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In the fiercely competitive atmosphere of the World Baseball Classic, allegiances can shift swiftly, even among MLB teammates. This was evident during the United States’ 5-3 victory over Mexico on Monday, where Cal Raleigh’s actions underscored the intensity of international play.
As Mexico’s Randy Arozarena, who shares a clubhouse with Raleigh on the Seattle Mariners, approached the plate for his first at-bat, he extended a friendly handshake to the catcher. However, Raleigh did not reciprocate, choosing to keep the competition fierce and professional.
After the game, Arozarena shared that Raleigh had simply greeted him with a “good to see you,” but the gesture—or lack thereof—did not sit well with Arozarena. He later expressed his displeasure with Raleigh’s refusal to engage in the customary show of camaraderie.
Postgame, Arozarena said Raleigh simply told him “good to see you.”
Arozarena later bashed Raleigh for the act.
“The ‘good to see you’ he said to me, he can shove it up his a—,” Arozarena said in Spanish.
Fortunately for Raleigh, the U.S. had the upper hand in the game.
The Americans took an early 5-0 lead on third-inning homers by Aaron Judge and Roman Anthony, while Paul Skenes threw four scoreless innings on the mound.
Though Mexico fought back — powered by two Jarren Duran long balls — the U.S. prevailed to move to 3-0 in pool play.
The U.S. wraps up pool play with a matchup with Italy on Tuesday at 9 p.m. A win would make it the top seed in Pool B, pitting it against the Pool A runner-up in the quarterfinals.
Monday’s game was Team USA’s closest yet after it demolished Brazil and Great Britain to open the WBC. Against Brazil, the U.S. won, 15-5, as Judge smacked a first-inning homer and the squad worked a whopping 17 walks.
Versus the Brits, a Kyle Schwarber two-run dinger in the fifth helped the U.S. work past an early 1-0 deficit to win 9-1.
Raleigh is 0-for-6 with three walks in two games played. Arozarena hasn’t fared much better for Mexico, sitting at 2-for-9 with one RBI.
When the two return to Seattle’s spring training, they’ll need to make up quickly. The Mariners made it to their first ALCS since 2001 last year and look to advance to their first World Series in 2026.
Arozarena and Raleigh were both a major part of that team.
Raleigh mashed 60 home runs, the most by a catcher in a single season all-time, but finished second to Judge in MVP voting. Arozarena was also named an All-Star and hit 27 homers on top of 31 stolen bases.
Now, they’re just as integral to their respective countries’ success in the WBC.