Braves Manager Walt Weiss Explains Tackling Angels' Jorge Soler in Trending MLB Fight Video

Atlanta Braves manager Walt Weiss provided some insight into why he took down Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Jorge Soler during a chaotic brawl on Tuesday night.

Soler charged the mound after taking issue with an up-and-in pitch from Braves starter Reynaldo López, leading to the benches emptying. After Soler and López threw some punches, Soler was tackled to the ground by Weiss and Braves catching coach Dustin Garneau:

Punches thrown in Braves-Angels 😧

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Speaking to reporters after the game, Weiss said tackling Soler was a move meant to de-escalate the situation.

Weiss also insisted that López did not purposely try to throw at Soler, saying, "I know it didn't look good because of Soler's numbers against López and he hit a homer and he hit him. López is not throwing at him. I don't allow our pitchers to throw at people just because they can't get them out. Our job is to get them out. But I understand why Soler got angry."

He added, via ESPN News Services: "I love Soler. We were teammates here. But that's a big man. I just felt I gotta get him off his feet because he's gonna hurt somebody. And so that was my instinct, just to get in there and get Jorge off his feet, because he was on a warpath."

Soler, who played for the Braves in 2021 and 2024 when Weiss was the bench coach, took no issue with what Weiss did, saying, "We have a good relationship. I don't think he tried to do anything against me. We're friends. I think he was just trying to protect me."

Soler hit a two-run home run off López in his first at-bat in the first inning, before López hit him with a pitch in the third. When a high pitch to Soler went all the way to the backstop in the fifth inning, Soler seemed to take it as a sign that López was throwing at him, which led to the melee.

After the game, Soler expressed his thought process with regard to charging the mound, telling reporters, "Obviously, I have good numbers against him. After the home run and getting hit by a pitch after that, and then he missed way too high and close to my head. At this level, you can't miss like that."

Per ESPN, Soler has owned López at the plate over the years, hitting .609 with five home runs and 11 RBI in 23 at-bats against him.

Despite that, López denied making any attempt to hit Soler with a pitch, saying through an interpreter, "It's just a shame, the situation and how things unfolded. On my part, there was never any intent to hit him at any point. So, again, it's just a shame."

Soler's two-run homer proved to be the only offense of the game for the Angels. By the time of the brawl, the Braves had taken a 4-2 lead, and they went on to win 7-2.

Atlanta improved to 7-5 on the year with the road victory, while L.A. fell to 6-6.

After splitting the first two, the Braves and Angels will conclude their three-game set on Wednesday, while Soler, López and others wait to hear from Major League Baseball regarding potential discipline.