03/10/26 03:55:00
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03/10 15:53 CDT Cal Raleigh says there's no beef with Seattle teammate Randy
Arozarena after WBC handshake snub
Cal Raleigh says there's no beef with Seattle teammate Randy Arozarena after
WBC handshake snub
HOUSTON (AP) --- Cal Raleigh insisted Tuesday he has no beef with Randy
Arozarena even though his Seattle teammate lashed out with a vulgar rant after
Raleigh left him hanging for a handshake at the World Baseball Classic.
The kerfuffle went viral when Arozarena, a two-time All-Star outfielder playing
for Mexico, cursed out Raleigh to a reporter after the Team USA catcher did not
accept a handshake before an at-bat in the United States' 5-3 win.
Speaking to Mexican journalist Luis Gilbert in Spanish, Arozarena said Raleigh
"has to thank God that he has nice parents, well educated," and said he
recently hugged them during a friendly greeting at the team hotel.
He then used profane Cuban and Mexican slang to insult Raleigh before pivoting
to English and saying Raleigh could shove his "good to see you" in his rear.
Arozarena was born in Cuba but defected to Mexico to pursue an MLB career.
Arozarena had reached down to greet Raleigh in his catcher's squat at home
plate, and Raleigh declined to offer his hand back. Raleigh appeared to say
something to Arozarena during the exchange at the plate that could have set off
the Mexican star.
Arozarena appeared to be visibly upset at Raleigh, though it wasn't totally
clear if he was just having fun at his teammates' expense. The pair have been
teammates since Arozarena was traded from Tampa Bay to Seattle during the 2024
season.
Raleigh called Arozarena a baseball "brother" while explaining there was no
tension between the teammates.
"Emotions are running high," Raleigh told reporters. "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."
Mariners manager Dan Wilson told reporters he planned to speak to both of his
players at Tuesday.
"These guys are incredible athletes because of their competitiveness, and
that's where they're at, and that's why they've gotten to the level that
they've gotten," Wilson said. "But I also know that our team loves each other
deeply. And that's one of the key ingredients we have in that clubhouse, is how
much they love each other, and so I don't anticipate this being any bit of an
issue."
Wilson doesn't expect whatever happened between the two to linger into the
regular season. The Mariners went 90-72 in 2025 and won the franchise's first
AL West title since 2001 in large part behind Raleigh, who became the seventh
player in major league history to hit 60 homers in a season.
"Competitiveness is competitiveness," Wilson said. "It doesn't matter.
Sometimes, it's a backyard game. Whatever. These guys are competitive. But like
I said, I think the love that they have for each other will shine."
Aaron Judge hit a two-run homer and Roman Anthony added a three-run drive in a
big third inning to lead the United States to the win. The U.S. improved to 3-0
and will meet Italy (2-0) on Tuesday night, seeking to secure a spot in the
quarterfinals in Houston this weekend.
Jarren Duran homered twice for Mexico (2-1), which will face Italy on Wednesday
night in the last game of Group B play.
"I hate that this is a thing. I really don't think this is a big deal, a big
story," Raleigh said. "It shouldn't be a thing. I love Randy. I have all the
respect for him and Team Mexico."
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
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