Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Jorge Soler and Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez were ejected after a fight near the mound in the fifth inning of the teams’ Tuesday game in Anaheim, Calif.
Soler, who homered in the first inning, and Lopez started staring each other down after the right-hander began the fifth-inning at-bat with a fastball well above the zone. Soler eventually began walking slowly toward the mound well after the pitch before he quickly charged, throwing a few punches at Lopez.
Lopez fended him off with his glove and appeared to hit Soler while holding the baseball in his right hand before the umpires and other players were able to intervene.
Both players were ejected. Lopez was nearing the end of his outing, at 80 pitches and 4 2/3 innings over which he struck out seven and allowed two runs on three hits and two walks.
Soler, the 2021 World Series MVP for the Braves, opened the scoring on Wednesday with his two-run shot in the first against his former team.
Tyler Kinley replaced Lopez, stranding a runner at third, while Jeimer Candelario replaced Soler in the Angels’ lineup.
