What started as a routine early-season matchup in Anaheim quickly spiraled into something far more combustible. Jorge Soler’s first-inning home run off Reynaldo López set the tone, and in the third inning, López replied in the form of a hit-by-pitch. When López buzzed Soler again in the fifth, the tension finally snapped. After a brief, eerie pause, Soler charged the mound, triggering a full-scale brawl that saw punches thrown, benches emptied, and López somehow landing blows while still gripping the baseball. But the most unexpected moment came from the Braves’ dugout, where 62-year-old manager Walt Weiss—drawing on his MMA background—stormed the field and executed a textbook takedown in the name of “de-escalation.”
*** Now chatting in #AngelsVsBraves ***
*** Top 1st ***
SolerPower: hey reynaldo
i like this pitch
/launches ball into orbit
EverybodyLovesRey: noted
*** Top 3rd ***
EverybodyLovesRey: fastball inside
oops
that hit him
SolerPower: “oops” huh
HeimImprovement: hey hey just take your base
we’re all friends here
probably
*** Top 5th ***
EverybodyLovesRey: fastball high and tight
just a reminder
SolerPower: yeah i got the reminder
*** pitch sails to the backstop ***
HeimImprovement: ball got away
let’s just reset—
/throws ball back to mound
*** one second of calm ***
*** two seconds of calm ***
*** chaos loading… ***
SolerPower: nope
*** SolerPower has charged the mound ***
EverybodyLovesRey: oh we doing this
alright then
*** fists flying ***
*** benches clear ***
SolerPower: you hit me twice!
EverybodyLovesRey: you hit me first!
SolerPower: WITH A BASEBALL
EverybodyLovesRey: WITH A BASEBALL
/swings… still holding the baseball
SolerPower: BRO YOU BROUGHT A WEAPON
EverybodyLovesRey: IT’S PART OF MY JOB
YOU'RE STILL WEARING A HELMET
SolerPower: TO PROTECT ME FROM BASEBALLS
/chaos intensifies
*** TheWeissIsRight has entered the chat ***
TheWeissIsRight: okay gentlemen
let’s de-escalate this
everybody calm—
/perfect double-leg takedown
*** TheWeissIsRight has tackled SolerPower ***
SolerPower: WHO IS THIS MAN
EverybodyLovesRey: THAT’S OUR MANAGER
SolerPower: WHY DOES HE KNOW HOW TO DO THAT
TheWeissIsRight: i said "de-escalate"
*** pr0FF3ss0r_F4rnsw0rth has entered the chat ***
pr0FF3ss0r_F4rnsw0rth: THAT WAS CLEAN
TEXTBOOK
9.8 FORM
I’M TEARING UP
*** WORDUPTHOME has entered the chat ***
WORDUPTHOME: HEY GUYS THIS IS JI
JIM THOME
I’VE SEEN A LOT OF BASEBALL
BUT I HAVE NEVER SEEN A MANAGER SHOOT A DOUBLE-LEG LIKE THAT
OLD JIMBO CALLS THAT “FUNDAMENTALS”
*** TheWeissIsRight begins lightly grappling random bystanders ***
TheWeissIsRight: stay down
this is for your own good
NoTroutAboutIt: I WASN'T EVEN ON THE FIELD
TheWeissIsRight: de-escalated
*** MLB_NewsBot has entered the chat ***
MLB_NewsBot: UPDATE: benches-clearing brawl in Anaheim
Reynaldo Lopez plunks Jorge Soler, later throws inside again
Soler charges mound; punches exchanged
Manager Walt Weiss executes successful "de-escalating" takedown
League reviewing whether managers are allowed to have grappling backgrounds
TheWeissIsRight: situation handled
SolerPower: i got tackled by a 62-year-old man
EverybodyLovesRey: yeah but like… a very fit 62-year-old
*** pr0FF3ss0r_F4rnsw0rth has left to enroll in MMA immediately ***
*** WORDUPTHOME has left to write “COACHING THE CLINCH” ***
*** SolerPower has left to ice his self-esteem ***
*** EverybodyLovesRey has left to drop the baseball finally ***
*** TheWeissIsRight has left to enroll the team in jiu-jitsu ***