HOUSTON — Team USA catcher Cal Raleigh said there’s “no beef” between him and Seattle Mariners teammate Randy Arozarena, who unleashed an expletive-laced screed after Raleigh declined to dap him up before an at-bat in the United States’ World Baseball Classic game against Mexico on Monday night.
“I love Randy. I do,” Raleigh said. “I hate that this is a thing. There’s no beef. When we get back to Seattle, he’s my brother. We’re family. I already reached out to him, so it’s just a competitive environment and I know he would want the same for me when we’re on the team and playoff baseball. I just have a responsibility for my teammates here right now and my country, and emotions are running high.”
Arozarena, a two-time All-Star outfielder, seemingly lashed out at the American League MVP runner-up after Arozarena reached down toward Raleigh and the gesture was not reciprocated in the United States’ 5-3 victory over Mexico. In the 2023 WBC, U.S. catcher Will Smith had done the same when Arozarena acknowledged him before an at-bat.
Speaking to Mexican journalist Luis Gilbert in Spanish, Arozarena used profane Cuban and Mexican slang to insult Raleigh, saying he could “f— off” and “go to hell.” Arozarena added that Raleigh told him “good to see you” — and that Raleigh “can shove it straight up his ass.”
Raleigh said he spoke with Arozarena on Tuesday and “this isn’t a big deal at all. So we’re good friends and we’ll continue to be good friends and I think we’re just enjoying competing against each other right now.”
It remains unclear whether Arozarena, who was born in Cuba but defected to Mexico and became a Mexican citizen in 2022, was genuinely upset with Raleigh or trolling the Mariners’ leader, who set a record for home runs by a catcher last year with 60. The pair have been teammates since Arozarena was traded from Tampa Bay to Seattle during the 2024 season.
Team USA manager Mark DeRosa said Raleigh had spoken with Arozarena before the game about not putting Raleigh in a position to potentially offend his U.S. teammates by acknowledging Arozarena’s entreaties. While Raleigh acknowledged the incident prior to Team USA’s pool-play finale Tuesday against Italy, he did not take questions from reporters after giving a statement.
Mariners manager Dan Wilson, who was asked about the exchange later Tuesday, said he hoped to speak soon with Arozarena and Raleigh.
“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 told reporters, according to The Seattle Times. “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. So I don’t anticipate this being any bit of an issue.”
Aaron Judge hit a two-run homer and Roman Anthony added a three-run shot to stake the United States a 5-0 lead, which it held to hand Mexico its first WBC loss. 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 Pool B play that likely will determine the second team to advance.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
