Brawl Breaks Out During Atlanta Braves at Los Angeles Angels Game
Angels vs. Braves Jorge Soler Raises Slugging Percentage ... Brawls With Reynaldo Lopez
Anaheim ain't just theme parks and cute cartoon mice ... the rough-and-tumble side came out at Angel Stadium when the L.A. Angels and Atlanta Braves slugged it out ... and, we don't just mean at the plate.
The fireworks kicked off in the bottom of the 5th inning of Tuesday night's game ... when Braves pitcher Reynaldo Lopez fired off a wild pitch that came close to Angels designated hitter Jorge Soler's head.
FULL BRAWL BETWEEN THE BRAVES AND THE ANGELS: pic.twitter.com/uUCVRXdOA2 @FlyingZebra30
Check it out ... it doesn't seem intentional -- but, Soler started staring down Lopez -- and the Braves pitcher stared right back until Soler jogged out to the mound for an unfriendly chat.
Teammates from both sides rushed the field ... and, Braves manager Walt Weiss -- who will turn 63 later this year -- actually helped tackle the charging Soler.
Another angle captured Lopez using the baseball as a weapon ... punching the side of Soler's batting helmet with it to land a pretty crunching blow.
New angle of the Braves-Angels brawl shows Lopez winding up and using the baseball as brass knucklesš pic.twitter.com/UTMujQXGSD @PolymarketSport
To be fair ... Lopez drilled Soler in the 3rd, after the slugger took him yard in the 1st ... so, it certainly seems like tension had been brewing since first pitch.
Soler later said, through a translator, "I asked [Lopez] if everything was OK and the answer he gave me, I didnāt like it. Thatās why I went out there.ā Lopez, also through a translator, called the situation a "shame" and insisted he didn't mean to hit Soler at any point.
Lopez and Soler were both ejected from the game ... but the Braves went on to win 7-2 ... so, we'd say Lopez got the last laugh.
Angels are usually on their best behavior ... the ballplayers at Angel Stadium ... not so much!