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Cal Raleigh addresses WBC handshake moment with Randy Arozarena

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Matt Wadleigh | Last updated Mar 11, 2026 10:19 AM ET

Team USA defeated Mexico 5-3 on Monday night in a thrilling World Baseball Classic game, but all of the headlines were regarding Seattle Mariners teammates Cal Raleigh and Randy Arozarena.

Raleigh, who is on Team USA, refused to shake Arozarena’s hand when he stepped into the batter’s box. After the game, Arozarena went on a rant regarding Raleigh refusing the handshake , and now the Mariners catcher has addressed the incident and has reached out to Arozarena and Seattle manager Dan Wilson.

Cal Raleigh, via FaceTime just now, said that he reached out to Randy Arozarena, as well as Dan Wilson, after last night’s exchange at the World Baseball Classic in Houston.

“There's no beef. I love Randy. Like I said, when we're back in Seattle, he's my brother. He's family."
— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) March 10, 2026

More from Cal Raleigh on the exchange with Randy Arozarena:

"I hate that this is a thing. I really don't think this is a big deal, a big story. It shouldn't be a thing. I love Randy. I have all the respect for him and Team Mexico."
— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) March 10, 2026

Raleigh also issued a response to Arozarena’s comments from Monday night, and he doesn’t seem concerned about it one bit.

“Emotions are running high. There’s no beef here. Like I said, there’s no story to me. I’m not taking this as a big deal, and I don’t think he is either,” Raleigh said, via Daniel Kramer of MLB.com.

Here’s a video of the incident from Monday night.

Cal Raleigh declines handshake with Seattle teammate, Randy Arozarena #WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/bBT1JsAuW4
— Strawbarry Bonds 11:11 (@EvaLaMorte) March 10, 2026

Arozarena joined the Mariners in 2024 after he was acquired in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, but Raleigh insists there is nothing behind the decision. Rather, the Team USA catcher said it “doesn’t matter” who was on the other side.

“I have a responsibility to my teammates and the country to be focused and locked in. And like I said, there’s no harm or no bad blood. There’s nothing behind it. It doesn’t matter who’s on the other side,” Raleigh said, via Daniel Kramer.

There is a scenario where these two teams play again in the World Baseball Classic, and it will be interesting to see if Raleigh turns him down again or not.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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