Mariners' Randy Arozarena says he and Cal Raleigh are back to 'brothers and teammates' after WBC kerfuffle

Raleigh, playing for Team USA, refused to shake the hand of his then-Mexico opponent

The World Baseball Classic "handshake" tensions between Seattle Mariners teammates Randy Arozarena and Cal Raleigh seem to be a thing of the past. Arozarena on Saturday released a statement about the incident, which occurred when Arozarena's Mexico team was playing Raleigh's Team USA on March 9 during WBC pool play. The statement, released through the team, reads:

"I understand that with Opening Day a few days away, I don't want it to be a distraction. Cal and I have talked and I apologized for what I said after the game. Nothing in the WBC takes away from the fact that we are brothers and teammates. He's family, and we are both focused on helping the Mariners win the World Series."

After Arozarena released his statement, Raleigh spoke to reporters following the Mariners' Saturday Cactus League game. Via MLB.com:

"We talked it out, and everything went great. Randy knows that I love him, and he's a brother, and it's in the past and none of us are carrying this forward. We're in a good spot. We talked it out. We were both sorry, and we both got in a good place and we're both happy to be here, too. It was really good walking in the door and seeing everybody. As fun as [the WBC] was, it was nice to feel back here. It feels like the family's all back together in a way."

The controversy occurred when Arozarena stepped to the plate for the first time in that Mexico-US matchup and attempted to shake hands with Raleigh, who was catching behind the plate. Raleigh, apparently in keeping with a Team USA policy not to fraternize with opposing players during the WBC, refused to shake Arozarena's hand:

Cal Raleigh refuses to shake hands with his Mariners teammate Randy Arozarena pic.twitter.com/YpTxhHmH9P

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) March 10, 2026

After the game, which Team USA won, Arozarena was asked about the awkward interaction with Raleigh, and he said in Spanish to reporter Luis Gilbert:

"The only thing he should be thankful for is having such great parents. He's very well educated, thank God. I was lucky enough to see them a few days ago at the hotel. They came over to greet me, gave me a big hug, and were genuinely proud to see me again."

He then pivoted to profanity, saying in Spanish that Raleigh should "f--- off" and "go to hell."

Arozarena concluded:

"That 'good to see you' that he said to me. He can shove it straight up his ass. I'm out."

As for Raleigh, he said shortly after the game that there's "no beef with Randy." "I love him," he said the day after the Mexico-US game (via the Seattle Times). "He's my brother." Raleigh also said he spoke with Arozarena after the incident, as well as Mariners manager Dan Wilson.

"I think people are making it out to be a bigger deal than it is. But guys are proud to put on their country's uniform. And I'm proud to put on USA. I have a responsibility to my teammates and the country to be focused and locked in. There's no harm or no bad blood. there's nothing behind it," Raleigh said. "It doesn't matter who's on the other side. It could be Mexico, it could be the Czech Republic or Japan or the DR (Dominican Republic), I'm out there to win, and I'm out there to play hard and be focused, and I have no bad blood, no beef with anyone."

In the WBC, Mexico failed to advance beyond pool play, while the U.S. made it to the final game, where they lost to Venezuela. As for Arozarena's and Raleigh's Mariners, they're coming off a 2025 season in which they won 90 games and the American League West title and advanced to the ALCS. Raleigh and Arozerena were both central to those successes, as they combined for 87 home runs and a WAR of 11.4 last season.