On April 7, the Los Angeles Angels and the Atlanta Braves played the second game of a three-game series. In the fifth inning, Braves pitcher Reynaldo López threw a pitch to Angels outfielder and designated hitter, Jorge Soler, that reached the backstop, advancing baserunner Nolan Schanuel.

Soler, who had already been hit by a pitch that game, reached his breaking point and charged the mound to fight López. In the brawl that ensued, both benches cleared, and López punched Soler in the face with a baseball in his hand.

Both players were suspended for seven games for the altercation, but this past week, Soler’s suspension was reduced to four games after an appeal. The aftermath is left in the rearview mirror, but the real question lies right in front of us: when does Major League Baseball (MLB) actually step in to try and prevent violent behavior and brawls that injure the players in the game today?

Since 2010, there have been numerous brawls that have resulted in injuries. Pitcher Archie Bradley fractured his right elbow by falling over a railing during a brawl, missing two months of the 2022 season. Former pitcher and all-star Zach Greinke broke his left collarbone after being charged by Carlos Quentin with a pitch back in 2013. Greinke ended up missing eight weeks of the season recovering from surgery.

These are just a few examples of players missing time due to injuries sustained in brawls, but it is not okay that players are getting hurt and setting a bad example in this situation in the first place. These are grown men playing a children’s game, and they do not have the self-control to avoid charging another player and getting into a fight with them.

It is unacceptable that players who serve as role models to the next generation of ballplayers get into fights over petty matters. MLB needs to step in and impose harsher punishments on players who get involved in large-scale fights.