ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — 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 4 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on three hits with seven strikeouts. Soler finished with a home run and two RBIs.
The Angels won in the first of the three-game series.
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