The on-field brawl in Tuesday’s Angels-Braves game had a long-lasting impact. While Reynaldo Lopez and Jorge Soler are facing seven-game suspensions for their on-field melee, Blue Jays veteran Kevin Pillar thinks the only crime was MLB’s over-the-top reaction
“This is a joke. Why is the punishment so massive for two grown men who have some beef? Let the boys play, fight, and then move on,” Pillar shared via X.
Things escalated on Tuesday after a fastball off Lopez missed Soler’s head by a whisker. Soler charged at the mound, and it took no time for both to get physical. Benches cleared, and Anaheim was looking like a big wrestling ring. And in the middle, the Braves manager, Walt Weiss, pulled off an NFL-style tackle on Soler.
This is a joke. Why is the punishment so massive for two grown men who have some beef. Let the boys play, fight and then move on https://t.co/4CrBekVUap
— Kevin Pillar (@KPILLAR4) April 8, 2026
Fortunately, no one was injured, and the game resumed. Nevertheless, MLB deemed the incident severe enough to warrant stricter disciplinary action.
However, no one would have expected that both would be served with a seven-game suspension and a penalty of an undisclosed amount. Double punishment! Pillar found it unwarranted.
So, it does seem like both of them are trying to promote the unwanted physical side of the game, something that NFL does better. Tackling, blocking, and “down by contact” are standard mechanics in the NFL, which allows the fans on the edge. On the other hand, MLB is better known for a laid-back environment in its ballparks.
While Pillar calls out MLB for toning down the on-field intensity and, to some extent, the entertainment value, MLB recently got stricter in dealing with physicality and focused more on the technicality of the game.
MLB is more mental than physical
“Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical.” Former Yankees legend Yogi Berra differentiated baseball from other sports.
Well, for baseball players at every level, the most important tool isn’t a bat, glove, or cleats. It’s the mindset they bring to the field. Why? Because baseball is a sport of constant failure and emotional volatility. It is a sport where hitting 0.300 is considered elite. In MLB, some situations require constant emotional regulation and extreme focus during long, slow-paced games.
For instance, the Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s pitch in the late innings against the Jays in World Series Game 7. It required calm and composure, and not something he needed to overcome by getting into a physical confrontation with his rival.
Moreover, injuries are the reason MLB is getting stricter with physical altercations. In 2011, Buster Posey suffered a broken leg and torn ligaments in a home-plate collision. As a result, MLB implemented Rule 7.13 (now 6.01i) in 2014 to prevent runners from deviating from their path to hit catchers and to stop catchers from blocking the plate without the ball.
So, MLB has a whole set of rules to prevent physicality. Rather, the focus always stays on how to pitch at 100 mph or hit a small moving ball. Yes, ballparks’ intensity leaps with players getting physical, but that’s absolutely against the very true sense of MLB.
