Mariners' Cal Raleigh breaks silence on viral WBC Randy Arozarena handshake snub

The Seattle Mariners have a few of their stars making key contributions at the World Baseball Classic this season. During Monday night's Team USA vs. Team Mexico game, Cal Raleigh and Randy Arozarena were on opposite teams.

But when Arozarena stepped up to the plate, Raleigh didn't shake his hand, causing a stir that led to the video going viral and questions about their relationship.

While Arozarena didn't quell the fire, Raleigh, the next day, did try to. As Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times shares, Raleigh revealed his side of the story behind the now viral handshake debacle.

Cal Raleigh breaks his silence on WBC handshake controversy

"There's no beef with Randy," Raleigh said. "I love him. He's my brother." Despite the viral video painting him in a bad light, Raleigh is speaking out on the issue.

The viral video, shared by @EvaLaMorte on Twitter/x, did not paint Raleigh in a good light. Instantly, there were plenty of speculations made about their relationship and why Raleigh didn't shake Arozarena's hand.

Cal Raleigh declines handshake with Seattle teammate, Randy Arozarena #WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/bBT1JsAuW4

Divish also shared that Raleigh reached out to Arozarena and talked to manager Dan Wilson about this controversy. It's a minor issue, but one that could blow up in the Mariners faces if not addressed.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today also shared an interesting comment from Raleigh, who went into further detail on the reason for not shaking Arozarena's hand.

"I have a responsibility to my teammates and the country to be focused and locked in," Raleigh said per Nightengale. "And as 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."

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ESPN shared that Arozarena apparently used profane language, "(expletive) off" and "go to hell," in reference to Raleigh in speaking to reporters. But there's some uncertainty about whether he was joking or meant it seriously.

This has been an odd situation, and Raleigh coming out and commenting on this controversy is important to stop the spread of rumors about his relationship with Arozarena.

The 2026 MLB season is a big one for Seattle, and the Mariners cannot afford to have two of their biggest stars in such an awkward relationship, as the viral video might imply.

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