The Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Angels engaged in a brawl on Tuesday night in the second game of their three-game series. Braves pitcher Reynaldo Lopez accidentally threw high and inside to Angels slugger Jorge Soler, resulting in Soler charging the mound.
Lopez defended himself and Soler was eventually stopped by Braves’ manager Walt Weiss. Now, both teams await the word on whether there will be any discipline issued by Major League Baseball.
On Foul Territory, former MLB catcher Erik Kratz came to the defense of Lopez, saying he had every right to protect himself when Soler came charging toward him.
“If somebody charges at me, I’m not just going to stand there and be like, ‘I’m not getting suspended, hit me,'” Kratz said.
Lopez did retaliate by throwing the ball at Soler as the slugger was charging, so perhaps MLB will look into that before deciding what to do with the right-hander. But Kratz doesn’t seem to believe Lopez did anything wrong.
Soler was charging at him angrily and approaching very quickly. If not for Weiss’s actions, Soler could have done some damage to Lopez.
Ultimately, MLB will have to decide if it is worth punishing Lopez for fighting back. Throwing the ball at Soler is dangerous, but Soler was approaching him fast, and he had to act quickly and decisively.
It will be interesting to see what punishment is handed down. Soler will likely receive some form of punishment for charging and Lopez, but the picture is less clear with Lopez’s actions.
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