Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo López and Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jorge Soler have each received a seven-game suspension and an undisclosed fine for their actions in the benches-clearing incident during the bottom of the fifth inning of Tuesday night’s game at Angel Stadium, Major League Baseball announced on Wednesday. Michael Hill, MLB’s Senior Vice President for On-Field Operations, made the announcement.
The suspensions of López and Soler had been scheduled to begin this afternoon, when the clubs meet for the final game of a three-game series. However, both López and Soler have elected to appeal. Thus, the discipline will be held in abeyance until the process is complete.
Soler, who started in right field and batted cleanup for the series finale on Wednesday, homered off Braves starter Grant Holmes in the second inning.
On Tuesday, Soler homered off López in his first at-bat of the night, then was hit by a pitch his second time up. The two stared at each other after a high pitch in the fifth inning of Atlanta's 7-2 win, then Soler charged the mound and threw punches at López, who countered with a few of his own, though neither player seemed to connect on anything too solid.
López was still holding the baseball in one hand as he threw punches with the other and knocked off Soler’s helmet with the ball still in his hand. Both benches then cleared with a melee breaking out down the first-base line.
Soler, who was in good spirits after the game, said that López said something to him after the pitch that prompted the 6-foot-3, 235-pounder to charge the mound and go after the 6-foot-1, 225-pound López.
“I asked him if everything was OK and the answer he gave me, I didn’t like it,” Soler said through interpreter Jobel Jiménez. “That’s why I went out there.”
Soler and López, who were briefly teammates in the second half of the 2024 season with the Braves, were both thrown out of the game as a result.
Soler has had immense career success against López, with his two-run homer in the first making him a career 14-for-23 hitter with five homers and three doubles against his former teammate. López's plunking of Soler with a 2-1 fastball in the third inning registered at 96 mph.
“Obviously, I have good numbers against him,” Soler said. “After the home run and getting hit by a pitch after that, and then he missed way too high and close to my head. At this level, you can’t miss like that.”
“It's just a shame, the situation and how things unfolded,” López said through interpreter Franco García. “On my part, there was never any intent to hit him at any point. So, again, it's just a shame.”
Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said he believes the incident is behind both teams, but understands why Soler did what he did. Soler said López didn’t have any control problems facing other hitters, hinting he believed López did it on purpose.
“I don't blame Jorge one bit,” Suzuki said. “You get thrown at your head, you have a family, a career. It's dangerous. I know it happens. But if you ask any hitter and a ball gets thrown near their head, especially after hitting a homer, it’s not good.”