MLB handed out seven game suspensions to both Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jorge Soler and Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo López following a fiery mound-charging incident that brought Tuesday night’s game to a halt. Both players have appealed the bans, but if the suspensions are upheld, they will rank among the longest ever issued by the league for on-field fighting.
The incident began after López threw two errant pitches during Soler’s at-bat, the second of which sailed all the way to the backstop. Soler, apparently convinced the pitches were intentional, charged the mound. What followed was a full exchange of punches notably, López was still gripping the baseball when he threw his first swing. Both players were ejected before the night was over.
The episode has renewed a long-running conversation in baseball about how the league draws the line between competitive heat and conduct that threatens player safety. MLB’s suspension history on that front is a revealing one.
The longest MLB fighting suspensions on record
Keone Kela – 10 games (2019)
Kela received the longest suspension to come out of the chaotic 2019 brawl between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds. The trouble started when Kela threw a pitch near the head of Reds hitter Derek Dietrich. When Cincinnati pitcher Amir Garrett responded by sprinting toward the Pittsburgh dugout, all-out chaos broke out. Kela was found to be the primary instigator of the sequence of events and was handed a 10-game ban, the stiffest penalty of anyone involved.
Michael Barrett – 10 games (2006)
The Cubs-White Sox rivalry took a physical turn in 2006 when catcher A.J. Pierzynski bowled over Chicago Cubs catcher Michael Barrett at home plate. Barrett responded by throwing a punch at Pierzynski, which cleared both benches and led to a memorable brawl between the two Chicago clubs. Barrett’s 10 game suspension reflected how directly he had escalated the confrontation.
Ian Kennedy – 10 games (2013)
Kennedy’s suspension followed a tense series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers that boiled over after he hit Yasiel Puig with a pitch. The retaliations that followed spiraled into a full bench-clearing brawl, and Kennedy was ultimately held most responsible for setting the chaos in motion.
Amir Garrett – 8 games (2019)
Garrett was the other central figure in the same Pirates-Reds brawl that earned Kela his 10-game suspension. His decision to sprint directly toward Pittsburgh’s dugout and attempt to exchange punches with multiple players cost him eight games, underlining just how seriously the league viewed the entire incident.
Rougned Odor -8 games (2016)
Perhaps no single punch in recent baseball memory has been replayed more than Odor’s right hand connecting squarely with José Bautista’s jaw during a Rangers Blue Jays matchup in 2016. The two teams had a simmering rivalry, and the moment exploded into one of the most visceral brawls the sport had seen in years. Odor’s eight game ban was considered by many at the time to be lenient given the force and visibility of the blow.
Jesse Winker – 7 games (2022)
Winker, then with the Seattle Mariners, charged the Angels dugout during a 2022 brawl that resulted in suspensions across both rosters. His seven game ban matched what Soler and López are now facing, putting the current incident in direct historical company with one of the more chaotic scenes of that season.
Tim Anderson – 6 games, reduced to 5 (2023)
Anderson’s suspension came out of a fight with Cleveland Guardians third baseman José Ramírez that many consider the most talked-about brawl of the past several years. His original six-game penalty was reduced to five on appeal, a reminder that the appeals process can, and does, occasionally work in a player’s favor something both Soler and López will be counting on as their cases move forward.
