ATLANTA — 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 five games on Wednesday evening.
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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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