasn't trying to bean Soler and added that he regrets sparring with the outfielder.

"It's just a shame, the situation and how things unfolded," the Dominican Republican pitcher said through interpreter Franco Garcia. "On my part, there was never any intent to hit him at any point. So, again, it's just a shame."

Soler and Lopez were teammates in Atlanta in 2024, but there were no reports of a hostile relationship. It seems it was just a case of both players losing their tempers.