Braves-Angels brawl: Reynaldo López appeals, gets suspension reduced

Q: What caused the brawl between the Braves and Angels?

The brawl was triggered by a heated exchange between Braves pitcher Reynaldo López and Angels designated hitter Jorge Soler during the fifth inning of the game.

Q: How long was Reynaldo López's original suspension before it was reduced?

Reynaldo López was originally suspended for 7 games before successfully appealing to have it reduced to 5 games.

Q: What penalties did both players receive from Major League Baseball?

Both Reynaldo López and Jorge Soler received 7-game suspensions and undisclosed fines from Major League Baseball.

Braves-Angels brawl: Reynaldo López appeals, gets suspension reduced

TL;DR

Reynaldo López of the Atlanta Braves had his 7-game suspension reduced to 5 games after appealing the penalty for his involvement in a bench-clearing brawl with Jorge Soler of the Los Angeles Angels. Both players received undisclosed fines from Major League Baseball.

Major League Baseball suspended Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo López and Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Jorge Soler for Tuesday night’s bench-clearing brawl.

MLB issued a 7-game suspension and undisclosed fines for both players. López appealed through the MLB Players Association and got his reduced to 5-games.

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The Braves and Angels benches cleared on Tuesday night after Soler and López got into an heated exchange in the fifth inning.

López threw a high-and-inside fastball at Soler, who had a home run and was hit by a pitch earlier in the game. Soler charged the mound before he and López, who still had a baseball in his hand, started throwing punches.

“I asked him if everything was OK and the answer he gave me, I didn’t like it,” Soler said through an interpreter, according to MLB.com. “That’s why I went out there.”

“On my part, there was never any intent to hit him at any point. So, again, it’s just a shame," López said through an interpreter, according to MLB.com.

Players and coaches from both benches ran onto the field and Braves manager Walt Weiss tackled Soler, who he coached during his time in Atlanta, to the ground. Weiss said his instincts just kicked in.

“I love Soler. We were teammates here. But that’s a big man. I just felt like I gotta get him off his feet because he’s going to hurt somebody,” he said.

With the Braves having an off day on Thursday, López won’t have to miss his next scheduled start. Soler played in Wednesday’s game while he appealed his suspension.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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