Atlanta Braves manager earns praise from Falcons after tackle in brawl

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Atlanta Braves manager Walt Weiss is getting praise from another Atlanta franchise after a mid-game brawl broke out between the Braves and the Angels Tuesday night.

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"Come put on the pads, Skip," the Atlanta Falcons wrote in an April 8 tweet. The organization shared a photo of Weiss tackling an opposing player during the game.

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What happened at the Braves/Angels game?

Starter Reynaldo López was pitching for the Braves to Angels designated hitter Jorge Soler when Soler was upset by a pitch and dropped his bat. He approached the mound as López walked forward to meet him. Then, the two squared up and started to throw punches.

The benches emptied and players came flooding onto the diamond as coaches tried to break up the brawl. The fight came to a head as Soler was tackled — by Weiss. Video of the brawl caught Weiss wrapping his arms around the legs of Soler and taking him to the ground.

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

"Obviously, I have good numbers against (López). 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," Soler said.

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Commentators said a few of the pitches were "high and in," likely causing Soler's frustration. But the pitcher and hitter were ejected from the game, and the teams were warned by officials.

After the game, Weiss said López's pitches were not intentionally trying to hit Soler.

"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," Weiss said, according to Bleacher Report.

No bad blood between Weiss, Soler

"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," Weiss told ESPN.

Soler responded 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," according to Bleacher Report.

Soler, the Cuba native, is 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds, according to MLB statistics, and he played for the Braves in 2021 and 2024 when Weiss was the bench coach in Atlanta.

López echoed Weiss in saying his pitches were intentionally wild, and called the fight a "shame."

"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," he told news outlets after the game.

Irene Wright is the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Atlanta Braves manager earns credit from Falcons for game tackle

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