Angels show ‘fight’ but go down quietly against Braves
Punches were thrown in a benches-clearing fight between the Los Angeles Angels and Atlanta Braves, but the Braves got the last laugh by winning, 6-2.
Jorge Soler #12 of the Los Angeles Angels fights Reynaldo López #40 of the Atlanta Braves during an MLB game against the Atlanta Braves at Angel Stadium on April 7, 2026 in Anaheim, California. ANAHEIM, Calif. — There were five Angels on Tuesday night to record a hit, with Jo Adell the only one to get two, but some may argue that Jorge Soler had the most on the team.
After a first-pitch 97 miles per hour fastball by Reynaldo López sailed by the head of Soler in the fifth inning, Soler charged the mound and squared up with López, and the two traded off real punches, which is a rare sight in baseball fights. Once the dust settled and both Soler and López were ejected from the game, things picked up right where they left off, and the Angels' (6-6) bats failed to scratch runs across in a 7-2 loss to the Braves (7-5). Soler’s first big swing of the game came in the first inning, when he took López deep for a two-run home run.
That homer put Soler 14-for-23 with five home runs in his career against López. And it appears López wasn’t a fan of that. In Soler’s next at-bat, he was hit up and in with a 96 miles per hour fastball.
In the next one, that first-pitch fastball that zipped by Soler’s head started a staring match, which then led to words being exchanged, which then led to punches being exchanged. “He didn't miss with the other hitters like that, like he missed to me, so I think it was intentional,” Soler said. López was surprised enough at Soler charging that he didn’t even take his glove off, or even drop the baseball in his other hand, and just threw punches with what he had.